Travel Agency Under Fire: Over 200 Complaints Ignite Regulatory Review

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 31, 2025

Investigation Launched Amid Consumer Complaints

More than 200 complaints have been lodged against Limassol-based travel agency Efi Strakottou Travel and Tours Ltd, raising serious questions about consumer protection and compensation protocols when travel services fail to materialize. The Commerce Ministry’s consumer protection service has confirmed the initiation of an investigation into the agency, now deemed insolvent and potentially incapable of fulfilling its contractual commitments.

Warning to Consumers and Mounting Financial Concerns

Authorities have advised that no further payments be made by travelers to the agency. This advisory follows a series of incidents reported as early as late September, when the growing number of complaints highlighted serious lapses in service delivery. Consumers who invested in package travel contracts, only to receive no services in return, have been instructed to submit their claims in writing to the Association of Cyprus Travel and Tourism Agents (Actta) by the specified deadline.

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Financial Safety Nets: A Critical Shortfall

Initial findings are troubling: while consumers have collectively paid approximately €103,000, the agency’s financial guarantee barely amounts to €12,000. This glaring disparity has inflamed criticism of state authorities for what is being described as inadequate oversight and delayed intervention. Marios Droushiotis, chairman of Actta, has called for more robust regulatory measures and hinted at the possibility of legal actions to ensure that affected customers receive full compensation.

Legislative Scrutiny and Future Safeguards

The issue has escalated to the parliament, where the House Commerce Committee is set to review how consumer interests are safeguarded in instances of agency insolvency or deception. Central to the discussion will be whether the current protections under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Act of 2017 are sufficient to shield travelers when financial promises fall short. The consumer protection service, along with Actta as the administering body for guarantees, will be under close examination as lawmakers debate possible reforms to tighten oversight and reinforce consumer rights.

This case stands as a stark reminder for both consumers and regulators alike: rigorous due diligence and stronger financial safeguards are imperative to prevent future exposures. The outcome of this parliamentary review and potential tightening of regulations could set a new benchmark in ensuring accountability in the travel industry.

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Copyright Law Struggles To Keep Up With AI Training

by News Editor

August 24, 2026

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

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Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.

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