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Silver Bull Provides Update On Its Arbitration Case Against Mexico

By Harry Moran |

Silver Bull Resources, Inc. (OTCQB:SVBL)(TSX:SVB) (“Silver Bull” or the “Company”) provides an update on the progress of its international arbitration claim against the United Mexican States (“Mexico”).

Silver Bull announces that it has filed its Reply to Mexico’s Counter-Memorial in the arbitration that Silver Bull initiated on 28 June 2023 under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) before the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”). Under the current schedule, Mexico now has until August 26, 2025 to file its Rejoinder before the case proceeds to a hearing, which will commence on October 6, 2025.

A summary of the key points of Silver Bull’s claim is provided below:

  • The arbitration arises from Mexico’s refusal to take action with respect to the illegal blockade of Silver Bull’s Sierra Mojada Project, which commenced in September 2019 and remains ongoing. Mexico’s actions and omissions led to the complete loss of Silver Bull’s investment, and breached Mexico’s obligations under the NAFTA, including the prohibition on unlawful expropriation and the duties to provide full protection and security, fair and equitable treatment, national treatment and most-favored nation treatment.
  • Silver Bull commenced the arbitration by filing a Request for Arbitration with ICSID on 28 June 2023. A three-person arbitration panel (the “Tribunal”) was appointed by ICSID and they will adjudicate the case. Silver Bull filed its Memorial on 17 June 2024, setting out its claim in full and presenting supporting evidence. Mexico filed its Counter-Memorial on 23 December 2024, setting out its defence and presenting its evidence in response to the claim.
  • In the Reply filed on April 25, 2025, Silver Bull responded to Mexico’s Counter-Memorial and provided further evidence to support its claim. In its Reply, Silver Bull updated its damages claim to US$374.9M (including interest), supported by the opinion of its damages expert.
  • Mexico will file its Rejoinder, responding to Silver Bull’s Reply, on 26 August 2025. The hearing in the arbitration will take place from 6-10 October 2025.
  • The Company hired Boies Schiller Flexner (UK) LLP (“BSF”) to act on its behalf as legal counsel for the claim. BSF is an international law firm with extensive experience in international investment arbitration concerning mining and other natural resources. The BSF team is led by Timothy L. Foden, a noted practitioner in the mining arbitration space.
  • Silver Bull is financially supported by Bench Walk Advisors LLC via a Litigation Funding Agreement for up to US$9.5 million to finance the case and the running of the Company.

Silver Bull’s CEO, Mr. Tim Barry commented, “While Silver Bull had intended to continue developing the Sierra Mojada Project, an illegal blockade initiated in September 2019 by a small group of local miners – seeking to extort an unearned royalty payment from the Company has persisted to this day. Despite obtaining a favorable ruling from the Mexican courts dismissing the group’s royalty claims, and despite repeated requests for the Mexican Government to enforce the law and remove the illegal blockade, the Government has continuously elected not to act. As a result, Silver Bull has been denied access to the site for more than five years, preventing the Company from conducting its lawful business activities in Mexico. This has led to the complete loss of Silver Bull’s investment and the destruction of shareholder value at Sierra Mojada. The Mexican Government’s actions and inactions directly drove investors away and effectively expropriated the Sierra Mojada Project.”.

BACKGROUND TO THE CLAIM: The arbitration has been initiated under the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States process, which falls under the auspices of the World Bank’s ICSID, to which Mexico is a signatory.

Silver Bull officially notified Mexico on March 2, 2023 of its intention to initiate an arbitration owing to Mexico’s breaches of NAFTA by unlawfully expropriating Silver Bull’s investments without compensation, failing to provide Silver Bull and its investments with fair and equitable treatment or full protection and security, and not upholding NAFTA’s national treatment standard.

Silver Bull held a meeting with Mexican government officials in Mexico City on May 30, 2023, in an attempt to explore amicable settlement options and avoid arbitration. However, the 90-day period for amicable settlement under NAFTA expired on June 2, 2023, without a resolution.

Despite repeated demands and requests for action by the Company, Mexico’s governmental agencies have allowed the unlawful blockade to continue, thereby failing to protect Silver Bull’s investments. Consequently, Silver Bull is seeking to recover an amount of US$374.9M (including interest) in damages that it has suffered due to Mexico’s breach of its obligations under NAFTA.

THE SIERRA MOJADA DEPOSIT: Silver Bull’s only asset is the Sierra Mojada deposit located in Coahuila, Mexico. Sierra Mojada is an open pittable oxide deposit with a NI 43-101 compliant Measured and Indicated “global” Mineral Resource of 70.4 million tonnes grading 3.4% zinc and 38.6 g/t silver for 5.35 billion pounds of contained zinc and 87.4 million ounces of contained silver. Included within the “global” Mineral Resource is a Measured and Indicated “high grade zinc zone” of 13.5 million tonnes with an average grade of 11.2% zinc at a 6% cutoff, for 3.336 billion pounds of contained zinc, and a Measured and Indicated “high grade silver zone” of 15.2 million tonnes with an average grade of 114.9 g/t silver at a 50 g/t cutoff for 56.3 million contained ounces of silver. Mineralization remains open in the east, west, and northerly directions.

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Harry Moran

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SIM IP Provides Funding and Strategic Advisory Services to Gene Pool to Drive Global Intellectual Property Monetization

By Harry Moran |

Sauvegarder Investment Management, Inc ("SIM IP"), a Miami-based firm focused on intellectual property-based financing, investment, and monetization, today announced it has entered into a funding and strategic advisory agreement with Gene Pool Technologies.

Gene Pool Technologies ("Gene Pool") focuses on the development, aggregation, and licensing of advanced extraction and processing technologies, with a particular emphasis on solutions applicable to the cannabis and hemp industries. Gene Pool's intellectual property portfolio broadly covers innovations in plant extraction methods, equipment, and systems that enhance quality, safety, and efficiency for producers and manufacturers.

"We believe that Gene Pool brings a disciplined, technology-focused process to intellectual property licensing that aligns with SIM IP's commitment to efficient and transparent value creation," said Jennifer Burdman, Managing Director at SIM IP. "We look forward to collaborating to provide inventors with stronger protection and improved monetization opportunities, while offering industry participants with streamlined access to critical technologies through clear and equitable licensing terms."

Erich Spangenberg, CEO of SIM IP, commented, "Gene Pool is leveraging two key services provided by SIM IP, which includes capital support through a corporate investment and unparalleled, strategic advisory expertise. Gene Pool strategically chose to leverage our capital for both litigation and the anticipated acquisition of additional intellectual property, as well as our extensive expertise in global intellectual property monetization to support execution and business strategy."

Gene Pool partners with innovators and technology owners to ensure their innovations are protected, compensated, and accessible to operators through operator-friendly, non-exclusive licensing agreements. Gene Pool's licensable portfolio includes  over fifty patent assets, with approximately half owned by Gene Pool and the rest being in-licensed from key market innovators.

"Gene Pool was seeking a strategic partner capable of providing capital and supporting the execution of our intellectual property monetization strategy across multiple jurisdictions, including the U.S. and Europe. We're pleased to have identified SIM IP as a partner and to have formalized our collaboration," said Travis Steffen, CEO of Gene Pool. "We met with numerous litigation funding firms; however, only SIM IP demonstrated strategic advisory service capabilities and meaningful experience in global enforcement strategies."

Over the last few years, Gene Pool secured significant legal victories against companies in the cannabis and hemp industries including defending key patent claims in three inter partes review proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; defeating invalidity, non-infringement, and illegality challenges against these claims in U.S. District Court; and most recently obtaining summary judgment from the same court that the Defendants infringed these claims.

About SIM IP

Sauvegarder Investment Management, Inc. ("SIM IP") is a Miami-based firm focused on intellectual property-based financing, investment and monetization opportunities. SIM IP invests across IP as an asset class and across jurisdictions, primarily focusing on the US, Europe, and Asia. Further information is available at www.simip.io. Follow us on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Instagram

About Gene Pool Technologies

At Gene Pool Technologies, we believe in industry solutions that recognize inventors, incentivize ongoing R&D, and enable operating companies with seamless access to technologies that will be critical to the long-term success of the Cannabis industry. Our team brings decades of experience across Cannabis and intellectual property and is deeply committed to the success of the industry and the innovation that will continue to drive quality, safety, and efficiency.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this release are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding SIM IP's strategy, plans, objectives, initiatives and financial outlook. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "future," "propose" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside SIM IP's control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.

Investors should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" sections of SIM IP's filings with the SEC, including the Registration Statement and the other documents filed by SIM IP. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements.

Legal Bay Presettlement Funding Offers Comprehensive Guideline for Funding Contracts to Avoid

By Harry Moran |

As the lawsuit funding industry continues to grow, Legal-Bay Lawsuit Settlement Funding is issuing a public advisory to plaintiffs navigating the complex and often underregulated pre-settlement loan landscape. The company urges consumers to remain vigilant against deceptive contract practices and highlights its own commitment to transparency, fairness, and ethical funding solutions.

While pre-settlement funding can offer critical financial relief during lengthy legal battles, Legal-Bay warns that not all funding companies operate ethically. In particular, the firm is cautioning plaintiffs to avoid contracts that include compounding pricing models, hidden fees, and vague language, common tactics used by unscrupulous funders.  Legal-Bay also offers refinancing's in event you have a large legal funding lien with a bad compounding rate and want cheaper pricing.

Chris Janish, CEO of Legal Bay, says, "Too often we see plaintiffs fall victim to exploitative funding agreements that leave them owing far more than they borrowed, especially after years of compounding costs buried in the fine print. Many of these contracts are intentionally confusing, designed to mislead consumers. At Legal-Bay, we offer refinancing options on large funding buyouts, by converting your existing compounding lien into a flat pricing lien – no different than a home mortgage refi."

If you are involved in any active litigation and would like to discuss how to get a cash advance from your anticipated lawsuit settlement, please visit the company's website HERE or call 877.571.0405 where agents are standing by to hear about your specific case.  

Legal-Bay outlines several red flags that plaintiffs should watch out for when considering a pre-settlement advance:

  • Compounding interest without clear repayment terms: Some funders fail to disclose how much a plaintiff will owe over time, resulting in balances that balloon dramatically after two or three years.
  • Vague or misleading contract language: Important terms are often hidden in fine print or presented in confusing legal jargon.
  • Discouraging attorney involvement: Ethical funders will encourage plaintiffs to review all funding agreements with their attorneys instead of trying to edge them out of the discussion.
  • Lack of disclosure about maximum repayment: Some contracts leave plaintiffs uncertain about how much will ultimately be deducted from their settlement.

In contrast, Legal-Bay's approach is rooted in transparency, fairness, and full attorney cooperation. All of their contracts are structured to include straightforward terms, capped repayment amounts, and no compounding interest. Plaintiffs and their attorneys are given full access to review and understand the terms before any funding is finalized.

Legal-Bay's dedication to ethical funding has made it a trusted name in loan on lawsuit funding for plaintiffs in personal injury, sexual abuse, motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, dog bite, commercial litigation, and many more.

Legal-Bay's lawsuit funding programs are designed to provide immediate cash in advance of a plaintiff's anticipated monetary award. While it's common to refer to these legal funding requests as loans on lawsuit or settlement loans, legal funding isn't like a loan at all. Because the funds are non-recourse, there's no risk since there is no obligation to repay the money if the recipient loses their case.

To apply right now for a loan settlement program, please visit the company's website HERE or call toll-free at: 877.571.0405 where agents are standing by to answer any questions.

Theo Ai Secures 4.2MM Seed Round to Advance AI-Powered Settlement Prediction for Big Law

By Harry Moran |

Theo Ai, the AI-driven prediction platform for litigation, has raised a $4.2 million seed round just six months after its $2.2 million pre-seed announcement in November. The round was co-led by returning investor NextView Ventures and new investor Collide Capital. As part of the investment, Aaron Samuels, General Partner at Collide Capital, will join Theo Ai’s board. The funds will be used to expand proprietary data pipelines, enhance legal corpus, and reinforce supervised learning with legal experts.

“The legal industry is at a turning point, and AI-powered predictions are becoming essential for managing client expectations and executive decision-making,” said Patrick Ip, Co-founder and CEO of Theo Ai. “With this investment, we will continue to develop the infrastructure that makes settlement predictions more precise and valuable for law firms and corporate legal teams.”

Theo Ai will use the new capital to accelerate product development, focusing on its AI-powered settlement prediction tools tailored for Big Law firms and General Counsels. The company is committed to building firm-specific prediction engines that leverage case history and proprietary data to provide actionable insights across a wider array of legal scenarios.

“The leadership team within Theo Ai continues to demonstrate a deep understanding of customer needs and the way advanced technology can reshape the legal field for decades to come” said Co-Founder and Partner at NextView, Rob Go. “this round came together very quickly because customers are quickly adopting what they see as a uniquely valuable solution."

“Theo Ai is transforming the way legal teams predict and manage settlements, and we are excited to back their next phase of growth,” said Aaron Samuels. “Having crossed paths with Patrick early in our respective founder journeys, it’s incredible to now collaborate in building the future of AI-driven legal intelligence.”

The funding round also marks a significant expansion of Theo Ai’s leadership team with the appointment of Jay Mandal as Chief Product Officer. A Stanford Law Lecturer and former COO at SAP, Mandal brings deep expertise in AI, enterprise technology, and legal innovation. He previously was the head M&A attorney at Apple and founded a legal tech company acquired by Rocket Lawyer. The company also welcomed Rob Martorana as Head of Partnerships. A former attorney with over 25 years in legal sales and marketing, including 12 years in litigation finance, Rob brings deep expertise across portfolio, single-case, and corporate monetization strategies. He most recently founded REMO Litigation Finance and served as SVP at Burford Capital.

Theo Ai’s seed round saw participation from all pre-seed investors, including nvp capital, Ripple Ventures, and Beat Ventures. The round also welcomed new investors Four Acres Capital and a distinguished group of angel investors from across legal, finance, and technology:

  • David Fox (Kirkland & Ellis)
  • Bo Berluti (RTP Global)
  • Ramesh Dhanaraj (ex-Fortress Investment Group)
  • Vivek Nasta (ex-Thomson Reuters)
  • Akash Garg (ex-Uber)
  • Art Calcagnini (ex-UBS)

Theo Ai initially launched by helping litigation funders optimize their investment decisions – recently partnering with Mustang Litigation Funding – and has rapidly expanded into serving Big Law and in-house legal teams. The strong market demand led to an oversubscribed seed round, reinforcing confidence in Theo Ai’s technology and vision.

With this latest funding, Theo Ai is poised to drive the future of AI-powered legal decision-making, delivering cutting-edge predictive solutions for the legal industry.

To learn more and join the waitlist for Theo Ai, visit: Theo Ai

About Theo Ai

Theo Ai is the first predictive engine designed by technical and legal professionals to forecast the outcome of legal disputes. Its AI models are trained on historical case data and incorporate real-time analytics with predictive modeling to deliver accurate and actionable insights. Theo Ai is meeting the most critical need for legal professionals - offering accurate case outcome predictions, backed by data. To learn more and join the waitlist for Theo Ai, visit: https://theoai.ai/#product