Good morning. The Commerce Department has told U.S. computer-chip companies that they must obtain licenses before exporting certain technology to China’s largest manufacturer of semiconductors, a blow to China’s efforts to compete in advanced technology.

The department laid out the requirement in a letter to the computer-chip industry. The letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, says exports to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. or its subsidiaries risk being used for Chinese military activities.

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The U.S. action threatens to cut off SMIC from equipment used to manufacture chips. American companies are major suppliers of such equipment. SMIC is backed by several state-owned entities and is at the heart of Beijing’s push to become self-reliant on advanced technologies like chips.

A Commerce Department spokesman said its Bureau of Industry and Security, the agency responsible for export control, is “constantly monitoring and assessing any potential threats to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. While we cannot comment on any specific matter, BIS, with its interagency partners, will take appropriate action as warranted.”

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission awarded $1.8 million to a whistleblower whose tip helped the regulator conduct an investigation that led to bribery charges against Orthofix International NV. The company, now called Orthofix Medical Inc., “self-reported to the SEC about these matters and cooperated fully with the government during the course of the investigations,” a spokeswoman said.

• Fraud in internet-connected TV is surging, according to ad measurement and verification firm DoubleVerify Inc. The company said it detected 780 fake streaming-TV apps this year that it believes were set up by bad actors to lure spending by unsuspecting advertisers—just one of the scams in play. A separate analysis by ad tech firm MadHive Inc. at the end of 2019 deemed 20% of connected-TV inventory to be suspicious or fraudulent.
   
• The ruling after a California federal court hearing Monday might serve as an early test of “Fortnite” maker Epic Games Inc.’s claims that Apple’s App Store practices run afoul of antitrust law, legal analysts say.
   
• A jury convicted two former Deutsche Bank employees accused of manipulating precious-metals prices, boosting prosecutors’ efforts to punish traders for conduct that has cost banks millions of dollars in civil and criminal fines. The verdict represents prosecutors’ second win in trials over conduct known as spoofing, a rapid-fire manipulation tactic that involves sophisticated detective work to expose.
   
• Mallinckrodt PLC is preparing to file for bankruptcy within weeks, setting up a potential battle with state and local governments over the drugmaker’s alleged role in fueling opioid addiction in the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.
   
• Two Los Angeles men and their companies duped investors out of $180 million in a scheme targeting conservative and religious investors into buying precious metals at exorbitant prices, regulators said.

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to ban TikTok downloads in the U.S., giving the Chinese-owned app a short-term victory as it scrambles to ensure its future while caught in a battle of brinkmanship between global superpowers.

The ruling by Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court in Washington, gives TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. more time to get approval from U.S. and Chinese authorities for a pending deal that includes Oracle and Walmart. 

• Beijing Frets Over Losing Control of TikTok as It Debates App’s Fate

Rising insurance premiums are costing businesses millions of dollars they can ill afford as they navigate the coronavirus pandemic. Many companies are responding by trying to manage risks on their own.

A surge in demand for so-called captive insurance and the increasing amount of capital being devoted to mitigating risks have caught many in the industry by surprise, including brokers who sell the idea of setting up a captive insurer.

• Some big states continue to loosen dining restrictions, even as the number of newly reported U.S. coronavirus cases continues to rise, and as the global death toll from the pandemic approaches 1 million.

Boeing’s board is accused of failing to properly oversee management’s responses to two fatal 737 MAX crashes and the plane’s safety problems in a shareholders’ lawsuit that cites internal company documents.

The suit, filed earlier this month in a Delaware state court, claims former Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg misled what the plaintiffs portray as a largely passive board. Directors also allegedly were preoccupied by negative news stories, failing to press management over specific MAX engineering problems and skipping meetings focused on safety, according to the 142-page lawsuit.

• Google’s parent agreed to overhaul how it treats allegations of sexual misconduct in its executive ranks, ending a tumultuous period in the company’s history that led to employee walkouts and internal outrage. Alphabet Inc. will put $310 million into a new fund for diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as loosen restrictions on employees who want to speak publicly about sexual harassment and retaliation claims.

A Japanese semiconductor maker called off what was to have been one of this year’s biggest stock offerings, after earlier saying that U.S. export restrictions on China’s Huawei Technologies Co. were hurting its business. Kioxia Holdings Corp., owned by a Bain Capital-led consortium, had planned to list its shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Oct. 6 at a price that would give the company a valuation of around $16 billion. It already had reduced the planned listing price and warned about the Huawei problem.

Grocery stores and food companies are preparing for a possible surge in sales amid a new rise in Covid-19 cases and the impending holiday rush.

Supermarkets are stockpiling groceries and storing them early to prepare for the fall and winter months, when some health experts warn the country could see another widespread outbreak of virus cases and new restrictions. Food companies are accelerating production of their most popular items, and leaders across the industry are saying they won’t be caught unprepared in the face of another pandemic surge.

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Send comments to the Risk & Compliance editor, Jack Hagel, at jack.hagel@wsj.com