Competition

  • August 08, 2024

    Colo. Trailer Dealership Says Would-Be Buyer Infringed TM

    A Colorado trailer dealership is accusing a competitor that purportedly tried to buy its business of changing its public name to one confusingly similar to the dealership's registered trademark after the acquisition offer was rejected for being "much less than plaintiff's business was worth."

  • August 08, 2024

    Wilson Sonsini, A&O Shearman Guide $688M Biotech Merger

    Salt Lake City-based Recursion said Thursday it has inked a deal to purchase fellow drug design and development company Exscientia for approximately $688 million, under the guidance of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC. 

  • August 08, 2024

    Dechert Says Merger Abandonments Are Way Up This Year

    In what's shaping up to be a banner year for antitrust enforcers, U.S. merger abandonments hit historic levels in the first half of 2024, according to a new report from Dechert LLP.

  • August 08, 2024

    FTC Tells 9th Circ. Booksellers Don't Belong In Amazon Case

    The Federal Trade Commission and Amazon both urged the Ninth Circuit not to allow a trade association for independent bookstores to intervene in the government's antitrust case against the e-commerce giant, saying the group's claims are too different.

  • August 08, 2024

    Exec Admits Price-Fixing $100M Of Rebar For Storm Rebuild

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced the guilty plea Wednesday of a former Puerto Rico steel distributor executive who admitted to fixing prices on rebar used for post-hurricane reconstruction, in a conspiracy that impacted more than $100 million in his company's sales.

  • August 08, 2024

    Funder Nera Capital Buys 50,000 Spanish Car Cartel Claims

    Litigation funder Nera Capital has bought 50,000 claims for compensation valued at an estimated €1 billion ($1.1 billion) over a Spanish auto cartel involving many of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the world, including General Motors and Honda.

  • August 08, 2024

    Barratt, Redrow To Engage With CMA Over Deal Concerns

    Barratt Developments PLC and Redrow PLC said in a joint statement Thursday that they will address concerns raised by the Competition and Markets Authority regarding Barratt's planned takeover of its rival homebuilder for £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion).

  • August 08, 2024

    UK Launches Formal Probe Into Amazon's $4B AI Investment

    Britain's antitrust authority launched a formal probe on Thursday into Amazon's $4 billion investment in Anthropic, a U.S. artificial intelligence startup, as it seeks to establish whether it could harm competition in U.K. markets.

  • August 07, 2024

    FTC, CFPB Turn Up Scrutiny On Solar Energy Sales Practices

    The federal government on Wednesday stepped up efforts to police shady solar energy sales and financing practices, with the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies releasing consumer advisories and announcing a new partnership to better monitor the industry.

  • August 07, 2024

    Google 'May Not Be So Lucky' Next Time Over Chat Deletions

    Google's stunning antitrust loss in D.C. federal court Monday dealt another blow against its policies of letting internal chats delete automatically, and it came with a callout of its practice of training employees to avoid competition law "buzzwords."

  • August 07, 2024

    Advocates Tell 9th Circ. To Revive Invisalign Monopoly Suit

    Competition advocates are backing the revival of a class action accusing the makers of Invisalign of monopolizing the market for clear dental aligners, telling the Ninth Circuit in a new amicus brief that a district court summary judgment ruling for Align Technology creates a dangerous precedent for refusal-to-deal cases.

  • August 07, 2024

    Teva Finds Some Big-Pharma Friends In Inhaler Patent Fight

    Two large pharmaceutical companies have weighed in to ask the Federal Circuit to overturn a ruling that found that Teva's branded drugmaking operation misused a key federal patent database in order to block the release of competing generic asthma inhalers.

  • August 07, 2024

    Pipe Co. Exec Says Criminal Antitrust Charges Unconstitutional

    A former executive of an aluminum pipe company defending the Fourth Circuit's reversal of his bid-rigging conviction has told the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that all criminal antitrust prosecutions under Section 1 of the Sherman Act are unconstitutional, claiming they violate "fundamental constitutional principles" of nondelegation and objectivity.

  • August 07, 2024

    Judge Hints No-Show Amazon, Apple Plaintiff May Testify

    A Washington federal judge suggested Wednesday that the original lead plaintiff in an antitrust suit accusing Amazon and Apple of restricting iPhone and iPad sales may need to testify despite his lawyers wanting to drop him from the case, questioning if it would be fair to let the plaintiff continue to dodge long overdue discovery demands.

  • August 07, 2024

    Amgen Waged Lawfare To Overcharge For Drug, Suit Claims

    Maryland-based independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association claim pharmaceutical giant Amgen Inc. and its subsidiaries have engaged in unlawful monopolistic practices that have inflated the cost of the blockbuster drug Enbrel.

  • August 07, 2024

    Parts Co. Fights Bid To Pause Pratt & Whitney Antitrust Suit

    A parts supplier accusing RTX Corp. subsidiary Pratt & Whitney of using illegal agreements to monopolize the aftermarket supply of their turboprop engine components asked a Pennsylvania federal court to keep discovery moving while considering the possible dismissal of the $450 million lawsuit.

  • August 07, 2024

    Dems Push For Scrutiny On Fox, ESPN, Warner Bros. JV

    Three Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a proposed joint venture between Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney subsidiary ESPN that would create a new streaming service called Venu Sports, arguing the partnership would lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.

  • August 07, 2024

    6 Swipe Fee Plaintiffs 'Arbitrarily' Picked For 2025 Trial

    Six retailers including department store giant Target will go to trial in 2025 on claims that Visa and Mastercard overcharged them, a Manhattan federal judge said Wednesday, explaining that he arbitrarily chose from among 60 plaintiffs in a long-running, multibillion-dollar antitrust battle.

  • August 07, 2024

    M&A Rebounds, But Success Hinges On Broader Economy

    There was a promising uptick in mergers and acquisitions activity in the second quarter, but the rising uncertainty about the broader economy that fueled Monday's stock market free fall could cause some hesitancy among dealmakers.  

  • August 07, 2024

    Delta Dental Can't Get Antitrust Standard Decided Early

    An Illinois federal judge denied a bid from Delta Dental to have the court decide what legal standard should apply to claims that it violated antitrust law through a $13 billion scheme to restrict competition before ruling on a class certification motion.

  • August 07, 2024

    NCAA's Scholarship Cap Still Hurts Us, Athletes Say In Suit

    Elimination of the NCAA's cap on scholarships for most of its sports by way of the $2.8 billion settlement of the class action over name, image and likeness compensation does not undo the damage to athletes forced to compete under the cap, a new proposed class action in Colorado federal court claims.

  • August 07, 2024

    FTC Asks Courts To Pause $8.5B Handbag Merger

    The Federal Trade Commission has asked a New York federal court to pause the planned $8.5 billion merger between the owners of Coach and Michael Kors while the agency conducts an in-house merger challenge.

  • August 07, 2024

    Ohio AG Cites Search Ruling In Google Common Carrier Suit

    Ohio's attorney general pointed a state court judge Wednesday to a recent D.C. federal court decision declaring Google an illegal search monopolist, arguing the U.S. Department of Justice's win underscores why the internet giant should be banned from self-preferential treatment as a "common carrier."

  • August 07, 2024

    Khan 'Impermissibly Conflicted' In Cyber Probe, MGM Says

    MGM Resorts International fought Wednesday to keep alive its lawsuit accusing the Federal Trade Commission of wrongly refusing to recuse chair Lina Khan from an investigation into the company's data security practices, arguing that its case involves core constitutional issues that belong in the D.C. federal court.

  • August 06, 2024

    4 Takeaways From Landmark Google Search Ruling

    A landmark ruling in D.C. federal court Monday found that Google illegally maintains its search engine monopoly, and experts say the case could have broad implications for the company as well as the wider internet and shows how existing antitrust laws can apply to modern technology.

Expert Analysis

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

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    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • Opinion

    Biden Admin's March-In Plan Would Hurt Medical Innovation

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    The Biden administration's proposal to reinterpret the Bayh-Dole Act and allow the government to claw back patents when it determines that a commercialized product's price is too high would discourage private investment in important research and development, says Ken Thorpe at the Rollins School of Public Health.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • Reassessing Trade Secrets Amid Proposed Noncompete Ban

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    The Federal Trade Commission's proposed ban on noncompete agreements as well as state bans make it prudent for businesses to reevaluate and reinvigorate approaches to trade secret protection, including knowing what information employees are providing to vendors, and making sure confidentiality agreements are put in place before information is shared, says Rob Jensen at Wolf Greenfield.

  • Mitigating The Risk Of Post-Closing M&A Earnout Disputes

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    Today's uncertain deal environment makes a well-crafted earnout an excellent way for parties to accomplish a desired transaction that would not otherwise occur, but transacting parties also need to take key steps to avoid the risk of post-closing disputes that earnouts can present, say Chad Barton and Claire Lydiard at Holland & Knight.

  • What's On The Horizon In Attorney General Enforcement

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    A look at recent attorney general actions, especially in the areas of antitrust and artificial intelligence, can help inform businesses on what they should expect in terms of enforcement trends as 10 attorney general races play out in 2024, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Planning For Stymied HSR Filings At FTC If Shutdown Occurs

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    If the government were to shut down in early March, the inability to submit Hart-Scott-Rodino filings with the Federal Trade Commission would grind transactions to a halt, and parties should consider numerous implications as they are negotiating or planning to close pending transactions, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • How High Court SEC Case Could Affect The ITC

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy will likely spare the U.S. International Trade Commission from major operative changes, the ITC’s ability to issue penalties for violations of its orders may change, say Gwendolyn Tawresey and Ryan Deck at Troutman Pepper.

  • HR Antitrust Compliance Crucial Amid DOJ Scrutiny

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    The Justice Department's Antitrust Division recently announced a required human resources component for antitrust compliance programs, which means companies should evaluate their policies to prevent, detect and remediate potential violations as they add training for HR professionals, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Mass Arb. Rule Changes May Be A Hindrance For Consumers

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    The American Arbitration Association's recent changes to its mass arbitration supplementary rules and fee schedule, including a shift from filing fees to initiation and per-case fees, may reduce consumers' ability to counteract businesses' mandatory arbitration agreements, say Eduard Korsinsky and Alexander Krot at Levi & Korsinsky.

  • ChristianaCare Settlement Reveals FCA Pitfalls For Hospitals

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    ChristianaCare's False Claims Act settlement in December is the first one based on a hospital allegedly providing private physicians with free services in the form of hospital-employed clinicians and provides important compliance lessons as the government ramps up scrutiny of compensation arrangements, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.

  • SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap

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    As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.

  • The Latest Antitrust Areas For In-House Counsel To Watch

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    The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission's increasingly aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement means in-house counsel should closely monitor five key compliance issues, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • NCAA's Antitrust Litigation History Offers Clues For NIL Case

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    Attorneys at Perkins Coie analyze the NCAA's long history of antitrust litigation to predict how state attorney general claims against NCAA recruiting rules surrounding name, image and likeness discussions will stand up in Tennessee federal court.

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