Competition

  • October 23, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs Injury Firm's Win In Fight Over Google Ads

    The Ninth Circuit has upheld an Arizona federal court's ruling in favor of a Tempe-based personal injury firm that was sued by another personal injury firm, Lerner & Rowe, over its purchases of Google advertising search terms, with the judges finding little "actual confusion" was caused by the advertising strategy.

  • October 23, 2024

    MVP: Weil's Michael Moiseyev

    Michael Moiseyev of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP has helped tech behemoth Microsoft navigate a gauntlet of regulators across different countries and knock out antitrust challenges to large transactions, including its buy of Activision Blizzard, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Competition and Antitrust MVPs.

  • October 23, 2024

    UK Launches Formal Probe Into £3.3B Carlsberg/Britvic Deal

    The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday it has launched a formal investigation into the proposed £3.3 billion ($4.3 billion) takeover by Danish brewer Carlsberg AS of U.K. soft drinks maker Britvic PLC, setting a Dec. 18 deadline for its phase-one decision.

  • October 22, 2024

    UFC Fighters Win Initial OK On $375M Wage Suppression Deal

    A Nevada federal judge on Tuesday gave his blessing to a $375 million settlement resolving a group of former UFC fighters' claims that the organization for years underpaid match participants, the fighters' counsel confirmed.

  • October 22, 2024

    Big Banks Say Yearslong Libor Suit Still Lacks Evidence

    Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and more than a dozen other large banks have urged a federal judge to dismiss the remaining claims in multidistrict litigation accusing them of manipulating Libor, arguing that the plaintiffs have failed to bring sufficient evidence in the 13 years since they filed suit over the once-critical benchmark interest rate.

  • October 22, 2024

    Texas Rebar Giant Accused Of Crushing Rivals As Trial Opens

    Pacific Steel Group's counsel told a California federal jury during trial openings Tuesday that Texas rebar giant Commercial Metals Co. used anticompetitive tactics to "crush" competition and drive up rebar prices in the Golden State, while CMC's counsel said evidence will show PSG can only blame itself for its problems.

  • October 22, 2024

    Ex-Google GC Must Be Investigated By Calif. Bar, Groups Say

    A trio of groups led by the American Economic Liberties Project on Tuesday pressed the State Bar of California to investigate former Google general counsel Kent Walker for "coaching" the company to "engage in widespread and illegal destruction of records relevant to multiple ongoing federal trials."

  • October 22, 2024

    Hagens Berman Says Vorys 'Opportunistically' Seeking Lead

    Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is fighting a bid by Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP to take the lead in a proposed consolidated class action against gaming giant Valve Corp., saying that after they defeated Valve's arbitration provision Vorys sought to "opportunistically" seize the leadership role.

  • October 22, 2024

    IQVIA, Veeva Blast Summary Judgment Bids In Secrets Suit

    Life sciences data giant IQVIA Inc. and competitor Veeva Systems Inc. slammed each other's summary judgment bids made public Tuesday in a trade secrets lawsuit in New Jersey federal court, with Veeva arguing that IQVIA's purported trade secrets are hardly confidential and IQVIA saying Veeva's assertions are "a last-ditch effort to avoid liability."

  • October 22, 2024

    Don't Let Cities Eat Into Broadband Revenue, Think Tank Says

    Giving local governments free rein to start charging broadband providers new franchise fees based on their use of public rights of way would be a bad idea that would drive up consumer costs and hinder the growth of connectivity, a free market think tank has argued.

  • October 22, 2024

    Zekelman Suit Says Mexico Steel Harming US Industry

    Steel pipe and tube maker Zekelman Industries Inc. told a D.C. federal judge that Mexico has dumped subsidized steel products into the U.S. and "devastated" a critical domestic industry in violation of a trade agreement that allowed the country to avoid tariffs former President Donald Trump imposed.

  • October 22, 2024

    Ivy League Athletes Plan To Appeal Antitrust Suit's Dismissal

    A group of college athletes challenging the Ivy League's practice of prohibiting athletic scholarships told a Connecticut federal judge they plan to appeal the dismissal of their antitrust suit against Harvard and other top-tier universities.

  • October 22, 2024

    FTC On Cusp Of H&R Block False Ad Settlement

    The Federal Trade Commission has come to an agreement with H&R Block to settle claims of deceptive advertising and has withdrawn its complaint in order for the full commission to vote on the deal.

  • October 22, 2024

    BofA, Others Say Bond-Rigging Suit Still Can't Prove Conspiracy

    Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and others have argued the amended complaint in a recently revived securities suit accusing them of conspiring to rig corporate bonds fails to adequately allege a "farfetched" antitrust conspiracy.

  • October 22, 2024

    Alaska Flyers Lose Bid to Revive Merger Suit

    The Hawaii federal judge who put the kibosh on a suit that sought to stop Alaska Airlines' $1.9 billion merger with Hawaiian Airlines declined to reconsider his finding that the passengers and travel agents bringing the antitrust claims didn't have standing to sue.

  • October 22, 2024

    UFC Parent Can't Escape Remaining Wages Suit, Fighters Say

    The fighters in a wage dispute against UFC that remains unsettled told a Nevada federal court that it is too early for the MMA organization's parent company, Endeavor Group, to exit the ongoing class action without proper discovery.

  • October 22, 2024

    DOJ Wants Google's AI Search Docs, Apple Entry Thoughts

    An expansive look into Google's artificial intelligence pipeline and the prospects of Apple entering into the search market are top of mind for the Justice Department as it pursues remedies meant to address the online giant's illegal monopolization of search, according to a D.C. federal court filing Monday.

  • October 22, 2024

    Hagens Berman Tells Amazon, Apple: Sure, Sanction Client

    Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is fine with a Washington federal court sanctioning the firm's client — formerly the lead plaintiff — in a putative antitrust class action against Apple and Amazon, saying it shares their goal of compelling document production after the plaintiff ghosted his attorneys.

  • October 22, 2024

    EchoStar Blasts SpaceX 12 GHz Study As 'Deeply Flawed'

    Dish owner EchoStar hit back at SpaceX in a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission last week, calling a SpaceX study claiming that Dish's proposed fixed 5G service in the 12 gigahertz band would interfere with existing satellite broadband and broadcast service "deeply flawed" and based on "imaginary interference."

  • October 22, 2024

    FCC Expands FirstNet Spectrum Use In 4.9 GHz Band

    The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday unveiled a controversial plan to expand spectrum rights for AT&T's FirstNet emergency response network in the 4.9 gigahertz airwaves set aside for a wide range of public safety uses.

  • October 22, 2024

    The 2024 Prestige Leaders

    Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.

  • October 22, 2024

    How Law Firms Get And Keep Elite Status

    For decades, a handful of New York-based law firms thoroughly dominated the national consciousness when it came to power, profitability and prestige. But in today's legal market, increased movement of partners and clients from one firm to the next has begun to shake things up and create opportunities for go-getters to ascend the ranks.

  • October 22, 2024

    MVP: Proskauer Rose's Christopher Ondeck

    Christopher Ondeck of Proskauer Rose LLP helped convince a jury to reject claims that Sanderson Farms conspired to limit chicken production, allowing the company to escape $7 billion in potential damages after scoring key pretrial wins in the massive case, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Competition MVPs.

  • October 22, 2024

    UK Probes Iberdrola's €5B Electric Power Co. Deal

    Britain's antitrust authority said Tuesday that it has decided to investigate Spanish utility company Iberdrola's proposed acquisition of an 88% stake in Electricity North West to examine whether it could weaken competition in U.K. markets.

  • October 22, 2024

    CFPB's Open Banking Rule Flops With Industry, Lands In Court

    Banks will face new requirements to make account data freely available for consumers to share with fintech firms and other competitors under a long-awaited rule that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unveiled Tuesday, drawing an immediate industry legal challenge seeking to block it.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: Courts Will Still Defer To Feds On Nat'l Security

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    Agencies with trade responsibilities may be less affected by Chevron’s demise because of the special deference courts have shown when hearing international trade cases involving national security, foreign policy or the president’s constitutional authority to direct such matters, say attorneys at Venable.

  • A Look At The Economic Impact Of Drug Patent Differentiation

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    Given the Federal Trade Commission’s recent emphasis on unfair competition based on disputed patent listings, pharmaceutical market participants are likely to require nuanced characterizations of actual and but-for market competition when multiple patents differentiate multiple products, say economists at Competition Dynamics.

  • Google And The Next Frontier Of Divestiture Antitrust Remedy

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    The possibility of a large-scale divestiture in the Google search case comes on the heels of recent requests of business breakups as remedies for anticompetitive conduct, and companies should prepare for the likelihood that courts may impose divestiture remedies in the event of a liability finding, say Lauren Weinstein and Nathaniel Rubin at MoloLamken.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

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    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Antitrust Risks

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    With all the regulatory activity surrounding antitrust and unfair competition claims, as highlighted by last month's D.C. federal court decision that Google is a monopolist, businesses must not only ensure compliance, but also understand their potential insurance coverage when such claims arise, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.

  • Exploring Practical Employer Alternatives To Noncompetes

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    With the Federal Trade Commission likely to appeal a federal court’s recent rejection of its noncompete ban, and more states limiting the enforceability of these agreements, employers should consider back-to-basics methods for protecting their business interests and safeguarding sensitive information, says Brendan Horgan at FordHarrison.

  • 3 M&A Elements To Master In A Volatile Economy

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    The current M&A market requires a strategic approach to earnouts, past-due accounts payable and employee retention in order to mitigate risk and drive successful outcomes, says Robert Harig at Robbins DiMonte.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

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    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Behind 3rd Circ. Ruling On College Athletes' FLSA Eligibility

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    The Third Circuit's decision that college athletes are not precluded from bringing a claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act raises key questions about the practical consequences of treating collegiate athletes as employees, such as Title IX equal pay claims and potential eligibility for all employment benefits, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Opinion

    A Fuzzy Label With Bite: FTC Must Define Surveillance Pricing

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently issued orders to eight companies — including Mastercard, McKinsey and Chase — seeking information on "surveillance pricing," but the order doesn't explain the term or make the distinction between legal and illegal practices, leaving any company that uses personalized pricing in the dark, says Chris Wlach at Huge.

  • Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools

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    A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.

  • A Look At UK, EU And US Cartel Enforcement Trends

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    The European Union, U.K. and U.S. competition agencies' recently issued joint statement on competition risks in generative artificial intelligence demonstrates increased cross-border collaboration on cartel investigations, meaning companies facing investigations in one jurisdiction should anticipate related investigations in other jurisdictions, say lawyers at Latham & Watkins.

  • A Preview Of AI Priorities Under The Next President

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    For the first time in a presidential election, both of the leading candidates and their parties have been vocal about artificial intelligence policy, offering clues on the future of regulation as AI continues to advance and congressional action continues to stall, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • DOJ Must Overcome Hurdles In RealPage Antitrust Case

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent claims that RealPage's pricing software violates the Sherman Act mark a creative, and apparently contradictory, shift in the agency's approach to algorithmic price-fixing that will face several key challenges, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

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