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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."
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August 09, 2024
Google Beats Users' Challenge To Apple Pact, For Now
A California federal judge on Friday dismissed, for now, consumers' suit alleging that Google made an illegal pact with Apple to serve as the iPhone's default search engine, a decision that comes days after a D.C. federal court held that Google is a monopolist in a separate antitrust case.
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August 09, 2024
Takeda Should Face Certified Antitrust Classes, Judge Says
A New York federal judge on Friday recommended certifying two classes of direct purchasers and end payors in consolidated antitrust actions accusing Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. of unlawfully inflating the price of its diabetes treatment Actos by delaying entry of generic alternatives.
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August 09, 2024
Intel Hit With Copyright Suit Over Expired Anaconda License
Software company Anaconda Inc., which describes itself as "the operating system for AI," has accused Intel Corp. of copyright infringement, alleging in a complaint in Delaware federal court that Intel has been using Anaconda's technology for its artificial intelligence development platform without paying.
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August 09, 2024
Conn. Hospital Must Give Data To Competitor, Judge Says
Connecticut's Bristol Hospital must turn over a brand survey for use in Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center Inc.'s antitrust lawsuit against Hartford HealthCare Corp., but the data can be redacted and restricted to attorneys only, a federal magistrate judge ruled Friday.
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August 09, 2024
Home Sellers Get Approved For $250M HomeServices Deal
A Missouri federal judge granted preliminary approval for a $250 million class action settlement to end an antitrust suit filed by home sellers who accused the National Association of Realtors, HomeServices of America Inc. and other companies of conspiring to artificially inflate broker commission fees.
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August 09, 2024
Restoration Worker Can't Shake Employment Deal Claims
North Carolina's Business Court has pared down a lawsuit between a restoration company and a former employee centered on allegations of breaking employment agreements and misusing licenses, with the court ruling most of the worker's claims had to be tossed, while some of the company's accusations can head toward trial.
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August 09, 2024
4 Firms Guiding Italian IT Firm Almaviva's $335M Iteris Buy
Italian digital innovation group Almaviva S.p.A. has agreed to purchase Austin, Texas-based infrastructure management provider Iteris Inc. for approximately $335 million equity value, Iteris said in a statement Friday.
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August 09, 2024
Wash. AG Says Kroger Refusing To Delay Merger For Ruling
The Washington Attorney General's Office told a state court Thursday that Kroger will not agree to put off closing its planned merger with Albertsons until after a final ruling in the state's merger challenge, but the companies say they've already agreed not to finalize the deal until litigation plays out in another state.
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August 09, 2024
Highway Contractor, Exec Charged With $100M Price-Fixing
Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced the indictment of an Oklahoma highway runoff contracting business and two of its employees for their involvement in a price-fixing, bid-rigging and market allocation conspiracy that impacted over $100 million in publicly funded construction contracts in the state.
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August 09, 2024
Ads Group Nixes Anti-Hate Initiative Days After Musk Suit
The World Federation of Advertisers is pulling the plug on an initiative aimed at avoiding advertising next to hate speech and other "illegal or harmful content," days after drawing a lawsuit from Elon Musk's X Corp. calling the program an anticompetitive group boycott.
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August 09, 2024
Full 2nd Circ. Axes Producer's Bid To Revive Blacklisting Suit
The Second Circuit won't take a second whack at its ruling that a stage workers union can't be held liable under antitrust laws for discouraging members from working with a Broadway producer following complaints about unpaid wages.
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August 09, 2024
News Corp. Mulls Sale Of Australia's Foxtel Group
Media conglomerate News Corp. disclosed in its fourth-quarter earnings report that it is entertaining external interest in its majority-owned Foxtel Group, the Australian pay television company that provides cable, satellite and on-demand television services.
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August 09, 2024
Off The Bench: NCAA Antitrust Woes, Ohio Trans Sports Ban
In this week's Off The Bench, the NCAA still faces pushback from athletes after an NIL settlement, transgender youth athletes in Ohio lost their legislative battle, and the Seventh Circuit set an insurance broker straight on its actions in an NFL team's settlement with a former player.
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August 09, 2024
Ex-Mayer Brown Product Liability Atty Joins King & Spalding
King & Spalding LLP has hired a former Mayer Brown LLP partner for its product liability and mass torts practice group in New York.
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August 08, 2024
Investors, Banks Pitch Next Steps In Saved Bond-Rigging Suit
Investors accusing major banks of conspiring to rig corporate bonds have told a New York federal court they want to file a new complaint after the Second Circuit revived the suit last month over a potential conflict with the previous judge, while the defendants say this would take the case "back to square one."
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August 08, 2024
Calif. Yacht Group Urges Toss Of Fee Antitrust Suit In Fla.
The California Yacht Brokers Association has urged a Florida federal court to toss a proposed class action alleging that it's part of a scheme to inflate boat sales fees, saying it's not violating the Sherman Antitrust Act because the Golden State allows commission sharing and requires sellers to pay for buyer representation.
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August 08, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Rethink OK'ing Ad Class Cert. Against Meta
The Ninth Circuit refused Thursday to rethink a split panel decision affirming certification of a damages class of potentially millions of advertisers who were allegedly deceived about Facebook's "potential reach" tool, rejecting Meta Platforms Inc.'s warnings of unchecked fraud class actions.
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August 08, 2024
Amazon Must Face Pandemic Price-Gouging Claims In Wash.
Washington's high court said on Thursday that Amazon can be sued under the state's Consumer Protection Act over alleged price-gouging early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but stopped short of agreeing with customers that the law bars specific markup percentages.
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August 08, 2024
Ark. Racing Commission Wants Out Of Licensing Dispute
The Arkansas Racing Commission wants out of a dispute between a Mississippi casino operator and two Cherokee Nation entities over a gambling license, saying it has nothing to do with an economic development agreement at the center of the litigation.
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August 08, 2024
Apple Must Produce Docs In Epic Antitrust Fight By Sept. 30
A California federal judge overseeing discovery in Epic Games' antitrust compliance fight with Apple gave the iPhone-maker a Sept. 30 deadline to hand over documentation on its response to foreign antitrust regulations and other internal documents, rejecting Apple's suggested December deadline and calling the 92,000-document review large but "not huge."
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August 08, 2024
Google Says Epic's Own Tech Experts Undermine Remedies
Google continued Wednesday to battle what it says would be a dramatic and costly overhaul of its Play Store if Epic Games is allowed to dictate the terms of an antitrust remedy, telling a California federal judge claims of a cheaper, easier solution are undermined by Epic's own experts.
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August 08, 2024
DOJ Investigating Formula 1 Over Andretti Denial
Formula One's owner Liberty Media Corp. disclosed Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating antitrust concerns surrounding the denial of Andretti Formula Racing LLC's bid to join the F1's championship series, following a letter from lawmakers.
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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."
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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.
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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.
Editor's Picks
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FTC Gears Up For Busy 2024 Merger Summer & Fall
U.S. antitrust enforcers at the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are gearing up for busy months ahead against multibillion-dollar mergers in the grocery and luxury handbags spaces, while also adjusting to a hospital loss turnaround and bracing for an important airlines deal appellate ruling.
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Enforcers Push Antitrust Agenda, Brace For Google Ruling
The first half of 2024 was marked by U.S. antitrust enforcers' pursuit of groundbreaking cases alleging anticompetitive conduct.
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FTC's Bedoya Says Labor Concerns In Mergers Matter
Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said Friday that it's important for enforcers to consider the impact mergers can have on labor, even if they never did in the past, contending that concentration can lead to lower wages and dangerous working conditions.
Expert Analysis
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Unpacking The Latest FTC Guidance On Multilevel Marketing
Branko Jovanovic and Monica Zhong at Edgeworth Economics discuss the Federal Trade Commission's recent advice for multilevel marketers on how MLMs should approach their income and earnings reports, including participants costs, typical proceeds and distributor gains.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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Calif. Out-Of-State Noncompete Ban Faces Several Hurdles
California's attempt to bolster its noncompete law has encountered significant procedural and constitutional challenges, and litigating parties must carefully analyze not only the restrictive covenants contained in their agreements, but also the forum-selection and choice-of-law provisions, say Jennifer Redmond and Gal Gressel at Sheppard Mullin.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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Proposed NIL Deal Leaves NCAA Antitrust Liability Door Open
The proposed House v. NCAA settlement filed in California federal court creates the possibility of significant direct payments to student-athletes for the first time, but the resulting framework is unlikely to withstand future antitrust scrutiny because it still represents an agreement among competitors to limit labor cost, says Yaman Desai at Lynn Pinker.
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Navigating Antitrust Considerations In ESG Collaborations
The intersection of ESG goals and antitrust laws presents a complex challenge for businesses and their counsel — but by creating clear frameworks for collaboration, adhering to established guidelines and carefully considering the competitive implications of their actions, companies can work toward sustainability while mitigating legal risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Considerations For Federal Right Of Publicity As AI Advances
Amid rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence technology, Congress should consider how a federal right of publicity would interact with the existing patchwork of state name, image and likeness laws, as well as other issues like scope, harm recognized and available relief, says Ross Bagley at Pryor Cashman.
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FTC Focus: Private Equity Investments In Healthcare
As the Federal Trade Commission is tightening its scrutiny of private equity investment in healthcare, the agency is finding novel grounds to challenge key focus areas, including rollup acquisitions, the flip-and-strip approach and minority investments in rival providers, say attorneys at Proskauer.
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Patent Lessons From 5 Federal Circuit Reversals In June
A look at June cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court highlights a potential path for branded drugmakers to sue generic-drug makers for off-label uses, potential downsides of violating a pretrial order offering testimony, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.
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Series
Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.
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How 5 States' Deal Notification Laws Are Guiding Healthcare
Healthcare transaction notification laws at various stages of implementation in California, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and Washington are shaping sector mergers and acquisitions, with significant transparency, continuity of care and compliance implications as providers tackle complex regulatory requirements, says Melesa Freerks at DLA Piper.