Competition

  • November 14, 2024

    DOJ Deputy Says Biden Stance Led To Fewer Harmful Mergers

    The deputy head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division offered a full-throated defense Thursday of the Biden administration's aggressive competition enforcement record, arguing, with a Republican takeover imminent, that "more demanding standards" for transaction remedies prompted real change by merging companies seeking to avoid a merger challenge.

  • November 14, 2024

    Boehringer Says Inhaler Antitrust Suit 'Fails On Its Face'

    Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Boehringer Ingelheim International GMBH have urged a Connecticut federal judge to dismiss a proposed class action brought by health funds accusing it of monopolizing the inhaler market with improper patent listings, arguing the suit fails to allege any competitors were actually hindered by those patents.

  • November 14, 2024

    South Dakota Slams NCAA Over NIL Settlement 'Notice'

    South Dakota's attorney general has continued lodging criticism at the NCAA over its handling of a massive lawsuit related to the way student-athletes are compensated, telling a California federal judge the organization has failed to properly notify the state and others of a preliminary $2.78 billion settlement.

  • November 14, 2024

    Gaetz's Slim Legal Resume Raises Concerns Over AG Role

    Having never served as a prosecutor and with minimal experience practicing law, Matt Gaetz would have the thinnest legal resume of any attorney general in recent history and would face a steep learning curve, including daunting leadership challenges, if he were to take up the reins of the U.S. Department of Justice, experts say.

  • November 14, 2024

    Chipmaker's 'Bounty' Lawsuit Was 'Nonsensical,' Court Told

    A pair of litigation businesses want a California federal court to punish a Taiwanese chipmaker for responding to a patent lawsuit with "frivolous," "meritless" and "nonsensical" antitrust allegations surrounding use of a "bounty" to encourage litigation.

  • November 14, 2024

    Capri, Tapestry Kill $8.5B Handbag Deal Amid FTC Battle

    Capri Holdings Ltd. and Tapestry Inc. have called off their $8.5 billion merger following an extended regulatory battle with the Federal Trade Commission, with the companies mutually agreeing to terminate the deal because it is "unlikely" to obtain the regulatory approvals needed to close on time, Capri said Thursday.

  • November 14, 2024

    EU Clears Consortium's €2.2B Bid For Cybersecurity Biz

    The European Commission said Thursday that it has cleared the approximately €2.2 billion ($2.4 billion) acquisition of French cybersecurity firm Exclusive Networks by its biggest shareholder Permira and U.S. private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice.

  • November 14, 2024

    Meta Fined €798M For Tying Marketplace Ads To Facebook

    The European Union's antitrust watchdog hit Meta Platforms Inc. with a €797.8 million ($841 million) fine Thursday for giving its Facebook Marketplace an unfair advantage over rival online classified ads services by automatically showing postings to its social media users.

  • November 13, 2024

    Nvidia, Microsoft Rip Antitrust Suit And Its 'Imaginary' Cartel

    Nvidia and Microsoft have urged a Texas federal judge to toss a startup's suit alleging that they engaged in an anticompetitive conspiracy to fix prices for graphic processing units used in powering artificial intelligence, with Nvidia saying the startup's "low patent quality" is just as likely to have caused purported injuries.

  • November 13, 2024

    UNC Tennis Player Narrows Prize-Money Suit Against NCAA

    A University of North Carolina tennis player is taking another swing at NCAA rules stopping college athletes from accepting prize money in outside tournaments, this time limiting the proposed class action to Division I tennis players rather than athletes in a slew of non-revenue generating college sports.

  • November 13, 2024

    Tempur Sealy Has 'Keys' To Merger, Mattress Firm CEO Says

    Mattress Firm's CEO told a Houston judge Wednesday that he has not had any involvement in Tempur Sealy's post-acquisition agreements with mattress suppliers, testifying that Tempur's board chairman and CEO is the one "driving" the deal.

  • November 13, 2024

    Damages Limited In AGs' Generic Drug Price-Fixing Case

    A Connecticut federal judge has nixed some claims against Sandoz Inc. and other generic-drug makers in a massive antitrust and unfair trade practices case filed by state attorneys general, finding that a handful of the enforcers cannot seek damages on behalf of their allegedly injured citizens.

  • November 13, 2024

    Wash. Attys Expect Gov. And AG Will Keep Them Busy

    Despite President-elect Donald Trump's anticipated de-emphasis of regulatory enforcement, Washington state antitrust and consumer protection attorneys are still expecting plenty of work in the coming years, as the new Democratic governor-attorney general duo are expected to step up local enforcement.

  • November 13, 2024

    Live Nation Ruling Chills Modern Arbitration, 9th Circ. Told

    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision invalidating Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and Ticketmaster's choice of a digital arbitration startup for consumer antitrust claims has created "massive uncertainty" and undermines innovative approaches for dealing with abusive mass arbitrations, the live event companies argued in a rehearing petition Tuesday.

  • November 13, 2024

    DOJ Doc Pushes For Strong Antitrust Compliance Programs

    Companies hoping antitrust compliance programs will mitigate or even eliminate U.S. Department of Justice criminal prosecution for bid-rigging, price-fixing and market allocation schemes need strong monitoring, remediation, oversight and responsibility, according to new guidance released Tuesday.

  • November 13, 2024

    Outgoing DOJ Antitrust Head Wants To Unstack Healthcare

    The U.S. Department of Justice's top antitrust official looked to the future Tuesday, of both healthcare and his own exit with the change in presidential administration, as he defended the Biden era's more aggressive, nuanced approach to merger enforcement that wouldn't allow massive insurers and others to stack up the industry like Tetris.

  • November 13, 2024

    Ranches Say Renewed Wage Suppression Suit Still Deficient

    The Western Range Association asked a Nevada federal judge to dismiss a revised suit from a sheepherder alleging he was kept in "indentured servitude," arguing that it and its members are a common enterprise incapable of conspiring to fix wages.

  • November 13, 2024

    Short-Term Rental Owners 'Unreasonable,' Dallas Tells Court

    A Dallas short-term rental advocacy organization loves to focus on property rights, but it never considered the rights of neighbors who want safe neighborhoods and don't want to live next to an active business, a city attorney told a Fifth Court of Appeals panel during oral arguments Wednesday.

  • November 13, 2024

    Apple Faces £3B UK Class Action Over ICloud Monopoly

    Apple is facing another competition claim accusing the iPhone maker of unlawfully monopolizing the market for cloud storage after a campaign group announced plans on Thursday to spearhead a £3 billion ($3.8 billion) U.K. class action.

  • November 13, 2024

    Michael Jordan's NASCAR Team Appeals Antitrust Loss

    Two NASCAR teams, one co-owned by Michael Jordan, on Wednesday appealed a North Carolina federal judge's denial of their request to keep racing next season, taking part of their antitrust fight against the stock car league to the Fourth Circuit.

  • November 13, 2024

    Vanderbilt QB Suing NCAA For Eligibility Denied Quick Ruling

    Vanderbilt University football star Diego Pavia did not get the temporary restraining order he sought against the NCAA after suing it to overturn its eligibility rules and allow him to play next season, but a Tennessee federal judge kept the chance for a preliminary injunction alive.

  • November 13, 2024

    1st Circ. Punts Pandemic Retail Antitrust Case To Puerto Rico

    A divided First Circuit has ruled that local Puerto Rico courts, not federal courts, should hear an unfair-competition suit by local merchants accusing major big-box retailers Costco and Walmart of violating executive orders during the pandemic by continuing to sell "non-essential" goods.

  • November 13, 2024

    Trump Taps DOJ Critic Matt Gaetz For Attorney General

    President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz to be the next U.S. attorney general, seeking to elevate a close political ally to lead a Justice Department that the Florida lawmaker has sharply criticized and that last year declined to charge him in a sex-trafficking investigation.

  • November 13, 2024

    Squire Patton Taps Paul Hastings Atty As US Antitrust Head

    Squire Patton Boggs LLP announced Wednesday that a partner who led Paul Hastings LLP's team on antitrust regulatory issues will lead its U.S. antitrust practice — a group the firm says it's currently focused on deepening.

  • November 13, 2024

    FTC Antitrust Case Against Meta Is Heading To Trial

    A D.C. federal court ruled Wednesday that Meta will have to face trial on the Federal Trade Commission's claims that the Facebook parent company monopolized personal social networking through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.

Expert Analysis

  • Considerations When Using Publicly Available Data To Train AI

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    To maximize the benefits and mitigate the risks of using publicly available data to train artificial intelligence models, companies should maintain a balance between openness and protection, and consider certain best practices, says Michael Cole at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America.

  • Parsing NJ Court's Rationale For Denying Lipitor Class Cert.

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    A New Jersey federal court's recent Lipitor rulings granting summary judgment and denying motions for class certification for two plaintiff classes offer insight into the level of rigorous analysis required by both parties and their experts to satisfy the requirements of class certification, says Catia Twal at Edgeworth Economics.

  • Unpacking The Latest FTC Guidance On Multilevel Marketing

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    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.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    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.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    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.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    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.

  • Calif. Out-Of-State Noncompete Ban Faces Several Hurdles

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    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.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    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.

  • Proposed NIL Deal Leaves NCAA Antitrust Liability Door Open

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    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.

  • Navigating Antitrust Considerations In ESG Collaborations

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    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.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    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.

  • Considerations For Federal Right Of Publicity As AI Advances

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    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.

  • FTC Focus: Private Equity Investments In Healthcare

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    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.

  • Patent Lessons From 5 Federal Circuit Reversals In June

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    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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