Competition

  • April 12, 2024

    Adviser Urges ECJ To Toss Ad Co.'s State Aid Appeal

    An outdoor furniture and advertising company shouldn't be allowed to challenge a finding from the European Union's General Court that it should have paid rent and taxes for ads in Brussels that stayed up after its contract with the city ended, an adviser to the bloc's highest court has said.

  • April 12, 2024

    Software Co. Hit With Patent Suit Over Data Tracker

    A software developer has accused a rival of infringing patents that allow businesses to track a website user's browsing data without using third-party cookies, costing the developer profits.

  • April 12, 2024

    FTC Taking Deeper Look At $35B Synopsys-Ansys Merger

    The Federal Trade Commission is opening an in-depth review of Synopsys' $35 billion acquisition of fellow software company Ansys, with Synopsys telling investors that the agency had issued a "second request" for information from both companies.

  • April 12, 2024

    Critics Blast FCC Call To Raise Net Neutrality 'Ruckus'

    A call by the Democratic chief of the Federal Communications Commission for a public "ruckus" to support reinstating Obama-era net neutrality rules shows why the looming order will likely be overturned in court, opponents of the plan said.

  • April 12, 2024

    DOJ Must Cut Through Political Noise In US Steel Probe

    The U.S. Department of Justice has its work cut out for it as it conducts a probe of Nippon Steel's planned $14.9 billion takeover of U.S. Steel, a potentially drawn out process that experts say will test the antitrust division's ability to remain objective in the face of immense pressure from President Biden, an influential union, and a concurrent CFIUS review. 

  • April 12, 2024

    US Steel Stockholders Greenlight $14.9B Sale To Nippon

    U.S. Steel said Friday that its shareholders have "overwhelmingly" approved the American steel company's nearly $15 billion takeover by Japan's Nippon Steel, a positive development in a deal that's otherwise received a high degree of political and regulatory scrutiny. 

  • April 12, 2024

    Make Clear Neutrality Exempts Content Storage, Akamai Says

    Akamai Technologies is asking the FCC to make it crystal clear in the net neutrality orders that are set to be voted on this month that information storing agreements between internet service providers and content delivery networks are still above board.

  • April 12, 2024

    Credit Suisse, Lloyds, Others Ink $3.5M Libor Deal

    Plaintiffs in the yearslong suit alleging various big banks manipulated the London Interbank Offered Rate, or Libor, have reached a $3.45 million settlement with Credit Suisse AG, Lloyds Bank and others, bringing the total settlement recovery amount to more than $780 million.

  • April 12, 2024

    Off The Bench: Ohtani 'Victim' In Theft, Arbitration Nod To NFL

    In this week's Off The Bench, Shohei Ohtani looks to get off the hook on sports-betting allegations while his former interpreter faces charges, the NFL wins a critical court victory in the Brian Flores lawsuit, and troubled WWE founder Vince McMahon cuts even more financial ties with the company.

  • April 12, 2024

    EU Approves Biotech Co. Illumina's Plan To Divest Grail

    European Union antitrust authorities on Friday approved Illumina's plan to sell off Grail, the latest development in a saga that saw the biotech company reverse course and agree to offload the cancer-screening company after authorities claimed the reacquisition was completed "unlawfully."

  • April 12, 2024

    Apple Loses Bid To Toss $1B App Maker Charges Case

    The Competition Appeal Tribunal refused on Friday to toss a £785 million ($996 million) proposed class action by app developers against Apple over commission payments after finding that the claimants had a real shot at showing that the case was governed by U.K. law.

  • April 12, 2024

    UK To Probe Norwegian Oil & Gas Data Mega-Merger

    The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority said on Friday it has launched an inquiry into the proposed purchase of Norwegian seismic data specialist PGS by a subsidiary of its domestic rival TGS, which supplies data to energy companies.

  • April 11, 2024

    FTC's Bedoya Looking For Market Power In Pricing Cases

    Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said Thursday he is most interested in bringing potential cases under the Robinson Patman Act when a company is using its market power to gain an unfair advantage over smaller rivals.

  • April 11, 2024

    Price-Fixing Cartel Self Reporting On 'Steady Uptick,' Panel Says

    U.S. and European antitrust enforcers touted a turnaround Thursday in the number of companies self-reporting price-fixing, bid-rigging and market allocation schemes in the search for "leniency" from financial and criminal penalties over the last three years.

  • April 11, 2024

    Shops Fight Altria Unit's Bid To Block Flavored Vape Sales

    A group of smoke shops urged a California federal judge to reject a bid by vape manufacturer NJOY, a subsidiary of tobacco giant Altria Group, Inc., seeking to block the retailers from selling Elf Bar branded flavored vapes, arguing that consumers won't flock to NJOY's tobacco flavored products even if Elf Bar is off the market.

  • April 11, 2024

    FTC 'Hopeful' Merger Judges Can See Past Market Definition

    The Federal Trade Commission's top antitrust enforcer emphasized Thursday that the FTC and Justice Department's new merger guidelines could facilitate transaction challenges based solely on "direct" competitive effects, regardless of what market definition numbers indicate.

  • April 11, 2024

    Visa Beats Some Merchant Claims In Antitrust MDL

    A New York federal judge has trimmed claims lodged by Home Depot and other merchants against Visa and several banks in sprawling multidistrict antitrust litigation dating back to 2005 over network rules forcing merchants to accept the companies' cards.

  • April 11, 2024

    NCAA Athletes Can't Get MDL Over Compensation Rules

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation denied the request of NCAA athletes to centralize two suits accusing the organization and five major college sports conferences of exercising a monopoly over labor in Division I sports by not allowing student-athletes to be compensated for their performances.

  • April 11, 2024

    Pool Co. Gets Rival's Assets Frozen After False Ads Verdict

    A North Carolina federal judge on Thursday temporarily froze the assets of a Chinese manufacturer of pool products and its American subsidiary after they were hit with a multimillion-dollar verdict for false advertising and unfair business practices, citing a concern they may move assets to try and duck payment.

  • April 11, 2024

    Deals Rumor Mill: US Steel, Germany's Stada, Paramount

    The DOJ opens a probe into Nippon’s proposed $14.9 billion takeover of US Steel, German drugmaker Stada explores a sale, and Paramount and Skydance are hashing out potential deal terms. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • April 11, 2024

    State Enforcers: Not Joining Fed Cases No Sign Of Opposition

    Several state enforcers said Thursday they choose which antitrust cases being brought by federal enforcers they join based on a number of factors, and it doesn't mean they are opposed to a case if they decide not to join.

  • April 11, 2024

    Cable Co. Says Funding For Price Fixing CPO Lacks 'Visibility'

    A major European power cable supplier questioned Thursday whether a representative seeking damages on behalf of U.K. electricity customers had allocated enough money to cover their costs during a hearing to decide whether the mass claim should be certified.

  • April 11, 2024

    Dough-Maker Loses Fight Against Order To Reverse Merger

    Dough maker Cérélia on Thursday lost its fight to avoid being forced to sell its Jus-Rol brand, with a London appeals court upholding a decision that the sale is necessary to protect retailers and shoppers from paying higher prices.

  • April 10, 2024

    Pfizer Unit Cuts $39M Deal Ending Effexor Antitrust Claims

    A proposed class of direct buyers asked a New Jersey federal judge on Tuesday to approve a $39 million settlement to end allegations that Pfizer Inc. unit Wyeth engaged in a scheme with Teva Pharmaceuticals to delay generic competition for the antidepressant drug Effexor XR.

  • April 10, 2024

    DOJ's Apple Antitrust Suit Gets New Judge After Recusal

    The New Jersey federal judge overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice's recent iPhone antitrust case against Apple recused himself from the litigation Wednesday, according to a text order posted to the docket reassigning the case.

Expert Analysis

  • Preparing Your Legal Department For Pillar 2 Compliance

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    Multinational entities should familiarize themselves with Pillar Two of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s BEPs 2.0 project and prepare their internal legal tracking systems for related reporting requirements that may go into effect as early as January, says Daniel Robyn at Ernst & Young.

  • 10th Circ. ERISA Ruling Is Promising For Self-Funded Plans

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    Though some recent appellate decisions have seemingly narrowed application of Employee Retirement Income Security Act preemption, which generally helps protect self-funded health plans from state regulation, the Tenth Circuit's decision in PCMA v. Mulready takes a big step toward reaffirming preemption, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review

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    Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Tossed FIFA Bribery Convictions May Spur New DOJ Offense

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    After a New York federal court vacated the bribery convictions of two defendants in the U.S. Department of Justice’s sprawling FIFA probe, prosecutors may continue to pursue foreign commercial corruption through other means, albeit with some limitations, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Series

    Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Opinion

    Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues

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    Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI

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    When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • Kentucky Tax Talk: Taking Up The Dormant Commerce Clause

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    Attorneys at Frost Brown examine whether the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to review Foresight Coal Sales v. Kent Chandler to consider whether a Kentucky utility rate law discriminates against interstate commerce, and how the decision may affect dormant commerce clause jurisprudence.

  • How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth

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    Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Key Elements Of The Proposed Credit Card Competition Act

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    Attorneys at Troutman Pepper examine the most noteworthy provisions in the recently proposed Credit Card Competition Act, including changes to payment card network access, Federal Reserve Board review, who would qualify as a covered institution, and routing restrictions.

  • Opinion

    Address The Data Monopoly, Otherwise Tech Giants Control AI

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    It is likely that we will experience a severe monopoly on artificial intelligence systems and patents by the largest players in the tech industry, so the way we treat data needs to change, whether through the legislature, the courts or tech companies, says Pranav Katti at Barclay Damon.

  • Info Exchanges Must Stay Inside Now-Invisible Antitrust Lines

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    While the antitrust agencies recently withdrew long-standing enforcement policy statements for being "overly permissive" on information exchanges, we should not assume that all information exchanges are inherently suspect — they are still permissible if carefully constructed and vigorously managed, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

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    X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

  • Amgen-Horizon Deal May Signal FTC's Return To Bargaining

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent settlement of its challenge to Amgen's proposed acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics marks the latest in a string of midlitigation settlements, and may signal that competition regulators are more inclined toward such negotiations following recent litigation losses, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • EU Antitrust Rules Set To Pose Challenges To US Businesses

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    With stark differences between U.S. and European Union antitrust regimes, and potential for the forthcoming EU guidelines to turbocharge the commission's appetite for intervention, it is important that U.S. businesses with activities in the region take note of the reforms, say Andrea Pomana and Sarah Wilks at Mayer Brown.

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