Competition

  • 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.

  • April 10, 2024

    Smaller May Be Better For NCAA, Sports Antitrust Experts Say

    Sports law experts at the American Bar Association's spring antitrust meeting said Wednesday that for top-level college sports to survive the wave of antitrust litigation that it faces, colleges and universities may need to think small.

  • April 10, 2024

    Enforcers Are Learning How To Pursue Suits Against Big Tech

    The pending antitrust cases targeting large technology platforms in the U.S. and Europe, including those against Google, Amazon and Apple, offer important lessons about digital markets, enforcers said Wednesday.

  • April 10, 2024

    Colo. AG Says Kroger Divestiture Plan Is Best Left For Trial

    Colorado's attorney general wants a state judge to block Kroger and Albertsons from presenting evidence about a new divestiture plan at an upcoming hearing on the state's motion to temporarily block the grocers' merger, claiming the yet-to-be revealed plan is a strategy to "win by ambush."

  • April 10, 2024

    Dubious Merger Bid? 'Find A Different Deal,' DOJ Official Says

    A U.S. Department of Justice antitrust official on Wednesday stood by the hardline Biden-era stance against most merger clearance settlements, saying that companies coming forward with potentially problematic transactions should rethink doing the deals at all or at least come with strong upfront divestiture proposals.

  • April 10, 2024

    UGG, Wal-Mart Ordered To File More Details On Slipper Patent

    A California federal judge has ordered Deckers Outdoor Corp. and Wal-Mart Inc. to submit joint briefing on claim construction for an UGG slipper design patent that Deckers alleges the big-box retailer is infringing, saying there is insufficient information for the court to make a decision on summary judgment.

  • April 10, 2024

    PGA Tour-LIV Merger Questions Swirl As Masters Tees Off

    With a trial attorney from the entertainment section of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division sitting quietly by, sports law experts speculated Wednesday at the American Bar Association's spring antitrust meeting whether — and how — the agency might challenge the $3 billion merger between the PGA Tour and LIV.

  • April 10, 2024

    Insurer Slams 'Price-Gouging' Doctor's COVID Billing Suit

    Health plan administrator United Medical Resources Inc. fired back at a doctor's $783,000 suit claiming that he and his practice firms were shortchanged for COVID-19 testing services, with multiple counterclaims alleging that the doctor billed for unnecessary extra testing and put in claims for services that were never rendered.

  • April 10, 2024

    Merger Notification Overhaul 'Pretty Close,' DOJ Official Says

    A senior U.S. Department of Justice antitrust official predicted Wednesday that the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission are likely just weeks away from issuing the final version of a major overhaul to the filing requirements of companies notifying mergers to the agencies.

  • April 10, 2024

    NYSE Seeks To Provide SPACs More Time To Close Mergers

    A New York Stock Exchange proposal would provide special-purpose acquisition companies with six more months to complete mergers while remaining listed — assuming relevant parties have signed a definitive agreement before a three-year deadline — potentially providing market participants more flexibility to close deals.

  • April 10, 2024

    Past Violations To Get Close Eye With New Merger Filing Rules

    Changes proposed to Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice merger reporting requirements would impose significant document submission obligations on merging parties, such as past violations of antitrust and labor law, practitioners and an agency deputy said Wednesday.

  • April 10, 2024

    Freshfields Guides EBay On Multipronged Trading Card Deal

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is guiding eBay Inc. on new agreements with collectibles grading company Collectors that include eBay acquiring Collectors' Goldin auction house, in what the companies said Wednesday is an effort to streamline the trading card hobby in the U.S.

  • April 09, 2024

    After Uproar, New MDL Rule Advances With Attys Assuaged

    Following years of debate and months of outcry, a judicial panel Tuesday approved the first formal rule aimed at improving efficiency and fairness in the nation's burgeoning realm of multidistrict litigation, earning plaudits from placated lawyers in the defense and plaintiffs bars.

  • April 09, 2024

    Why IP Attys Are Watching This $2B Trade Secrets Battle

    A case of alleged corporate espionage involving two software companies that resulted in a $2 billion verdict has all the hallmarks of a legal thriller, and attorneys are watching the appeal closely to see how it could impact trade secrets litigation.

Expert Analysis

  • Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

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    The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Why Criminal No-Poach Cases Can Be Deceptively Complex

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    Mark Rosman at Wilson Sonsini discusses the reasons many criminal no-poach cases that appear simple are actually more complicated than they seem, following several jury trial acquittals and two dismissed cases.

  • Forecasting The Impact Of High Court Debit Card Rule Case

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    John Delionado and Aidan Gross at Hunton consider how the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling in a retailer's suit challenging a Federal Reserve rule on debit card swipe fees could affect agency regulations both new and old, as well as the businesses that might seek to challenge them.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • What's At Stake In Bystolic 'Side Deals' Litigation

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    In re: Bystolic Antitrust Litigation, which has oral argument set for next month, will likely shed light on how the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit views side deals, and could create a circuit split in pleading standards for reverse payment cases, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Cross-Market Implications In FTC's Anesthesia Complaint

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent complaint against a private equity firm's acquisition of anesthesiology practices highlights the controversial issue of cross-market harm in health care provider mergers, and could provide important insights into how a court may view such theories of harm, say Christopher Lau and Dina Older Aguilar at Cornerstone Research.

  • FTC Orange Book Move Signals New Pharma Patent Scrutiny

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent dispute against improper listing of drug patents in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book indicates heightened surveillance of the pharmaceutical industry, particularly where competition-related consequences of patent or regulatory processes are concerned, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Competition Considerations From Biden's AI Executive Order

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    In light of President Joe Biden's recent executive order on artificial intelligence and the antitrust agencies' expansive enforcement posture, businesses in the technology and related industries should expect scrutiny, and avoid interactions that could be perceived as unlawful collaborations or exchange of competitively sensitive information, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • First-Of-Its-Kind Artist AI Ruling Offers Liability Guidance

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    A California judge recently became the first federal judge in Andersen v. Stability AI to rule at the pleading stage on a challenge to claims that training artificial intelligence models involves mass-scale copyright infringement, providing insight into the potential legal exposure of AI-enabled products, say attorneys at Fenwick.

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