CompetitionRSS

  • November 2, 2007

    Q&A With Robins Kaplan's K. Craig Wildfang

    U.S. enforcement agencies should rely more heavily on private litigation to complement their efforts, says Robins Kaplan's K. Craig Wildfang in our series of chats with high-profile antitrust lawyers.

  • November 21, 2007

    Six Months Later, Twombly Is Still Taking Shape

    As the first wave of motions to dismiss citing the Supreme Court's ruling in Bell Atlantic v. Twombly begins to crest, courts and lawyers are still figuring out how to apply the decision. Some lawyers say this process is normal, but others are complaining about inconsistent rulings and calling on the Supreme Court to clarify the issues raised by the May opinion.

  • November 2, 2007

    Cohen Milstein Expands With London Office, Partners

    Plaintiffs class action firm Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll PLLC has expanded significantly, adding two new offices and several new partners in the past six months to enhance the firm’s abilities and talent particularly in the securities and antitrust areas.

  • November 1, 2007

    Indirect Purchasers Defend Standing In DRAM Suit

    The indirect purchasers in the multidistrict litigation against dynamic random access memory manufacturers have accused the defendants of essentially trying to ban any indirect purchaser claims in cases involving incorporated products.

  • November 2, 2007

    Drug Companies Draw $22M Fine From KFTC

    South Korea’s antitrust regulator has slapped 10 pharmaceutical companies with a $22.2 million fine after finding they provided kickbacks to hospitals and wholesalers.

  • November 1, 2007

    Irell Fails To Get Charter Suit Tossed

    Law firm Irell & Manella must go up against a $150 million malpractice suit filed by cable operator Charter Communications for allegedly bungling a 1999 cable TV acquisition.

  • November 1, 2007

    First American, WaMu Inflated Home Appraisals: AG

    New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has slapped First American Corp. with a lawsuit for allegedly colluding with Washington Mutual Inc. to inflate the appraisal value of homes.

  • November 1, 2007

    Panel Probes Canada's Competition Policy

    A government panel established to review Canada's competition laws has drawn up a strikingly broad agenda in its quest to update old rules and maximize the country's competitive position.

  • November 1, 2007

    Health Care Cos. Took $1.5B Hit From DOJ In 07

    Of the $2 billion the U.S. Department of Justice recovered for fraud against the government in fiscal year 2007, more than $1.5 billion came from health care companies, many of which shelled out huge sums to settle kickback and price inflation claims.

  • October 31, 2007

    Airlines Take Issue With Lufthansa Settlement

    The remaining defendants in the ongoing antitrust litigation over alleged price-fixing in the air cargo shipping service industry are fighting a magistrate judge's recommendations that they provide customer information for a settlement.

  • October 31, 2007

    Ingersoll-Rand To Pay $6.7M Over Oil-For-Food

    Ingersoll-Rand Co. Ltd. has agreed to pay $6.7 million to settle charges brought by federal authorities in the scandal related to the United Nations' oil-for-food program.

  • October 31, 2007

    FCC Bans Exclusive Cable TV Deals

    In a unanimous ruling, the Federal Communications Commission has approved a new rule banning apartment building owners from striking exclusive deals with cable TV service providers, kicking open the door to increased competition in the industry.

  • November 1, 2007

    Alza Fights Bid For Attorney-Client Privileged Docs

    Alza Corp. is fighting a bid by indirect purchasers in the multidistrict litigation over bladder control drug Ditropan XL to review the company’s privileged communications on the theory that Alza committed fraud by intentionally failing to disclose a prior art patent.

  • October 31, 2007

    Judge Extends Oversight Of Microsoft For 3 Months

    A federal judge has extended the court’s oversight of Microsoft Corp. until late January as she reviews motions for the court to continue to keep an eye on the software giant for another five years.

  • October 31, 2007

    EU Pushes Thomson-Reuters Review Back 10 Days

    The European Commission will take an additional 10 days to consider whether Thomson Corp.'s proposed $17.5 billion takeover of Reuters Group PLC poses significant anti-competitive threats.

  • October 31, 2007

    Google-DoubleClick Clears First Hurdle In Australia

    The Australian competition authority has decided not to intrude on Google Inc.'s proposed $3 billion takeover of Internet advertising firm DoubleClick Inc., becoming the first watchdog to bless the deal.

  • October 30, 2007

    Bayer Fined $3.8M In Canada For Rubber Cartel

    Bayer AG has pled guilty in Canada to taking part in three schemes to fix international prices for rubber chemicals, and agreed to shell out $3.8 million in fines, the Canadian competition watchdog announced Tuesday.

  • October 30, 2007

    New Law Prompts Case Dismissals: Energy Cos.

    Several energy companies, including Exelon Corp., Commonwealth Edison Co. and Ameren Corp., say recently passed Illinois legislation should prompt the dismissal of two consumer class action lawsuits that accuse power wholesalers of artificially inflating electricity prices.

  • October 30, 2007

    Q&A With Taylor Wessing’s Michael Dietrich

    For a European antitrust lawyer with some familiarity with the U.S. system, it is very difficult to understand why both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have jurisdiction over merger cases, says Taylor Wessing's Michael Dietrich in our series of chats with high-profile antitrust lawyers.

  • October 30, 2007

    AT&T Divests, DOJ Greenlights $2.8B Deal

    AT&T Inc. on Tuesday agreed to divest the Cellular One brand as part of its $2.8 billion acquisition of Dobson Communications Corp., in order to settle an antitrust suit brought against it the same day by the U.S. Department of Justice.