Competition

May 29, 2025
Judge Challenges Visa's Bid To Dismiss DOJ Antitrust Suit

A New York federal judge on Thursday questioned whether Visa Inc. is inappropriately raising factual disputes in its motion to dismiss U.S. Justice Department claims that the company has illegally maintained a monopoly in the market for debit card networks.
May 29, 2025
DC Court Blocks Trump's Tariffs As Overreach Of Power

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not empower the president to impose tariffs, the D.C. federal district court said Thursday, ruling that President Donald Trump's global levies are unlawful and barring his administration from enforcing them on two toymakers who challenged the policies.
May 29, 2025
Ex-United Therapeutics Exec Can't Dodge IP Suit

A former United Therapeutics Corp. executive lost his bid to toss his former employer's suit alleging he used stolen intellectual property to develop a lung disease drug for a competitor, with the North Carolina Business Court ruling that it was too soon to determine if the complaint was untimely.
May 29, 2025
11th Circ. Won't Revive Antitrust Claims Against Suns Owner

The Eleventh Circuit isn't going to touch a lower court order that tossed an antitrust case against the owner of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and his company, United Wholesale Mortgage LLC, over an alleged boycott.
May 29, 2025
Deere Says No Monopoly, Seeks End Of Right-To-Repair Suit

Deere & Co. is pushing to end a suit from the Federal Trade Commission and five states alleging it violated the Sherman Act by restricting access to its repair tools and services, saying it doesn't participate in the repair market so it can't have a monopoly.
May 28, 2025
5-Hour Energy Price Discrimination Suit Falls Short Again

A California federal judge ruled Wednesday that family-owned wholesalers proved competition with Costco in their price-discrimination suit against the maker of 5-Hour Energy and that the energy "shot" company offered Costco disproportionate promotions, but the wholesalers did not prove that this discrimination caused them antitrust injury.
May 28, 2025
EchoStar Says FCC Should Not Question Buildout Extension

Echostar Corp. says the FCC has created a "dark cloud of uncertainty" by opening the door to comments about whether the agency should have given the company an extension on its deadline for building a broadband service using spectrum it acquired for its open RAN network plan.
May 28, 2025
Agency Says Klehr Harrison Testimony Allowed In NFL Case

A sports management company on Wednesday argued that a Pennsylvania federal court's previous sanction orders permit the testimony it is seeking from two Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP attorneys who represented defendants in a lawsuit over an alleged attempt to poach former Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay as a client.
May 28, 2025
Fla. Judge Told Pharma Co. Rival Also Stole Trade Secrets

A Florida federal judge on Wednesday denied an India-based pharmaceutical company's bid to reject a competitor's defense against a lawsuit alleging trade secrets theft by claiming its accuser is responsible for the same conduct, expressing doubt whether she can rule on such an issue.
May 28, 2025
FTC Orders Divestitures Before $35B Synopsys-Ansys Merger

The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that software companies Synopsys and Ansys will be required to divest certain assets, including Synopsys' optical software tools and Ansys' power consumption analysis tool, in order to move forward with their planned $35 billion merger.
May 28, 2025
FCC Urged To Reject Waiver For Alaska Plan Mapping

The Federal Communications Commission ought not lower its standards for telecoms hoping to receive federal dollars in order to bring high-speed internet to Alaska, according to a trade group, who is arguing the end result would simply be worse service for Alaskans.
May 28, 2025
3rd Circ. Pauses J&J Unit Appeal In Talc Study Libel Case

The Third Circuit on Wednesday granted a bid by Johnson & Johnson's talc liability unit to stay briefing in its appeal seeking to revive a libel case over a scientific article linking talcum power to mesothelioma.
May 28, 2025
Drugmaker LIVation Fights Novo Nordisk's Trademark Claims

A Connecticut company, accused by Novo Nordisk Inc. of breaking trademark and unfair trade practices laws by comparing its compounded drugs to Ozempic, says it has taken down online posts the pharma giant challenged in April, claiming Novo Nordisk can no longer prove ongoing harm.
May 28, 2025
7th Circ. Skeptical That NCAA Eligibility Rules Restrain Trade

The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday appeared to raise doubts over a lower court's decision granting a University of Wisconsin football player another year of eligibility, questioning his claim that the National Collegiate Athletic Association's five-year rule restrains competition in violation of federal antitrust laws.
May 28, 2025
Distiller Denied New Shot At Wash. State Alcohol Sales Regs

A federal judge in Washington state gave short shrift to a bid for reconsideration from a New York distillery and two Washington whiskey drinkers who lost their challenge to the Washington state liquor board's rules requiring a physical in-state presence to sell online.
May 28, 2025
Amazon Seeks To End FTC's Prime Subscription Case

Amazon and the Federal Trade Commission have both asked a Washington state federal court to hand them wins ahead of trial in the agency's case accusing the e-commerce giant of trapping consumers into Prime subscriptions.
May 28, 2025
Feds Urge Supreme Court To Let 10th Circ. PBM Ruling Stand

The federal government urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to take up the state of Oklahoma's challenge to a Tenth Circuit decision that found parts of a law regulating pharmacy benefit managers were preempted by federal benefits and healthcare laws, arguing the case doesn't warrant further review from the justices.
May 28, 2025
Security Exec Gets $20K Fine For Rigging DOD Contracts

A former executive with a Belgian security company pled guilty to antitrust violations Wednesday in D.C. federal court, receiving a sentence of probation and a $20,000 fine for conspiring with rivals to rig bids for U.S. Department of Defense contracts in Belgium.
May 28, 2025
DOJ Says Justices' Ruling Backs Nursing Exec's Conviction

The U.S. Department of Justice is pointing to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling to bolster its fight against a new trial being sought by a convicted Nevada nursing home executive, saying that the new high court decision establishes that economic loss isn't needed to prove wire fraud.
May 28, 2025
DOJ Gets Some Discovery Seeking HPE-Juniper Witness Bias

A California federal magistrate judge granted the U.S. Department of Justice only limited discovery Tuesday as it looks for potential "bias" from an industry analyst Hewlett Packard Enterprise may call in defense of its planned $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks Inc.
May 28, 2025
DOJ Tells Justices American Airlines Can't Renew JetBlue Pact

The federal government told the U.S. Supreme Court that the First Circuit correctly determined that American Airlines failed to prove at trial that its codeshare agreement with JetBlue in Boston and New York had procompetitive benefits, and the carrier's attempt to revive the alliance is moot anyway.
May 28, 2025
Anesthesiology Co. Urges Dismissal Of Antitrust Class Action

U.S. Anesthesia Partners told a Houston judge that a patient leading a proposed class action accusing it of monopolizing the Texas anesthesia market doesn't have a valid claim because his insurance company chose how much he paid for services.
May 28, 2025
China Can't Duck PPE Hoarding Claims By Fla. Medical Pros

A Florida federal judge won't fully dismiss claims from a group of medical professionals alleging that China, through a New Jersey company, hoarded personal protective equipment to create a monopoly at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the allegations fall within the commercial activity exception to sovereign immunity.
May 28, 2025
Ex-Judge Launches £25B Ad-Price Action Against Google

Google is facing a new £25 billion ($33.7 billion) class action in the U.K. brought by a former deputy High Court judge on behalf of advertisers, alleging that the technology giant abused its dominant position in online search advertising.
May 27, 2025
Ruling Tariffs Unlawful Would 'Kneecap' Trump, Gov't Says

A ruling from a D.C. federal judge invalidating the Trump administration's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose sweeping global tariffs would "kneecap" the president and cause "diplomatic embarrassment," a government attorney told a Washington, D.C., federal judge in court Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

3 Factors Affecting Retail M&A Deals In 2025

Retailers considering mergers and acquisitions this year face an evolving antitrust environment, including a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump, revised merger guidelines and a precedent set last year by a canceled $8.5 billion handbag merger, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
FTC Picks Augur Pro-Business Bent For Much Of Economy

President-elect Donald Trump's choice of two top Federal Trade Commission officials suggests a business-friendly climate for a significant portion of the U.S. economy, with noteworthy exceptions of continued scrutiny of healthcare and Big Tech companies, excluding artificial intelligence, say attorneys at BCLP.
Top 10 Legal Issues This Year For Transportation Industry GCs

General counsel must carefully consider numerous legal and policy challenges facing the automotive and transportation industry in the year to come, especially while navigating new technologies, regulations and global markets, says Francesco Liberatore at Squire Patton.
Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.
What 2024's Noncompete Turmoil Means For Banks In 2025

A look back at the most significant legal challenges to the enforceability of various restrictive covenants like noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements in 2024 can help financial institutions address the use of these critical tools this year, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.
Searching For Insight On Requested Google Chrome Remedy

The potential for Google to divest its Chrome browser — a remedy requested by the Justice Department following a D.C. federal court’s finding the company is a monopolist — has drawn both criticism and endorsement, but legal precedent likely supports the former, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
Opinion

3 New Year's Resolutions For Antitrust Agencies To Consider

James Fredricks at Skadden rings in 2025 with his wish list for the federal antitrust agencies, starting with a provision for a presumptive safe harbor for information sharing.
FTC Focus: A Changing Of The Guard

While rigorous antitrust enforcement is unlikely to slow down at the Federal Trade Commission, the focus will undoubtedly change, including when it comes to Big Tech, as Andrew Ferguson prepares to take the reins from Chair Lina Khan, say attorneys at Proskauer.
Series

Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.
An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.
5 Antitrust Issues For In-House Counsel In 2025

Attorneys at Squire Patton evaluate the top areas where U.S. antitrust policy is likely to change in the next 12 months, including major challenges to the Federal Trade Commission's authority that could reshape enforcement.
Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.
Series

Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.
2024 Has Been A Momentous Year For ESG

Significant developments in the environmental, social and governance landscape this year include new legislation, evolving global frameworks, continued litigation and enforcement actions, and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that has already affected how lower courts have viewed some ESG challenges, say attorneys at Katten.
Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.