Expert Analysis

• Colorado Antitrust Reform Carries Broad State Impact

  

  Colorado recently became the latest state to update and expand its antitrust laws, and the new act may significantly affect enforcement and private litigation, particularly when it comes to workers and consumers, says Diane Hazel at Foley & Lardner.

• Regulating AI: An Overview Of Federal Efforts

  

  The U.S. has been carefully managing a national policy and regulatory ecosystem toward artificial intelligence, but as AI technology continues to expand into our everyday lives, so too has its risks and the need for regulation, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

• Opinion

  Merger Guidelines Should Provide For Competition Trustees

  

  Following the U.S. antitrust agencies' release of draft merger guidelines, retired U.S. Court of Federal Claims Chief Judge Susan Braden suggests a court-appointed competition trustee would help ensure U.S. competition without impairing economic prosperity.

• Senate Hearing Highlights Antitrust Hazards In PGA-LIV Deal

  

  The U.S. Senate's recent questioning of PGA Tour COO Ron Price on the proposed deal with LIV Golf and its release of a dossier of framework agreements covered a variety of issues that could exacerbate antitrust concerns, including the predatory purchasing theory of competitive harm, free-riding and alternate funding, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

• Indivior Ruling May Affect Rebate Wall Litigation

  

  A New Jersey federal court's recent decision in Indivior v. Alvogen, in which a claim that an alleged rebate wall anti-competitively blocked generic competition survived summary judgment, may provide a blueprint for successfully challenging other drug rebating practices, say Peter Herrick and Monsura Sirajee at O'Melveny.

• Investors With ESG Aims Should Heed Antitrust Reporting Rules

  

  As investors globally are embracing environmental, social and governance investing, regulatory agencies have made clear that ESG initiatives are not immune from antitrust scrutiny, and investors cannot count on receiving special exemptions from the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act reporting requirements, say Jonathan Gleklen and Francesca Pisano at Arnold & Porter.

• US Antitrust Approach Toward ESG Clashes With EU Stance

  

  A comparison between how EU and U.S. antitrust enforcers have approached companies' cooperative environmental, social and corporate governance efforts highlights America's comparatively harsh stance, contributing to a difficult compliance climate for international businesses, say attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson.

• Merger Guidelines' Broad Tack Ignores Recent Precedent

  

  The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission's new proposed merger guidelines are consistent with the Biden administration's expansive approach to antitrust enforcement, but they fail to grapple meaningfully with much of modern economic precedent and court decisions requiring greater agency rigor in merger analysis, say attorneys at Freshfields.

• What's Causing EU-US Impasse On Steel And Aluminum

  

  The EU and the U.S. have made limited progress in negotiating for a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum, and they face high obstacles to meeting the fast-approaching October deadline, say attorneys at Akin.

• Parsing FTC's Intercontinental-Black Knight Merger Challenge

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's recent Article III case challenging a merger between Intercontinental Exchange and Black Knight suggests the agency is using a structuralist approach to evaluate the merger's potential anti-competitive harm, says David Evans at Kelley Drye.

• Perspectives

  Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

  

  Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

• FERC Order Affirms Increased Scrutiny Of Investor-Utility Ties

  

  A recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order confirming more aggressive scrutiny of investors' exercise of control over public utilities through representation on their boards or the boards of companies holding interests in them means that both investors and utilities face significantly heightened compliance obligations, say attorneys at Akin.

• The Case For Quantifying The Impact Of 'Dark Patterns'

  

  Recent lawsuits alleging that Amazon and Audible used so-called dark patterns to deceive customers show that federal agencies and consumers are actively challenging such conduct, and quantifying its impact on purchase decisions is an important step toward using an evidence-based approach for determining the appropriate level of deterrence, say economists at Brattle.

• CFIUS Clampdown Will Deter Allied-Country Investment

  

  The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ recent redefinition of transaction "completion date" is the latest in a series of steps taken in the name of U.S. security that are likely to deter investments from friendly countries and increase capital costs for U.S. startups, says Stephen Heifetz at Wilson Sonsini.

• Why Seminole Tribe Sports Betting Ruling Is A Net Positive

  

  The D.C. Circuit Court’s recent ruling that a gambling compact between Florida and the Seminole Tribe is lawful even though it allows for online sports betting expands the tribe's offerings while maintaining exclusivity and is a win for individuals who wish to legally wager on sports within Florida, says Daniel McGinn at Dean Mead.