Competition

  • September 06, 2024

    Property Co. Not Covered By Excess Carriers In Antitrust Row

    A property management company is not owed coverage from two excess insurers in an underlying multidistrict litigation surrounding allegations of a price-fixing conspiracy involving software company RealPage Inc., a Massachusetts federal judge ruled, finding the excess insurers had no obligations under the management company's primary policy.

  • September 06, 2024

    DOJ Must Give Google 'Something Concrete' On Search Fixes

    The Justice Department cannot wait until February to propose remedies meant to address Google's default contract exclusionary thumb on the scales of online search, a D.C. federal judge told the agency during a hearing Friday, adding that the government needs to put a definitive proposal on the table much sooner.

  • September 06, 2024

    Off The Bench: NCAA Flops, NBA Trial, Sunday Ticket Appeal

    In this week's Off The Bench, the $2.78 billion deal to settle a vast class action targeting the NCAA's name, image and likeness compensation rules hits a snag, the NBA and Warner Bros. aim for an April trial in their media rights fight, and NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers look to reinstate their $4.7 billion antitrust victory over the league.

  • September 06, 2024

    NC Restoration Co. Wants Out Of Rival's Noncompete Fight

    The new owner of a property restoration company caught in the crosshairs of a fight between its founders and their former employer has asked for a quick exit from the dispute, saying it can't be held liable for the founders' actions when the parties' real beef is with each other.

  • September 06, 2024

    Google Hit With Ad Tech Complaint In UK As DOJ Trial Looms

    The U.K.'s competition enforcer accused Google on Friday of abusing its dominance over the technology used to place ads on third-party websites, as the tech giant gears up for a trial on similar claims from the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • September 06, 2024

    Cleveland-Cliffs Faces Trial Over Mining Co.'s Antitrust Claims

    A Delaware bankruptcy court has partially allowed claims accusing steelmaking giant Cleveland-Cliffs of engaging in anticompetitive behavior that harmed a mining venture's efforts to complete an iron mine and ore plant in northern Minnesota to go to trial by a jury in federal court.

  • September 06, 2024

    Software Co. Targets Validity Of Data Tracker Patents

    A software company pressed a North Carolina federal court to throw out a rival's patent infringement claims concerning software that allows businesses to track a website user's browsing without third-party cookies, arguing the patents are invalid.

  • September 06, 2024

    Judge Barnard Says It's 'About Time' For Texas Biz Court

    Law360 recently talked with Judge Marialyn Barnard, who transitioned this month from the 73rd District Court to Texas Business Court, about the newly created court.

  • September 06, 2024

    As Biden Looks To Block US Steel Deal, Rival Co. Weighs In

    Cleveland-Cliffs is lauding President Joe Biden's reported decision to block U.S. Steel's $14.9 billion planned merger with Nippon Steel and says it is ready to scoop up U.S. Steel's union assets, as the rival steelmaker weighed in on the matter following a flurry of quick developments this week indicating that the Nippon deal is all but dead.

  • September 06, 2024

    Glioblastoma Org. Wants End To Rival's Use Of 'GBM'

    The Glioblastoma Foundation has hit a competing nonprofit with a suit alleging that the group's use of the initials "GBM" in its name has ripped off its trademark and sown confusion among donors who can't tell the two organizations apart.

  • September 06, 2024

    EU Gears Up For New Commission With A Plea: More Women

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is gearing up to distribute the top jobs in foreign trade, economics and antitrust among the new commissioners for their five-year mandate, but she is pressing countries in the bloc to nominate more female candidates.

  • September 06, 2024

    CMA Wins Bid To Revive £100M Pharma Cartel Fine

    A London appeals court has upheld more than £100 million ($130 million) in fines against a group of pharmaceutical companies over an alleged price-fixing cartel, finding on Friday that the Competition and Markets Authority had properly argued its case.

  • September 06, 2024

    CMA To Probe GXO's £762M Bid For Logistics Biz

    The antitrust authority of the U.K. on Friday launched the first phase of inquiry into the U.S.-based GXO Logistics Inc.'s £762 million ($950 million) takeover of British supply-chain group Wincanton PLC.

  • September 06, 2024

    SEC Accuses Esmark Of Lying About US Steel Bid

    A failed bid to acquire U.S. Steel has landed Pittsburgh-based Esmark Inc. in hot water with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which announced Friday that it had fined the company and its founder for falsely claiming they had the money to buy the manufacturing giant.

  • September 05, 2024

    Nvidia, Microsoft Face Patent, Cartel Allegations In Texas Suit

    A new lawsuit accuses Nvidia of holding "monopoly power" over the market on graphics processing in the artificial intelligence space and alleges the tech company is colluding with Microsoft and a prominent patent risk management company to squeeze out a small startup that claims to have developed the "fundamental intellectual property" behind that technology.

  • September 05, 2024

    NCAA's $2.78B NIL Deal Misses 1st Shot At Initial OK

    A California federal judge declined Thursday to preliminarily approve a $2.78 billion deal to settle an antitrust class action targeting the NCAA's name, image and likeness compensation rules, saying counsel must "go back to the drawing board" on some of the deal's terms.

  • September 05, 2024

    Judge Sharp No Stranger To Complex Cases Biz Court To See

    Business Court Judge Stacy Sharp says that most of the cases she's litigated across her career would have been a perfect fit for the state's newest venue.

  • September 05, 2024

    FTC Staff Opposes Indiana Hospital Merger

    Federal Trade Commission staff on Thursday urged Indiana's health department to reject Union Health's planned purchase of Terre Haute Regional Hospital LP from HCA Healthcare Inc.

  • September 05, 2024

    Advisory Opinion Backs Italian Case Against Android Auto

    Italian antitrust authorities got a boost Thursday defending a more than €100 million fine ($113.3 million at current exchange rates) against Google and an order requiring the company to further open up its Android Auto app that integrates with car infotainment systems, thanks to an advisory opinion submitted to Europe's highest court.

  • September 05, 2024

    Investment Firm Fights Order To Return Docs In NJ Bias Suit

    A Black-owned investment firm accusing BlackRock Inc. and New Jersey of squeezing it out of a lucrative contract has challenged a U.S. magistrate judge's order to return redacted emails to the Garden State, arguing that the order was made without a full written record or a requested conference on the privilege dispute.

  • September 05, 2024

    Mayors Say No To FCC Bulk Billing Proposal

    Dozens of mayors from across the country have teamed up to tell the Federal Communications Commission that they are against its plans to enact stricter regulations against bulk billing arrangements, saying the agency's "intervention would be detrimental."

  • September 05, 2024

    PE Firm Argues Tossing of FTC Case Also Ends Workers' Suit

    The dismissal of a government antitrust action against Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe warrants the dismissal of a second lawsuit brought by a Houston workers' benefit fund since the complaint is "unapologetically based" on the parallel Federal Trade Commission action, the private equity firm told a Houston federal judge in a hearing Thursday.

  • September 05, 2024

    Google Wants To Know Now What Search Fixes DOJ Will Seek

    The U.S. Department of Justice and Google are offering a D.C. federal judge opposing views about how the remedy phase should go in the search monopolization case, with Google pressing to know as soon as possible what enforcers will be asking for.

  • September 05, 2024

    CFPB Flags Rental Price-Fixing As Among FDCPA Concerns

    In a Sept. 5 report to Congress, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said rent-setting algorithms of the sort used by RealPage could amount to price-fixing, making efforts to collect on inflated rental debt a violation of federal law.

  • September 05, 2024

    Shoemaker Can't Avoid Birkenstock's Copycat Suit

    A Massachusetts-based shoemaker and its manufacturer must face almost every intellectual property claim brought against it by Birkenstock after a federal judge declined to dismiss all but one claim in the popular brand's suit alleging design patent, trademark and trade dress infringement.

Expert Analysis

  • FTC Focus: Private Equity Investments In Healthcare

    Author Photo

    As the Federal Trade Commission is tightening its scrutiny of private equity investment in healthcare, the agency is finding novel grounds to challenge key focus areas, including rollup acquisitions, the flip-and-strip approach and minority investments in rival providers, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Patent Lessons From 5 Federal Circuit Reversals In June

    Author Photo

    A look at June cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court highlights a potential path for branded drugmakers to sue generic-drug makers for off-label uses, potential downsides of violating a pretrial order offering testimony, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • How 5 States' Deal Notification Laws Are Guiding Healthcare

    Author Photo

    Healthcare transaction notification laws at various stages of implementation in California, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and Washington are shaping sector mergers and acquisitions, with significant transparency, continuity of care and compliance implications as providers tackle complex regulatory requirements, says Melesa Freerks at DLA Piper.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

    Author Photo

    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Takeaways From Tossed Deal In Visa, Mastercard Class Action

    Author Photo

    Given the rejection of a proposed deal in the long-running merchant antitrust class action against Visa and Mastercard in New York federal court, sweetening the proposed settlement pot likely will not be an option, leaving few possible outcomes including splitting the class and allowing opt-outs, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • How Orange Book Antitrust Scrutiny Is Intensifying

    Author Photo

    Pharmaceutical patent holders should be reviewing Orange Book listing practices, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a more aggressive antitrust approach with actions such as the Teva listing probe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls attention to potentially improper listings, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    OFAC Sanctions Deserve To Be Challenged Post-Chevron

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision opens the door to challenges against the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions regime, the unintended consequences of which raise serious questions about the wisdom of what appears to be a scorched-earth approach, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.

  • Behind The Delay Of Final HSR Premerger Filing Rules

    Author Photo

    Erin Toomey at Epiq discusses the wait for the final version of the revised Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger filing requirements that were first introduced in June 2023, the factors that might be behind the delay, and how to plan for the potential data-focused rule change

  • Opinion

    The FTC Needs To Challenge The Novo-Catalent Deal

    Author Photo

    Novo's acquisition of Catalent threatens to substantially lessen competition in the manufacturing and marketing of GLP-1 diabetes and obesity drugs, and the Federal Trade Commission should challenge it under a vertical theory of harm, as it aligns with last year's merger guidelines and the Fifth Circuit decision in Illumina, says attorney David Balto.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Uncertainty In Scope Of ITC Oversight

    Author Photo

    The U.S. International Trade Commission's long-standing jurisprudence on some of the most disputed and controversial issues is likely to be reshaped by the Federal Circuit, which is no longer bound by Chevron deference in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, say Kecia Reynolds and Madeleine Moss at Paul Hastings.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

    Author Photo

    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Takeaways From EU's Initial Findings On Apple's App Store

    Author Photo

    A deep dive into the European Commission's recent preliminary findings that Apple's App Store rules are in breach of the Digital Markets Act reveal that enforcement of the EU's Big Tech law might go beyond the literal text of the regulation and more toward the spirit of compliance, say William Dolan and Pratik Agarwal at Rule Garza.

  • A Simple Proposal For Improving E-Discovery In MDLs

    Author Photo

    Given the importance of e-discovery in multidistrict litigation, courts, parties and counsel shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel in each newly consolidated case — and a simple process for sharing e-discovery lessons and knowledge across MDLs could benefit everyone involved, particularly clients, say Benjamin Barnett and Shauna Itri at Seeger Weiss.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Competition archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!