Competition

  • September 18, 2026

    AI 'Brainrot' Fight Tests Copyright, TM Reach Of Viral Memes

    A bat-wielding wooden drum named Tung Tung Sahur is raising questions Mickey Mouse, Godzilla and James Bond never posed: Can a "brainrot" character created using artificial intelligence be protected by copyright, and can it later function as a trademark if it went viral before anyone used it as a brand?

  • September 18, 2026

    DOJ Revises Policies Over False Claims Act Suits

    The U.S. Department of Justice issued revisions Friday to department policy governing False Claims Act lawsuits, emphasizing that agency guidance documents have limited effect and that the government should continually assess whether to seek dismissal of qui tam actions.

  • September 18, 2026

    FTC Chair Defends Overlapping Antitrust Authorities

    Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson on Friday defended his agency's continuing role as an antitrust enforcer despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened the agency's independence and left it as beholden to the White House as its counterpart at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • September 18, 2026

    Ex-Animal Rescue Dir. Owes $975K In TM Feud, Judge Says

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has awarded animal shelter and rescue Last Chance Ranch a $975,000 judgment against its former director, saying the cyberpiracy and trademark infringement merited damages and attorney fees.

  • September 18, 2026

    FTC's Meador Touts Right-To-Repair Progress After Deere Case

    Federal Trade Commissioner Mark Meador has hailed the commission's "progress" in right-to-repair enforcement during recent remarks before the National Farmers Union, touting the agency's July settlement in its case against John Deere.

  • September 18, 2026

    Frozen Potato Makers Must Face Bulk Of Price-Fixing Case

    The four companies controlling roughly 98% of the frozen potato product market must face consumers' accusations that they shared competitively sensitive information and coordinated other efforts to carry out an illegal price-fixing scheme, an Illinois federal judge has ruled.

  • September 18, 2026

    Apple Says Ex-Worker Took 33 Files, Wiped Mac For OpenAI

    Apple has told a California federal judge that a former engineer now at OpenAI downloaded at least 33 confidential files from Apple's Box repository after his departure, wiped an Apple-owned computer before returning it, and later told another former Apple employee who had joined OpenAI to erase her device.

  • September 18, 2026

    OpenAI Can't See SpaceXAI, Apple Antitrust Settlement Terms

    OpenAI cannot access a confidential settlement between Elon Musk's SpaceXAI and Apple Inc. over SpaceXAI's antitrust lawsuit challenging Apple's integration of OpenAI's ChatGPT into its devices, a Texas federal court has ruled, finding the settlement isn't relevant to the case against OpenAI.

  • September 18, 2026

    NY Surgeons Say Elevance Penalty Policy Is Anticompetitive

    A practice group for independent neurosurgeons lobbed an antitrust suit against Elevance Health Inc. in New York federal court alleging the insurer is impeding their ability to compete for patients by threatening to financially penalize and terminate in-network facilities that work with them.

  • September 18, 2026

    6th Circ. Undoes Ky. State Court Remand Of PBM Fight

    The Sixth Circuit on Friday ruled that Kentucky's lawsuit accusing pharmacy benefit managers of conspiring with drug manufacturers to increase the prescription opioid supply belongs in federal court, given the appellate court's precedential ruling from January reversing remand of another state's dispute against PBMs.

  • September 18, 2026

    Paramount Gets Foreign Investment Nod For $110B WBD Deal

    The Federal Communications Commission has approved a Paramount Skydance request to permit foreign ownership as part of its $110 billion plan to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. 

  • September 17, 2026

    DOJ Touts 'Substantial' Ad Tech Fix, Leaves Room For Appeal

    The U.S. Department of Justice walked a fine line between hailing a Virginia federal judge's newly unsealed decision ordering Google to open up its advertising placement technology dominance, and leaving open the possibility of appealing the judge's accompanying rejection of its request for a breakup.

  • September 17, 2026

    FDIC Pitches Plan For Faster Bank Merger Reviews

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. moved Thursday to revamp its procedures for vetting bank mergers, floating a package of proposed changes that could speed up the agency's reviews for many transactions and lead to fewer getting held up over competition concerns.

  • September 17, 2026

    2nd Circ. Pauses Nielsen Order In Cumulus Tying Case

    The Second Circuit has put on hold a preliminary injunction ordering the Nielsen Co. to offer its national ratings data separate from its local offerings after the company argued that the lower court changed the terms of the injunction after the Second Circuit approved it the first time.

  • September 17, 2026

    Rail Giants Point To Shipper Support For $85B Merger

    Droves of companies that rely on freight in their daily business have recently thrown their support behind Union Pacific Corp.'s planned $85 billion merger with Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern Corp. in filings with a federal board being asked to approve the tie-up.

  • September 17, 2026

    Joe Gibbs Racing Demands Sanctions For Deleted Texts

    Joe Gibbs Racing LLC wants its former competition director sanctioned for allegedly failing to preserve key evidence after he deleted text messages with the owner of a rival NASCAR team where he is now employed as chief motorsports officer.

  • September 17, 2026

    7th Circ. Questions Illinois' Out-Of-State Liquor Delivery Ban

    The Seventh Circuit seemed unsure Thursday whether it should back a district court decision tossing two wine collectors' constitutional claim against an Illinois law barring out-of-state retailers delivering alcohol to in-state customers, questioning the state's underlying reasoning for the ban.

  • September 17, 2026

    SpaceXAI, Apple Must Show Texas Judge Antitrust Deal Terms

    A Texas federal judge has ordered Elon Musk's companies and Apple Inc. to provide him with a copy of their recent settlement for in-camera review after OpenAI Inc. demanded to look over the agreement and argued its terms may undermine the antitrust allegations SpaceXAI LLC is still pursuing against OpenAI.

  • September 17, 2026

    EU Antitrust Chief Says AI Competition Mitigates Risk

    Europe's top antitrust enforcer raised concerns Thursday about the need to regulate artificial intelligence companies, while a top U.S. official said enforcers need to hear more about potential collaborations on AI safety before deciding if they're problematic.

  • September 17, 2026

    'Bad Middle School Art' Tests Penn State's Counterfeit Bid

    A Third Circuit panel appeared reluctant Thursday to treat all of Vintage Brand's retro Penn State merchandise as counterfeit, even as the judges expressed skepticism about the print-on-demand retailer's broader bid to overturn a jury verdict finding that its unlicensed use of university marks infringed Penn State's trademarks.

  • September 17, 2026

    DOJ Official Says Political Appointees Play Antitrust Role

    Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. on Thursday defended the role political appointees play in enforcing antitrust laws, saying it would be "blatantly unconstitutional" if U.S. Department of Justice leadership merely deferred to unelected officials.

  • September 17, 2026

    FTC Puts Fertitta's $17.6B Caesars Buy Under The Microscope

    The Federal Trade Commission is seeking more information about Fertitta Entertainment's proposed $17.6 billion buyout of Caesars Entertainment, extending review of the deal proposed in May, according to a Thursday regulatory filing.

  • September 17, 2026

    Judge Won't Toss Cannabis Co. Rival Suit, Criticizes AI Misuse

    A Florida federal judge on Wednesday denied a medical marijuana company's bid to get a rival's suit dismissed, called the company's motion to dismiss "sloppy lawyering at best and an AI hallucination at worst," and warned the company's in-house counsel against continued chatbot misuse.

  • September 17, 2026

    Orrick Hires Google Ad Tech Litigator, Kressin Powers Partner

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has hired an attorney from Kressin Powers LLC who previously served as a senior litigation counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he helped represent the government in its antitrust suit against Google's alleged ad monopolization practices.

  • September 17, 2026

    Motorists Get OK To Distribute £92.75M In Antitrust Case

    The Competition Appeal Tribunal on Thursday approved a plan for distributing settlements totaling £92.75 million ($123.9 million) to motorists in class action claims against vehicle shipping companies over delivery charges.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Federal Preemption In AI And Robotics Is Essential

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    Federal preemption offers a unified front at a decisive moment that is essential for safeguarding America's economic edge in artificial intelligence and robotics against global rivals, harnessing trillions of dollars in potential, securing high-skilled jobs through human augmentation, and defending technological sovereignty, says Steven Weisburd at Shook Hardy.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: What Cross-Selling Truly Takes

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    Early-career attorneys may struggle to introduce clients to practitioners in other specialties, but cross-selling becomes easier once they know why it’s vital to their first years of practice, which mistakes to avoid and how to anticipate clients' needs, say attorneys at Moses & Singer.

  • CFIUS Initiative May Smooth Way For Some Foreign Investors

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    A new program that will allow certain foreign investors to be prevetted and admitted to fast-track approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will likely have tangible benefits for investors participating in competitive M&A, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: Practical Use Cases In Chambers

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard in the Southern District of California discusses how she uses generative artificial intelligence tools in chambers to make work more efficient and effective — from editing jury instructions for clarity to summarizing key documents.

  • Takeaways From 1st DOJ Antitrust Whistleblower Payout

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    The U.S. Justice Department's recent $1 million antitrust whistleblower reward accelerates the race to report by signaling that the Antitrust Division's program can result in substantial financial awards and reinforcing the need for corporate compliance programs that reach beyond core components, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Series

    Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

  • Navigating New Risks Amid Altered Foreign Issuer Landscape

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's potential rulemaking to redefine who qualifies as a foreign private issuer will shape securities regulation and enforcement for decades, affecting not only FPIs and U.S. investors but also the U.S.' position in global capital markets, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard.

  • Reflections From High Court Oral Args Over Fed Gov. Removal

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    In the oral arguments last month for Trump v. Cook, which asks the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the circumstances under which the president can remove a Federal Reserve Board governor, the justices appeared skeptical about ruling on the substantive issues in view of the limited record and analysis, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • CFIUS Risk Lessons From Chips Biz Divestment Order

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    President Donald Trump's January executive order directing HieFo to unwind its 2024 acquisition of a semiconductor business with ties to China underscores that even modestly sized transactions can attract CFIUS interest if they could affect strategic areas prioritized by the U.S. government, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • Tips For Financial Advisers Facing TRO From Former Firm

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent decision in Choreo v. Lors, overturning a lower court's sweeping injunction after financial advisers moved to a new firm, gives advisers new strategies to fight restraining orders from their old firms, such as focusing on whether the alleged irreparable harm is calculable, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • How Latest Nasdaq Proposals Stand To Raise Listings Quality

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    Nasdaq's recent proposals stand to heighten both quantitative and qualitative standards for issuers, which, if approved, may bring investors stronger market integrity and access but also raise the listings bar, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    CFIUS Must Adapt To Current Foreign Investment Realities

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    To continue protecting the U.S.’ long-term strategic and economic interests, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States should implement practical enhancements that leverage technology, expertise and clear communication, and enable it to keep pace with evolving demands, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

  • Bipartisan Enforcement Is Rising In Consumer Finance

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    Activity over the past year suggests a bipartisan state enforcement wave is rippling across the consumer finance industry, which follows a blueprint set out by former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra, who notably now leads a Democratic Attorneys General Association working group, say attorneys at Hudson Cook.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

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