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Competition
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May 24, 2024
Sony Denied Early Bid To Block PlayStation Antitrust Class
A California federal judge Friday denied Sony's preemptive bid to deny class certification in a suit accusing it of overcharging PlayStation Store users through a monopoly on downloadable game cards, saying Sony has yet to show that the plaintiffs are bound by class action waivers, or it can enforce arbitration.
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May 24, 2024
Enbridge Says Oil Transport Monopoly Claims Lack Merit
Enbridge Inc. fired back at an antitrust suit accusing it of intentionally killing a pipeline terminal project that would have resulted in the company losing its monopoly power over crude oil transportation in the Chicago area, calling for an Illinois federal judge to dismiss the claims.
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May 24, 2024
Jazz Director Accuses Philly Pops, Execs Of RICO Conspiracy
A former Philly Pops jazz director has sued the defunct orchestra group, its ex-CEO, a rival orchestra, the Kimmel Center and others in Pennsylvania federal court, claiming they conspired to monopolize the orchestral music market and lied about the organization's debt to force it to shut down while depriving him of pay.
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May 24, 2024
Petition Watch: Forum Shopping, Monopolies & Gun Safety
Law360 looks at four U.S. Supreme Court petitions filed in the past two weeks, including the FDA's request that the justices curb an increase in forum shopping at the Fifth Circuit, and two veterinarians who want the justices to allow plaintiffs to pursue antitrust claims for actions allegedly leading to the creation of a monopoly.
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May 24, 2024
Realtors Want Case Over 'Cooperation' Rule To Stay Dismissed
The National Association of Realtors urged a California federal court not to reconsider dismissing a case targeting rules that prevent real estate agents from listing properties outside their affiliated networks, after the case took a trip to the Ninth Circuit.
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May 24, 2024
The UK Laws That Will Pass Or Fail As Election Looms
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's decision to call an early general election to be held on July 4 has left several pieces of legislation hanging in the balance during the so-called "wash-up" period before Parliament is formally dissolved, while others have been pushed through.
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May 24, 2024
Biden's Judicial Impact And What's Left On The Wish List
President Joe Biden secured confirmation of his 200th federal judge Wednesday and has transformed the judiciary by picking more women and people of color than any other president. But the upcoming election season could derail his hopes of confirming many more judges.
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May 24, 2024
Off The Bench: NCAA Settles House NIL Class Action
In this week’s Off the Bench, the NCAA settles its court dispute with hundreds of thousands of athletes over name, image and likeness compensation, NFL rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. is taken to court over an endorsement contract, and former Super Bowl champion Antonio Brown’s post-career life is burdened further by bankruptcy. If you were sidelined this week, Law360 is here to catch you up on the sports and betting stories that had our readers talking.
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May 24, 2024
Software-Aided Price Fixing Under Antitrust Assault
Claims that companies in the same industry are using software middlemen to fix prices are percolating in federal courts around the country, with cases targeting major operators in residential real estate, hospitality and health insurance, among other areas.
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May 24, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen an IT engineer seek permission to search a landfill hiding a hard drive supposedly storing millions of pounds in bitcoin, Glencore take on legal action by American Century Investments, gold payment app Glint bring a breach of duty claim against FRP Advisory, and an ongoing dispute between a solicitor and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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May 24, 2024
EQT's $35B Equitrans Gas Merger Goes Unchallenged
The waiting period for U.S. antitrust regulators to take action on EQT Corp.'s nearly $14 billion planned purchase of Equitrans Midstream Corp. has expired, putting one of the year's largest deals on the fast track to closing.
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May 24, 2024
CMA To Probe $295M Roche Diagnostics Deal
Britain's antitrust regulator said Friday that it has decided to launch a probe into Swiss drugmaker Roche's proposed $295 million purchase of parts of diagnostic company LumiraDx days after inviting public feedback to assess if the deal could harm competition.
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May 24, 2024
DOJ's Live Nation-Ticketmaster Suit: What You Should Know
The U.S. Department of Justice and a slew of state attorneys general filed a suit challenging the 2010 merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Here, catch up on Law360's coverage of the deal and those who have challenged it along the way – Taylor Swift fans, investors and regulators.
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May 24, 2024
PE Firm, Pharma Cos. Overturn £31M Drug Price-Fixing Fines
Private equity group Cinven and three pharmaceutical companies have successfully overturned a decision by the U.K. antitrust regulator to fine them £31 million ($39 million) for allegedly fixing the price of drugs sold to the National Health Service.
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May 23, 2024
FTC Blasts Amazon's 'Unbelievable' Claims About Signal Use
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday again pressed a Washington federal court to force Amazon to hand over documents regarding the company's communication preservation practices, calling Amazon's claims that executives never used the encrypted app Signal to discuss business practices relevant to the antitrust fight "unbelievable."
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May 23, 2024
Latham, Cravath Rep Live Nation In DOJ Ticketmaster Battle
In the battle against the U.S. Department of Justice's push to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the concert promotion and ticketing company has called upon a team of attorneys at Cravath Swaine & Moore and Latham & Watkins to go up against a large roster of highly experienced government antitrust attorneys.
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May 23, 2024
EU Fines Mondelez €338M For Curbing Snack Competition
The European Commission on Thursday fined U.S.-headquartered multinational snack company Mondelez International Inc. €337.5 million ($365.74 million) for entering into anticompetitive trade agreements with resellers and abusing its position as a chocolate giant to maintain high prices.
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May 23, 2024
DOJ Has A Long Set To Play Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster
The U.S. Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit announced Thursday against Live Nation and Ticketmaster's dominance over performing artists, venues and tickets may have been 14 years in the making, but it still has a long road ahead in New York federal court.
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May 23, 2024
House Money: The Path To A Landmark NCAA NIL Settlement
The NCAA is expected to pay more than $2.7 billion to settle a yearslong antitrust class action lawsuit featuring hundreds of thousands of former college athletes who alleged the organization owed them for years of unpaid name, image and likeness compensation. Here, Law360 walks you down the winding path that led to the massive reported settlement.
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May 23, 2024
'I Just Don't Buy It': Judge Rips Google's Injunction Argument
A California federal judge considering the scope of a potential injunction against Google following Epic Games' antitrust jury trial win told Google's economist Thursday that the tech giant keeps arguing that more app store options for consumers will create a "terrifying world of chaos and anarchy," but "I just don't buy it."
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May 23, 2024
NCAA, Athletes Settle NIL Class Action Over Billions In Pay
The NCAA said Thursday it has reached a settlement with the former college athletes who had filed an antitrust class action demanding billions in potential compensation allegedly denied to them for decades before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the NCAA's compensation ban.
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May 23, 2024
Conn. Marketing Co., Competitor Settle Exec Poaching Suit
The Connecticut-based healthcare marketing firm Primacy LLC has reached a settlement with a competitor it accused of poaching a top executive, weeks after bringing a trade secrets lawsuit in federal court.
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May 23, 2024
Enforcers Want To Know Where Roll-Ups Are Happening
The Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice are asking for help finding industries where serial acquisitions and roll-up strategies are being used, building on a probe of the healthcare sector launched earlier this year.
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May 23, 2024
Legal Marketer, Ark. Firm Agree To End Trade Secrets Suit
A legal marketing business has agreed to dismiss a Georgia federal lawsuit accusing an Arkansas law firm and others of stealing and profiting off its trade secrets, including a database of client leads for mass torts over talcum powder and heartburn medication.
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May 23, 2024
NCAA Can't Move Colo. Athlete Pay Case
A Colorado federal judge on Thursday rejected a bid by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and collegiate athletic conferences to move athletes' compensation allegations to California, where two similar cases are being heard, highlighting the choice by named plaintiffs to have their claims heard in Colorado.
Expert Analysis
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What Can Be Learned From Adobe-Figma Merger Termination
The Competition and Markets Authority’s role in the recent termination of the proposed Adobe-Figma merger deal indicates the regulator's intention to be seen as a strong enforcer in the technology sphere, and serves as a warning for companies to address antitrust risks early on in the merger process, say Deirdre Taylor and Molly Heslop at Gibson Dunn.
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7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond
The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.
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2 FCPA Settlements Illuminate Self-Disclosure, Disgorgement
Two of last year’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements — with biomedical company Lifecore and mining company Corsa Coal — suggest that the government will be much more flexible in negotiating disgorgement amounts if an entity voluntarily self-discloses misconduct, say Michael Gilbert and Lucas Amodio at Sheppard Mullin.
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Financing Healthcare Deals In Uncertain Markets This Year
As challenges to closing and financing new deals prevail into 2024, lenders in new healthcare transactions are talking about alternative approaches for sponsors to consider, such as private credit alternatives and utilization of junior capital, say attorneys at McDermott.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024
Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
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5 NLRA Changes To Make Nonunion Employers Wary In 2024
As the National Labor Relations Board continues pushing an aggressive pro-union agenda and a slate of strict workplace rules, nonunion employers should study significant labor law changes from 2023 to understand why National Labor Relations Act compliance will be so crucial to protecting themselves in the new year, say attorneys at Hunton.
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Expect National Security Scrutiny Of Higher Ed To Continue
In 2023, the federal government significantly elevated the national security responsibilities of academic communities, so universities and research laboratories should take a more rigorous approach to research partnerships, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Antitrust And ESG: Maximizing Targets, Ensuring Compliance
Jennifer McAlpin at Verizon and Michaela Spero at Amadeus consider the convergence of antitrust and environmental, social and corporate governance factors, providing an executive overview of areas to watch, including mergers and acquisitions, as well as practical implementation tips for general counsel.
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What To Know About FCA Cybersecurity Enforcement
Now is a good time for practitioners, government contractors and potential relators to review recent developments in cybersecurity-related False Claims Act enforcement, and consider best practices for navigating this space in the new year, say Ellen London at London & Stout, and Li Yu and Molly Knobler at DiCello Levitt.
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Opinion
Noncompete Report Misinterpreted Critique Of FTC Proposal
A recent report on core questions surrounding the use of employee noncompete agreements published by the Economic Innovation Group misconstrues our stated views on the issue — and we stand behind our conclusion that the Federal Trade Commission made misrepresentations when proposing a rule to ban such provisions nationwide, say Erik Weibust and Stuart Gerson at Epstein Becker.
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3 Power Rulings Change Outlook For Transmission Cos.
The cumulative effect of three December power cases that halted state actions that gave preference to incumbent transmission providers could level the playing field for independent developers, say Harvey Reiter and John McCaffrey at Stinson.
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4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year
As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
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Opinion
Waiving COVID-19 IP Protections Would Harm US Industry
President Joe Biden should turn down a World Trade Organization proposal to waive crucial intellectual property protections behind COVID-19 tests and diagnostics — protections that allow U.S. companies to sustain millions of jobs and develop life-saving treatments that benefit patients in every country, says former U.S. Circuit Judge Paul Michel, now at the Council for Innovation Promotion.
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What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like
As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security
In 2024, expect the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, already at the forefront of addressing national security threats, to increase monitoring and enforcement related to outbound investment, focus on supply chain resilience in nondefense sectors, and heighten oversight of agricultural transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.