Competition

  • August 21, 2024

    FTC Fails 1st Test Of Rulemaking Push In Noncompetes Loss

    The Federal Trade Commission suffered its first definitive loss Tuesday in the push to ban employment noncompete agreements, although the decision probably isn't the final word given a likely appeal and two other pending challenges also viewed as a test of the agency's efforts to expand its rulemaking footprint.

  • August 21, 2024

    AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile Accused Of Blocking Wi-Fi Calling

    A patent-holding company said Wednesday it has filed a lawsuit accusing AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom of blocking the emergence of a market for Wi-Fi calling by tying the service to voice and text offerings.

  • August 21, 2024

    Investment Firm, Ex-Advisers Settle Dispute Over Clients

    Mercer Global Advisors and former investment advisers accused of stealing clients and starting a competing firm have told a Florida state court that they have settled their dispute just before trial.

  • August 21, 2024

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Wrinkle In Textile Family's $17M Fight

    The fate of a $17 million trust battled over by its trustees and Atrium Health, as well as attorney fees in a $1.1 million data breach settlement were cemented by the North Carolina Business Court in the first half of August. In case you missed those and others, here are the highlights.

  • August 21, 2024

    Mich. Families Drop Virtual Jail Visit Suit Against Telecom

    Families of inmates in the St. Clair County Jail have dropped their claims against a jail telecommunication provider after a Michigan state judge ruled that the families' constitutional rights were not violated by the jail's decision to replace in-person visitation with video calling.

  • August 21, 2024

    Contractor, Manager Settle Hartford HealthCare No-Poach Suit

    A New Jersey company that manages a sleep clinic in a Connecticut hospital has settled a former clinic manager's lawsuit alleging the company improperly prevented him from getting a job with the hospital's new owner after it fired him.

  • August 21, 2024

    Hillrom Says Funding Docs 'Plainly' Relevant In Antitrust Suit

    Hospital-bed maker Hill-Rom Holdings, doing business as Hillrom, defended its request for litigation funding documents in rival Linet's suit targeting allegedly anticompetitive supply agreements, arguing they will help support its defenses and combat a "David and Goliath" characterization of the case.

  • August 21, 2024

    FTC Can't Stop $8.5B Merger, Handbag Cos. Say

    The owners of Coach and Michael Kors urged a New York federal court not to pause their planned $8.5 billion merger, saying a challenge from the Federal Trade Commission ignores the hundreds of options consumers have when shopping for handbags.

  • August 21, 2024

    Calif. AG Secures Rite Aid Deal Ensuring Pharmacy Access

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced a settlement with Rite Aid Corp. that will allow his office to oversee any changes in ownership of the company's retail pharmacy outlets across the state.

  • August 21, 2024

    NJ Health System Calls Proskauer DQ Bid A 'Litigation Tactic'

    RWJBarnabas Health urged a New Jersey federal judge to reject its competitor's attempt to disqualify Proskauer Rose LLP from representing the healthcare system in an antitrust suit, telling the court the "litigation tactic" is merely the plaintiff's effort to replace opposing counsel because its case is going badly.

  • August 21, 2024

    CMA Set To Clear £2.5B Homebuilders Deal After Remedies

    Britain's competition regulator said Wednesday that it plans to clear Barratt Developments PLC's acquisition of rival homebuilder Redrow PLC for approximately £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in light of the remedies offered to ease the regulator's competition concerns.

  • August 20, 2024

    Apple Says iCloud Monopoly Suit Can't Stay Afloat

    Apple has told a California federal judge that it's time to boot a proposed class action that accuses it of flouting federal antitrust laws by blocking third-party cloud storage services from accessing and storing certain files on its smartphones.

  • August 20, 2024

    Realtek Suit Is Just 'Litigation Over Litigation,' IP Biz Says

    Litigation business Future Link says the latest version of an antitrust lawsuit in California federal court from Taiwanese chipmaker Realtek over claims of a conspiracy with a different Taiwanese chipmaker to fund purported "patent troll" lawsuits is just more "litigation over litigation."

  • August 20, 2024

    Duke Energy Wants 4th Circ. Rethink On Antitrust 'Haven'

    Duke Energy sought a full Fourth Circuit rehearing Monday against a panel decision reviving NTE Energy Services' antitrust lawsuit, arguing the panel upended decades of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and risked making the circuit a space for plaintiffs to "escape" those rules.

  • August 20, 2024

    Co. Says No License Needed To Dispute $1B DOD Fuel Deal

    A company alleging a $1 billion Defense Logistics Agency African fuel supply contract effectively requires bribery to secure has told the Court of Federal Claims it can protest the deal despite lacking a local license, saying the license wasn't necessary for the contracted work.

  • August 20, 2024

    Under Armour Looks To End Case From Ex-Supplier

    Under Armour Inc. asked a Pennsylvania federal court to end a former supplier's claims that it blocked competition for recovery-enhancing clothing, saying the company is not a competitor and has no evidence supporting its antitrust or other claims.

  • August 20, 2024

    NFL Hangs Onto Victory In Sunday Ticket Antitrust Fight

    A California federal judge on Tuesday entered judgment in favor of the NFL against all claims by a class of Sunday Ticket television package subscribers, including their bid seeking to block the league from engaging in anticompetitive conduct, more than two weeks after he upended a jury's $4.7 billion antitrust verdict against the league. 

  • August 20, 2024

    Texas Franchisee Accuses Party City Of Monopolizing Market

    An operator of Party City franchise stores accused the party supply retailer's parent company of monopolizing the party goods market, saying the company seeks to drive its competitors, including franchisees, out of business through its use of unfair competition, illegal price-fixing and bad faith business practices.

  • August 20, 2024

    Albertsons Stole 'Schedule & Save' Tech, Seattle Co. Says

    A Seattle software company is claiming Albertsons breached a deal to develop an automated service for customers to replenish their go-to purchases, saying the grocery giant abandoned the contract amid its pending merger with Kroger and launched a "nearly identical" system in a trade secret ripoff.

  • August 20, 2024

    Texas Judge Blocks FTC's Impending Ban On Noncompetes

    A Texas federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked the Federal Trade Commission's looming ban on noncompete agreements in employment contracts, setting aside the regulation with a conclusion that it's beyond the agency's authority.

  • August 20, 2024

    Local Chamber Can't Keep CFPB Case In Texas, Agency Says

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau told a Texas federal judge that the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce has, at most, a flimsy connection to a challenge to a new $8 credit card late fee rule, renewing its call to dismiss the local chamber and transfer the case in its latest brief.

  • August 20, 2024

    UFC Fighters' Wage Suit Headed To Trial In February

    A trial has been set for February in the class action brought by mixed martial arts fighters who accused Ultimate Fighting Championship of suppressing their wages, a move that comes after a Nevada federal judge rejected the parties' settlement agreement in March, Law360 learned Tuesday.

  • August 20, 2024

    Burford Fights Order Backing Chicken Price-Fixing Settlement

    A Burford Capital Unit tried again Monday to unbind itself from a chicken price-fixing settlement that Sysco sealed via email with Pilgrim's Pride, arguing in Illinois federal court that the Seventh Circuit has criticized the order backing the settlement as "fatally flawed."

  • August 20, 2024

    FTC Endorses Push For Broader Access To Biosimilar Drugs

    The Federal Trade Commission is backing a proposal that would make it easier for drugmakers to show biosimilar medicines are safe substitutes for their more expensive counterparts, a move the agency says would boost competition and reduce confusion.

  • August 20, 2024

    Epic Will Pay Google $400K For Play Store Contract Breach

    Epic Games has agreed to pay Google around $400,000 for implementing its own payment method in "Fortnite" and getting booted from the Play Store, as the court continues to mull what changes Google will have to make after a jury found that its policies violate antitrust law.

Expert Analysis

  • Orange Book Warnings Highlight FTC's Drug Price Focus

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    In light of heightened regulatory scrutiny surrounding drug pricing and the Federal Trade Commission's activity in the recent Teva v. Amneal case, branded drug manufacturers should expect the FTC's campaign against allegedly improper Orange Book listings to continue, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Inside Antitrust Agencies' Rollup And Serial Acquisition Moves

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    The recent request for public comments on serial acquisitions and rollup strategies from the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Justice Department mark the antitrust agencies' continued focus on actions that fall below premerger reporting thresholds, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Rare Robinson-Patman Ruling Exhibits Key Antitrust Risk

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    A rare federal court decision under the Robinson-Patman Act, which prohibits certain kinds of price discrimination, highlights the antitrust risks faced by certain suppliers and is likely to be cited by future plaintiffs and enforcement officials calling for renewed scrutiny of pricing and discounting practices, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Takeaways From Nat'l Security Division's Historic Declination

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    The Justice Department National Security Division's recent decision not to prosecute a biochemical company for an employee's export control violation marks its first declination under a new corporate enforcement policy, sending a clear message to companies that self-disclosure of misconduct may confer material benefits, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception

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    Although the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has recently signaled interest in wiretaps, the use of this technology to capture evidence of antitrust conspiracies and pursue monopolization as a criminal matter has been rare historically, and is likely to remain so, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at DLA Piper.

  • Playing The Odds: Criminal Charges Related To Sports Betting

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    In light of recent sports betting scandals involving MLB player Shohei Ohtani and NBA player Jontay Porter, institutions and individuals involved in athletics should be aware of and prepared to address the legal issues, including potential criminal charges, that sports gambling may bring to their door, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Key FCC Enforcement Issues In AT&T Location Data Appeal

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    AT&T’s decision to challenge a $57 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission for its alleged treatment of customer location information highlights interesting and fundamental issues about the constitutionality of FCC enforcement, say Patrick O’Donnell and Jason Neal at HWG.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • What TikTok's Race Against The Clock Teaches Chinese Firms

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    The Biden administration's recent divestiture deadline on TikTok parent ByteDance provides useful information for other China-based companies looking to do business in the U.S., including the need to keep products for each market separate and implement firewalls at the design stage, says Richard Lomuscio at Stinson.

  • Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs

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    The recent amendment of a federal evidence rule regarding expert testimony and the proposal of a civil rule on managing early discovery in multidistrict legislation hold great promise for promoting the uniform and efficient processes that high-stakes product liability cases particularly need, say Alan Klein and William Heaston at Duane Morris.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Live Nation May Shake It Off In A Long Game With The DOJ

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    Don't expect a swift resolution in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against Live Nation, but a long litigation, with the company likely to represent itself as the creator of a competitive ecosystem, and the government faced with explaining how the ticketing giant formed under its watch, say Thomas Kliebhan and Taylor Hixon at GRSM50.

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