Competition

  • January 17, 2025

    Ex Raided Conn. Burrito Joint's TM, Co. Accounts, Suit Says

    The owner of Connecticut Tex-Mex restaurant and coffeehouse TJ's Longboard Burritos LLC told a Connecticut federal court that his ex-girlfriend launched a similar nearby eatery called TJ's Burritos Bloomfield LLC and is responsible for changes to his passwords, his cook's departure, bills to his accounts, disappearing tequila and tanking his sales by 40%.

  • January 17, 2025

    DOJ Wants No Jail Time For Cross-Border Monopoly Member

    The U.S. Department of Justice has told a Texas federal judge that a woman who pled guilty to conspiring to monopolize cross-border sales of used vehicles should be sentenced to up to 14 months of home detention.

  • January 17, 2025

    MultiPlan Wants Antitrust Claims Over Pricing Tools Tossed

    MultiPlan and several major insurance companies urged an Illinois federal court to toss claims that they schemed to fix reimbursement rates, saying the pricing tools at issue do not hurt the healthcare providers that are bringing the case.

  • January 17, 2025

    NC Biotech Co. Can't Restrain Co-Founder's Rival Biz Yet

    A biotechnology company can't stop its co-founder from conducting research and soliciting customers at his new company using what it believes is stolen confidential information, a North Carolina state court judge said Friday, pointing to a lack of urgency and glaring holes in the record.

  • January 17, 2025

    PE Firm Resolves FTC's Antitrust Anesthesia Roll-Up Case

    Private equity firm Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe agreed to limit its involvement, entanglement and ownership rights with its portfolio company U.S. Anesthesia Partners Inc. to resolve allegations they engaged in a "roll-up" scheme to buy anesthesiology practices in Texas and drive up costs, the Federal Trade Commission said Friday.

  • January 17, 2025

    Junior Players Claim Hockey Leagues Violate Antitrust Laws

    Two major junior club players are seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the professional hockey leagues in the U.S. and Canada from enforcing an "oppressive" rule that limits where the athletes can play, arguing the practice is illegal and harmful to players.

  • January 17, 2025

    US Steel Can't Quicken Probe Into Alleged Merger Plot

    U.S. Steel won't get an expedited look into communications between rival Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers to look for evidence of an alleged conspiracy to sabotage its $14.9 billion merger with Japan's Nippon Steel Corp., after a Pittsburgh federal judge deemed the request "premature" on Friday.

  • January 17, 2025

    Mich. Local Power Rule Needs Stricter Scrutiny, 6th Circ. Says

    A split Sixth Circuit panel said a requirement for Michigan electricity suppliers to source some of their power locally may be unconstitutional and must be reviewed again by a lower court because it disadvantages out-of-state energy producers.

  • January 17, 2025

    Users' Google Suit Can Advance With Pared Search Claims

    Winnowed consumer antitrust claims against Google can move forward after a California federal judge said Thursday that while users failed to resurrect claims of an agreement keeping Apple out of online search, they've now adequately accused Google of stifling would-be rivals with fewer ads or more privacy.

  • January 17, 2025

    Off The Bench: Arrest In NBA Betting Probe, 76ers' Arena Deal

    In this week's Off The Bench, the betting fraud investigation with a former National Basketball Association player at the center produces another arrest, the Philadelphia 76ers pull out of one new arena agreement and sign up for another, and a champion fighter is accused of assaulting a woman at a basketball game.

  • January 17, 2025

    Hogan Lovells Lands Quinn Emanuel IP Litigator In SF

    Hogan Lovells has brought on a former longtime Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP partner in its San Francisco office, bolstering its intellectual property practice with an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who has guided technology companies such as Google in IP litigation.

  • January 17, 2025

    FTC Accuses Pepsi Of Giving Advantage To Favored Retailer

    The Federal Trade Commission on Friday accused Pepsi of giving a big box retailer better terms and promotional payments, putting smaller competitors at a disadvantage.

  • January 24, 2025

    Simmons Taps DLA For New Antitrust Chief, MoFo For RE Pro

    Simmons & Simmons LLP has hired DLA Piper's U.K. competition chief and an expert in international real estate transactions from Morrison Foerster LLP to boost its legal services in its London office.

  • January 16, 2025

    FCC Rejects TV License Attacks As Leadership Switch Nears

    The Federal Communications Commission rejected four controversial petitions targeting major news broadcasters Thursday, dispensing with the cases just days before Donald Trump reclaims the White House and installs a Republican majority on the commission.

  • January 16, 2025

    UK CMA Settles Sports Betting Company Divestiture

    Spreadex has appealed an order from the U.K.'s competition enforcer commanding it to sell off a sports betting company that it acquired in 2023, but in the meantime, it is taking all the necessary steps to comply with the agency's order.

  • January 16, 2025

    GOP Describes FTC Dems' Last Days As 'Farcical,' 'Senseless'

    Democratic enforcers at the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are on a blitz of guidelines and complaints in their last days at the agencies, a push increasingly assailed by FTC Republicans who've said Democratic-specific efforts to enshrine antitrust safeguards for workers and more "has no future."

  • January 16, 2025

    Crypto Firm DRW Wants Out Of SEC's 'Scorched Earth' Suit

    The crypto-trading arm of DRW Holdings says it has become the latest target of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's "scorched-earth enforcement campaign against the crypto-asset industry" in its bid to dismiss a suit alleging it engaged in more than $2 billion in unregistered crypto transactions.

  • January 16, 2025

    2nd Circ. Revives Wonderful Pistachios' Trade Dress Case

    The Second Circuit revived a trademark infringement complaint from The Wonderful Co. LLC and Cal Pure Produce against pistachio-selling rival Nut Cravings Inc., saying Thursday that the plaintiffs plausibly alleged a likelihood of confusion in how each company's products are packaged, contrary to what a Manhattan federal judge concluded in dismissing the case.

  • January 16, 2025

    Gov't Wants Time During Epic, Google's 9th Circ. Face-Off

    When Epic Games and Google face off next month at the Ninth Circuit, the federal government is hoping it will get a few minutes to state its case for why the appellate court shouldn't overturn an order forcing Google to allow alternative app stores on its platform, the government said in a recent motion.

  • January 16, 2025

    Antitrust's 'Moment' Has Arrived, Thanks To Biden Enforcers

    As President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House, with antitrust picks operating under a mandate to go after Big Tech and "censorship" with enforcement that's vigorous, but not stifling, which key parts of President Joe Biden's competition law legacy may last and what won't are coming into focus.

  • January 16, 2025

    EpiPen Direct Buyers, Mylan Ink $75M Antitrust Deal

    Mylan Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay $73.5 million to resolve claims it worked with Pfizer to inflate the price of the latter's popular auto-injecting emergency allergy medication EpiPen, a proposed class of direct purchasers told a Kansas federal judge Wednesday, bringing the total settlement to $123.5 million.

  • January 16, 2025

    Merck Defends 3rd Circ. Win In Mumps Vaccine Antitrust Case

    Merck urged the Third Circuit not to reconsider a ruling that immunized the company from antitrust claims over submissions it made to federal regulators for its mumps vaccine, arguing the appeals court was right to find the submissions were protected.

  • January 16, 2025

    Swedish Match Wants 'Copycat' Sham Patent Suit Nixed

    Swedish Match urged a Virginia federal judge to toss a proposed class action it said largely parrots a since-settled antitrust suit from which consumers can draw no basis for claims the tobacco company used litigation to drive a nicotine pouch rival out of the market.

  • January 16, 2025

    Colo. AG Wants Ruling In Case Grocers' Merger Is Resurrected

    The Colorado attorney general on Wednesday urged a Denver judge to rule on the state's challenge to Kroger Co. and Albertsons' merger despite the grocers' claims they've abandoned the deal, arguing the fact that the companies dispute each other's termination of the merger suggests it "may still be operative."

  • January 16, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Judge Bids Adieu, TikTok Wants Out

    The North Carolina Business Court's former chief judge hung up his robes for the last time as the court entered the new year with a ruling that shapes the fate of beset real estate company MV Realty's consumer fraud trial and arguments by TikTok Inc. that its platform being "too engaging" isn't enough for the state to begin an enforcement action.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Antitrust Risks

    Author Photo

    With all the regulatory activity surrounding antitrust and unfair competition claims, as highlighted by last month's D.C. federal court decision that Google is a monopolist, businesses must not only ensure compliance, but also understand their potential insurance coverage when such claims arise, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.

  • Exploring Practical Employer Alternatives To Noncompetes

    Author Photo

    With the Federal Trade Commission likely to appeal a federal court’s recent rejection of its noncompete ban, and more states limiting the enforceability of these agreements, employers should consider back-to-basics methods for protecting their business interests and safeguarding sensitive information, says Brendan Horgan at FordHarrison.

  • 3 M&A Elements To Master In A Volatile Economy

    Author Photo

    The current M&A market requires a strategic approach to earnouts, past-due accounts payable and employee retention in order to mitigate risk and drive successful outcomes, says Robert Harig at Robbins DiMonte.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

    Author Photo

    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Behind 3rd Circ. Ruling On College Athletes' FLSA Eligibility

    Author Photo

    The Third Circuit's decision that college athletes are not precluded from bringing a claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act raises key questions about the practical consequences of treating collegiate athletes as employees, such as Title IX equal pay claims and potential eligibility for all employment benefits, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Opinion

    A Fuzzy Label With Bite: FTC Must Define Surveillance Pricing

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission recently issued orders to eight companies — including Mastercard, McKinsey and Chase — seeking information on "surveillance pricing," but the order doesn't explain the term or make the distinction between legal and illegal practices, leaving any company that uses personalized pricing in the dark, says Chris Wlach at Huge.

  • Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools

    Author Photo

    A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.

  • A Look At UK, EU And US Cartel Enforcement Trends

    Author Photo

    The European Union, U.K. and U.S. competition agencies' recently issued joint statement on competition risks in generative artificial intelligence demonstrates increased cross-border collaboration on cartel investigations, meaning companies facing investigations in one jurisdiction should anticipate related investigations in other jurisdictions, say lawyers at Latham & Watkins.

  • A Preview Of AI Priorities Under The Next President

    Author Photo

    For the first time in a presidential election, both of the leading candidates and their parties have been vocal about artificial intelligence policy, offering clues on the future of regulation as AI continues to advance and congressional action continues to stall, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • DOJ Must Overcome Hurdles In RealPage Antitrust Case

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent claims that RealPage's pricing software violates the Sherman Act mark a creative, and apparently contradictory, shift in the agency's approach to algorithmic price-fixing that will face several key challenges, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

  • 11 Patent Cases To Watch At Fed. Circ. And High Court

    Author Photo

    As we head into fall, there are 11 patent cases to monitor, touching on a range of issues that could affect patent strategy, such as biotech innovation, administrative rulemaking and patent eligibility, say Edward Lanquist and Wesley Barbee at Baker Donelson.

  • EU Merger Control Concerns Remain After ECJ Illumina Ruling

    Author Photo

    The recent European Court of Justice judgment in Illumina-Grail is a welcome check on the commission's power to review low-threshold transactions, but with uncertainty persisting under existing laws and discretion left to national regulators, many pitfalls in European Union merger control remain, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • Why India May Become A Major Patent Litigation Forum

    Author Photo

    India is reinventing itself with the goal of becoming a global hot spot for patent litigation, with recent developments at the Delhi High Court creating incentives for plaintiffs to assert patent rights in India, say Ranganath Sudarshan at Covington and IP litigator Udit Sood.

  • Court Denial Of $335M UFC Deal Sets Bold Antitrust Precedent

    Author Photo

    A Nevada federal court’s recent refusal to accept a $335 million deal between Ultimate Fighting Championship and a group of former fighters to settle claims of anticompetitive conduct was a rare decision that risks the floodgates opening on established antitrust case law, says Mohit Pasricha at Lawrence Stephens.

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!