Competition

  • August 14, 2024

    FTC Finalizes Rule To Crack Down On Fake Online Reviews

    The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday announced it has finalized a rule to thwart marketers from using false reviews and testimonials, cementing the agency's authority to seek civil penalties from knowing violators for a host of misconduct including the use of AI-generated fake reviews.

  • August 14, 2024

    Boeing Scraps Electric Jet Co.'s $72M Trade Secrets Trial Win

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday canceled a $72 million jury award against The Boeing Co. for misappropriating electric jet startup Zunum Aero Inc.'s trade secrets, finding Zunum offered "only vague and amorphous descriptions" of the trade secrets at trial.

  • August 14, 2024

    Nursing Co. Exec Can't Split Up Fraud, Wage-Fixing Charges

    A Nevada federal magistrate judge has struck two blows against a home healthcare staffing executive facing criminal charges of fixing nurses' wages and hiding that probe when selling the business for $12.5 million, as the judge refused to break up the allegations and recommended against dismissing the fraud counts.

  • August 14, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Says Fla. Judge 'Misread' Precedent In Elfbar Row

    The maker of the popular Elfbar vape will get another shot at upending a court-imposed order banning it from selling under the "Elf" mark, the Federal Circuit ruled Wednesday, saying the district judge who ordered the injunction "misread" precedent and relied on a "deficient" legal analysis.

  • August 14, 2024

    Streaming Cos. Ask FCC To Gauge Fixed Broadband Market

    Video streamers and other edge providers hope to make one thing clear as the Federal Communications Commission dissects competition in the high-speed internet space — the fixed broadband service market is still dominated by a few heavyweights and more should be done to assess how the addition of new competitors affects individual markets.

  • August 14, 2024

    EU OKs Siemens' $3.8B Sale Of Innomotics To PE Firm KPS

    European Union antitrust enforcers signed off Wednesday on German tech conglomerate Siemens AG's plan to sell its Innomotics large motors and drives unit to New York City-based private equity firm KPS Capital Partners, finding that the deal, with an enterprise value of €3.5 billion ($3.9 billion), poses "limited" overlap concerns.

  • August 14, 2024

    Baker Botts, Sumner Schick Seek $14.3M In Fees For IP Win

    Baker Botts LLP and Sumner Schick LLP are seeking nearly $14.3 million in attorney fees plus almost $1.8 million in costs for representing Computer Sciences Corp. in a trade secrets dispute where the IT company won $168.4 million after a Texas jury found Tata Consultancy Services willfully misappropriated CSC's proprietary information.

  • August 14, 2024

    Oil Equipment Co. Says Ex-Workers Took Patent-Pending Tech

    An oilfield equipment company has taken two of its former workers and the competitor they left for to Texas federal court over claims the ex-employees absconded with its patent-pending oil valve technology and then shared it and other trade secrets with their new employer.

  • August 13, 2024

    Anesthesia Co. Says FTC Lacks Authority To Bring 'Rollup' Suit

    U.S. Anesthesia Partners has told the Fifth Circuit the Federal Trade Commission lacks authority to bring its case directly in federal court without also filing an administrative case accusing the group of monopolizing the Texas anesthesiology market.

  • August 13, 2024

    Texas Judge Exits X's 'Boycott' Suit Against Ads Group, Unilever

    A Texas federal judge overseeing litigation filed by Elon Musk's X Corp. accusing the World Federation of Advertisers, Unilever and others of conspiring to withhold advertising revenue from the company recused himself from the case Tuesday, following news reports that he owns stock in Tesla, another Musk-owned company.

  • August 13, 2024

    Anadarko Settles Wyo. Landowners' Antitrust Case For $12M

    Occidental Petroleum Corp. unit Anadarko Petroleum Corp. will pay $12 million to resolve a federal class action from Wyoming landowners accusing the extraction company of anticompetitively hoarding permits to block and control local oil and gas development, resolving the suit Monday — very nearly on the courthouse steps.

  • August 13, 2024

    Google Says Search Ruling Irrelevant To Common Carrier Suit

    A recent ruling from a D.C. federal judge that declared Google a monopolist in the general search market has nothing to do with the Ohio attorney general's bid to designate the search engine as a common carrier, Google told an Ohio state court judge.

  • August 13, 2024

    Entresto Release Delayed As Novartis Goes To Fed. Circ.

    A Delaware federal judge said Monday that Novartis is unlikely to prove that it's entitled to an injunction that would block MSN Pharmaceuticals from launching a generic version of its top-selling drug Entresto, but stayed the generic release briefly so Novartis could appeal to the Federal Circuit.

  • August 13, 2024

    9th Circ. Reverses Order Sending Insulin Suit To State Court

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday sided with CVS Caremark and Express Scripts, ruling that a lower court erred in 2023 when it agreed to send California's allegations of inflated insulin prices back to state court.

  • August 13, 2024

    New Realtor Complaint Challenges NAR's Membership Rule

    The National Association of Realtors is facing a new proposed class action, this time from Michigan real estate brokers and agents challenging state and local requirements that they be members of local and national Realtor organizations to use the association's multiple listing services.

  • August 13, 2024

    DOD Says Missing License Is Needed To Dispute $1B Fuel Deal

    The Defense Logistics Agency has urged the Court of Federal Claims to toss a protest alleging a $1 billion African fuel supply deal requires a license that can only be secured through bribery, saying not already having the license dooms the protester's case.

  • August 13, 2024

    Kroger Blasts FTC's 'Head-To-Head' Competition Claims

    Kroger and Albertsons have assailed the Federal Trade Commission's challenge to their merger, telling an Oregon federal judge that there's no need to preliminarily block the deal because the agency is pushing a "never before applied" theory that reducing head-to-head competition is illegal, which the grocery stores said is undone by the law and the companies' planned divestiture of 579 stores.

  • August 13, 2024

    Ex-Pro Says $2B NCAA Deal Undercuts Collective Bargaining

    Former NBA player David West and his attorney have joined a growing chorus of opposition to the NCAA's more than $2 billion proposed name, image and likeness settlement with college athletes, arguing it circumvents collective bargaining.

  • August 13, 2024

    3D Printing Co. Investor Wants Merger With Israeli Co. Blocked

    An investor of 3D printing solutions company Desktop Metal Inc. is attempting to stop the company's proposed merger with Israeli manufacturing firm Nano Dimension Ltd., saying Desktop Metal's deficient proxy statement shows only benefits for the company's executives and directors.

  • August 13, 2024

    HP Inks Deal To End Claims Printer Update Locked Out Rivals

    HP Inc. and a certified class of consumers told a California magistrate judge Monday that they have reached a settlement in principle to resolve a class action alleging the printer maker illegally forced customers to purchase overpriced HP-branded ink and toner supply cartridges by making alternative products incompatible with their printers.

  • August 13, 2024

    Congress Didn't Want Utility-Style Internet Regs, 6th Circ. Told

    Internet service providers urged the Sixth Circuit to deep-six the Federal Communications Commission's recent decision to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service and impose net neutrality rules, saying Congress never intended that change even under the broadest reading of federal law.

  • August 13, 2024

    Flyers Denied Standing To Stop Alaska-Hawaiian Airlines Deal

    A Hawaii federal judge has tossed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Alaska Airlines' proposed merger with Hawaiian Airlines, saying a group of airline passengers and travel agents spearheading the lawsuit haven't alleged any concrete harm from the would-be merger.

  • August 13, 2024

    Ontario Athlete Fights NCAA Ban On Junior Hockey Players

    The NCAA conspires to control the youth hockey market by barring anyone who has played in professional hockey's top junior league from playing in college, junior player Rylan Masterson claims in a proposed class action against the NCAA and 10 major-college programs.

  • August 13, 2024

    Eateries Can't Stop $75M Settlements In Chicken Antitrust Suit

    An Illinois federal judge granted final approval Tuesday to $75 million in settlements between direct chicken purchasers and House of Raeford Farms and Koch Foods in a massive consolidated price-fixing case, denying an objection by restaurants, which he said could not second-guess class counsel's decisions after failing to opt out.

  • August 13, 2024

    Lenovo Gets Partial Victory In Patent Suit Information Fight

    A federal court has ordered technology company InterDigital to hand over certain records to Lenovo as part of a patent infringement suit, reasoning that the latter company met the pleading standards under North Carolina law.

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating Antitrust Considerations In ESG Collaborations

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    The intersection of ESG goals and antitrust laws presents a complex challenge for businesses and their counsel — but by creating clear frameworks for collaboration, adhering to established guidelines and carefully considering the competitive implications of their actions, companies can work toward sustainability while mitigating legal risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Considerations For Federal Right Of Publicity As AI Advances

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    Amid rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence technology, Congress should consider how a federal right of publicity would interact with the existing patchwork of state name, image and likeness laws, as well as other issues like scope, harm recognized and available relief, says Ross Bagley at Pryor Cashman.

  • FTC Focus: Private Equity Investments In Healthcare

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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