Competition

  • June 12, 2024

    Tillis Told Drug Patents Are Too Complex For Easy Answers

    When and how generic drugs enter the marketplace varies widely among different drugs and isn't necessarily related to how many patents are covering those drugs, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said Wednesday in a report requested by a top member of the U.S. Senate's Intellectual Property Subcommittee.

  • June 12, 2024

    NFL Exec Denies League Fixed Sunday Ticket Price At Trial

    One of the NFL's top executives denied on the witness stand Wednesday in a California federal courtroom that the league dictated the cost of the DirecTV Sunday Ticket package, pushing back when an attorney for subscribers bringing multibillion-dollar antitrust claims suggested some internal emails are evidence the league fixed the price.

  • June 12, 2024

    Texas Judge 'Exasperated' By Parties In Skiplagged Suit

    An "exasperated" Texas federal judge on Wednesday ordered American Airlines and airfare search engine Skiplagged Inc. into mediation after the parties ran into their sixth discovery dispute in litigation around Skiplagged's alleged unauthorized ticket sales, saying the court didn't want to referee "countless discovery disputes used as litigation tactics."

  • June 12, 2024

    Axos Bank Can't Arbitrate 'Bait & Switch' Suit, Customers Say

    Customers suing Axos urged a federal judge not to let the bank arbitrate their claims in a consolidated dispute over how it handled interest rates on savings deposit accounts offered through online banking division UFB Direct, arguing that the court, not an arbitrator, must decide arbitrability.

  • June 12, 2024

    FTC Tells DC Circ. It Can Modify $5B Meta Privacy Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission told the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday that it has the authority to reopen its in-house proceedings in order to revise a $5 billion privacy settlement with Meta Platforms, saying the courts do not have oversight of the agency's administrative order.

  • June 12, 2024

    Trade Group Wants Out Of Mattress Conspiracy Suit

    A trade association for mattress manufacturers has asked a Utah federal court to dismiss it from an antitrust suit alleging the spread of false information from an importer that has landed back in the Utah court from a trip to the Tenth Circuit.

  • June 12, 2024

    FTC's Amazon Prime Trial Moved To June 2025 Amid Doc Fight

    A Washington federal judge agreed Wednesday to push back to June 2025 a high-stakes bench trial over the Federal Trade Commission's claims Amazon.com Inc. tricks consumers into enrolling in its Prime service, delaying the trial by months after the FTC accused Amazon of delaying discovery production.

  • June 12, 2024

    League's Antitrust Case Against US Soccer, MLS Survives

    Major League Soccer and the sport's U.S. governing body must face allegations that they colluded to impose standards in a lopsided manner in order to hamper the North American Soccer League, after a New York federal judge refused to toss the claim.

  • June 12, 2024

    Texas Anesthesia Co. Appealing To Duck FTC Suit To 5th Circ.

    U.S. Anesthesia Partners Inc. gave notice Wednesday that it will ask the Fifth Circuit to review a Texas federal judge's mid-May decision refusing to toss Federal Trade Commission allegations of a monopolistic "roll-up" of Lone Star State anesthesia practices.

  • June 12, 2024

    GOP, Dems Fight Over Climate Investment 'Collusion'

    House Judiciary Democrats and Republicans traded barbs and competing staff reports Wednesday over investment industry initiatives to combat climate change that the GOP called a "climate cartel" and their partisan rivals said is simply responsible, and voluntary, investing.

  • June 12, 2024

    Lipitor Buyers Get Final OK For $93M Deal In Antitrust Fight

    A New Jersey federal judge gave final approval Wednesday to a $93 million settlement between a class of buyers of Lipitor and Pfizer, resolving their claims in sprawling antitrust litigation that Pfizer conspired with a drug manufacturer to delay the release of a cheaper generic version of Lipitor and monopolize the market.

  • June 12, 2024

    32 AGs Urge Justices Take Up Okla. PBM Law Fight

    Thirty-two attorneys general urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Oklahoma's petition for review of a Tenth Circuit decision holding that federal law preempted portions of a state law regulating pharmacy benefit managers, arguing the justices needed to intervene to resolve a circuit split.

  • June 12, 2024

    FTC Asks 4th Circ. To Pause Novant Hospital Purchase

    The Federal Trade Commission has asked the Fourth Circuit to pause Novant Health's purchase of a North Carolina hospital while enforcers appeal an order from the lower court that refused to put the deal on hold for the commission's in-house merger challenge.

  • June 12, 2024

    Sen. Dems Seek Criminal Penalties For PE Hospital 'Looters'

    A pair of Democratic senators are targeting private equity's role in the healthcare industry, introducing new legislation Tuesday that would give federal and state enforcers new tools to go after firms they say are "looting" hospital systems and other providers, including possibly jailing executives if patient deaths result.

  • June 12, 2024

    Matador Paying $1.9B For EnCap Delaware Basin Assets

    Dallas-based Matador Resources Co. said Wednesday it has agreed to pay just over $1.9 billion for a subsidiary of the EnCap Investments portfolio company Ameredev II Parent, taking control of oil and natural gas producing properties across the Delaware Basin.

  • June 12, 2024

    4 Firms Steer $3.7B Canadian Banking Merger

    Four firms are serving as the key legal advisers on a newly inked agreement for National Bank of Canada to purchase Canadian Western Bank, or CWB, in a deal that values the latter institution at approximately CA$5 billion ($3.7 billion) and sent its stock soaring more than 70% Wednesday. 

  • June 11, 2024

    Musk Drops Suit Against OpenAI On Eve Of Dismissal Hearing

    Elon Musk on Tuesday voluntarily dismissed his suit accusing former business partner and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of betraying his promises to run the artificial intelligence operation as a nonprofit, a move that comes the day before a hearing was set on OpenAI's dismissal bid.

  • June 11, 2024

    NFL Sunday Ticket Monopoly Cost Fans $7B, Expert Testifies

    An economist testifying as an expert for the plaintiffs in a California federal trial over multibillion-dollar antitrust claims brought against the NFL by DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscribers said Tuesday that subscribers suffered over $7 billion in damages from DirecTV's alleged monopoly on the television package.

  • June 11, 2024

    Berkshire Unit Wants $20M Antitrust Loss Tossed Or New Trial

    A Berkshire Hathaway-owned construction supplier asked a Colorado federal judge Monday to reverse its $20 million jury trial loss to a smaller rival in the insulation material business, arguing that the damages are untethered to the alleged conduct, especially under a Tenth Circuit decision reviving the antitrust lawsuit.

  • June 11, 2024

    Listing Co. Urges Court To Ignore DOJ's Broker Deal Issues

    A multiple listing service that has struck a $3 million settlement over broker commission rules told a Massachusetts federal court the changes proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice go far beyond what's required and would create an antitrust problem in the real estate industry.

  • June 11, 2024

    Granulated Sugar Price-Fixing Cases Centralized In Minn.

    A collection of price-fixing suits against some of the country's biggest refined sugar manufacturers is being consolidated in Minnesota federal court, with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation choosing the venue over federal courts in New York.

  • June 11, 2024

    4 More States Join DOJ's Antitrust Suit Against Apple

    The attorneys general of Washington, Massachusetts, Nevada and Indiana on Tuesday became the latest to join the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit in New Jersey federal court claiming Apple is monopolizing the smartphone market.

  • June 11, 2024

    PC Gaming Giant Valve Faces £656M Action For Overcharging

    Valve Corp., owner of the world's largest video game distribution platform, Steam, has been hit with a proposed £656 million ($836 million) class action for allegedly overcharging 14 million PC gamers in the U.K., the digital rights campaigner filing the claim announced Wednesday.

  • June 11, 2024

    Biz Groups Urge 6th Circ. To Put Net Neutrality On Hold

    Industry groups want the Sixth Circuit to put the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules on hold while they are litigated and to reject an FCC bid to move numerous consolidated challenges to the D.C. Circuit.

  • June 11, 2024

    Deutsche Telekom Owed €1.8M In EU Fine Overcharge Interest

    The European Union's executive branch is on the hook to Deutsche Telekom for €1.75 million in interest for an antitrust fine overcharge after the bloc's high court on Tuesday rejected an appeal contesting lower court findings that there is an "absolute, unconditional obligation" to pay that interest.

Expert Analysis

  • EU Inquiry Offers First Insight Into Foreign Subsidy Law

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    The European Commission's first in-depth investigation under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation into a public procurement process, and subsequent brief on regulatory trends, sheds light on the commission's approach to such cases, as well as jurisdictional, procedural and substantive issues under the regulation, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • Opinion

    PACCAR Should Be 1st Step To Regulating Litigation Funders

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    Rather than reversing the U.K. Supreme Court's well-reasoned judgment in PACCAR v. Competition Appeal Tribunal, imposing a regulatory regime on litigation funders in parity with that of lawyers, legislators should build upon it to create a more transparent, competitive and fairer funding industry, says Rosa Curling at Foxglove.

  • What The NIL Negotiation Rules Injunction Means For NCAA

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    A Tennessee federal court's recent preliminary injunction reverses several prominent and well-established NCAA rules on negotiations with student-athletes over name, image and likeness compensation and shows that collegiate athletics is a profoundly unsettled legal environment, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Md. May See Vigorous Resale Price Maintenance Enforcement

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    In Maryland, indications of a new focus on resale price maintenance agreements are significant because state prosecution in this area has been rare, particularly outside California, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What 2 Years Of Ukraine-Russia Conflict Can Teach Cos.

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    A few key legal lessons for the global business community since Russia's invasion of Ukraine could help protect global commerce in times of future conflict, including how to respond to disparate trade restrictions and sanctions, navigate war-related contract disputes, and protect against heightened cybersecurity risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Antitrust Enforcers' Views On Info Exchanges Are Evolving

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    As antitrust enforcers' views on information exchanges between competing companies have matured in response to technological advances, companies would do well to reconsider whether the exchanges in which they participate meet the most recent compliance benchmarks, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks

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    Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.

  • The Epic Antitrust Cases And Challenges Of Injunctive Relief

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    The Epic cases against Apple and Google offer a window into the courts' considerable challenges in Big Tech litigation and establishing injunctive relief that enhances competition and benefits consumers, say Kelly Lear Nordby and Jon Tomlin at Ankura Consulting.

  • Decline In Same-Industry M&A Tells A Nuanced Policy Story

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    In light of newly available Hart-Scott-Rodino Act data suggesting that intraindustry mergers are down overall and pharmaceutical and hospital intraindustry transactions tend to face greater antitrust scrutiny than in the past, attorneys at Morgan Lewis explore whether Biden administration enforcement policies may be curbing pro-competitive strategic M&A.

  • Behind The 'CVR Spin' Method Of Unlocking Assets In M&A

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    The spinoff of contingent value rights, or the CVR spin, can unlock secondary and noncore assets in public mergers and acquisitions, while resolving the market dislocation of some traditional divestitures, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Opinion

    European Union Criticisms Of The FCPA Are Misguided

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    Some in the European Union have criticized U.S. enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for what they perceive as jurisdictional overreach, but this appears to overlook the crucial fact that jurisdiction is voluntary, and critics should focus instead on the lack of equivalent laws in their own region, say John Joy and YuTong Wang at FTI Law.

  • 5 Models For Structuring Health Provider-Payor Partnerships

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    With recent data showing that the U.S. continues to spend more and get less for healthcare services compared to other industrialized nations, providers and payors should consider a variety of partnership structures that can help achieve the so-called triple aim of improving the health of individuals and populations while reducing per capita costs, says John Howard at Thompson Coburn.

  • Litigation Inspiration: A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment

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    As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.

  • Understanding Insurance Is Key To Limiting Antitrust Liability

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    As regulators signal their intent to continue last year's aggressive campaign of corporate antitrust litigation, businesses must make active management of their liability insurance policies, along with a firm knowledge of the limits of their coverage, central to their strategies for limiting the enormous financial risks of enforcement, say attorneys at Nossaman.

  • What FTC's 'Killer Acquisition' Theory Means For Pharma Cos.

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent lawsuit to block Sanofi's acquisition of a pharmaceutical treatment developed by Maze Therapeutics builds on previous enforcement actions and could indicate the agency's growing willingness to use its so-called killer acquisition theory against perceived attempts to eliminate nascent competition, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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