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Competition
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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August 13, 2024
FTC Says Fix In Epic's Google Case Should Spur Competition
The Federal Trade Commission has told a California federal court that it has the power to impose a wide range of remedies after a jury found that Google violated antitrust law through its app store policies and urged the court to reject Google's concerns about the proposed changes.
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August 13, 2024
FTC Makes 2nd Request In Review Of Medical Device Co. Deal
Medical device company Surmodics Inc. disclosed Monday that federal regulators are taking a closer look at its agreement to be acquired by private equity giant GTCR in a $627 million deal.
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August 13, 2024
BCLP Adds EX-FTC Attorney To Antitrust Team In DC
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP said Tuesday that a senior attorney at the Federal Trade Commission had joined its Washington office as a partner in its antitrust and competition practice.
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August 13, 2024
Rival Building Suppliers Net $3M Deal To End Competition Tiff
A New York building supplier will pay its California rival $3 million to resolve allegations that it poached employees in North Carolina and stole trade secrets to unfairly compete in the region, according to settlement documents provided to Law360.
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August 13, 2024
1st Sub-Class CPO Gives Funders Chance To Hedge Bets
A recent decision by the U.K. antitrust tribunal makes it possible for litigation-funders to hedge their bets on complex competition disputes with rival sub-classes of claimants by allowing a truck-cartel claim to proceed after it tackled concerns about conflicts of interest by reshaping the financing arrangements that back the case.
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August 12, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Rethink Upending Sutter Health Antitrust Win
The Ninth Circuit refused Monday to reconsider a panel's split decision overturning Sutter Health's defeat of insurance plan purchasers' $400 million antitrust suit, summarily rejecting hospital system arguments that the court wrongly put in play corporate "purpose" and decades-old communications.
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August 12, 2024
Female Athletes Say $2.8B NCAA Deal 'Vastly Favors' Men
A group of female athletes objected to a more than $2 billion proposed class settlement with the NCAA over use of their name, image and likeness, arguing the deal "vastly favors" male athletes and perpetuates an existing gender pay gap.
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August 12, 2024
Lululemon Gets PTAB To Review Nike Flyknit Patent
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board will evaluate whether all claims of a Nike patent covering its Flyknit line of sneakers are invalid, in a challenge brought by Lululemon.
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August 12, 2024
DOJ Says Live Nation NY Suit 'Far Beyond' DC Merger Deal
The U.S. Department of Justice has urged a New York federal judge not to transfer its antitrust suit against Live Nation, arguing its allegations go well beyond the 2010 deal clearing the purchase of Ticketmaster, a deal Live Nation says warrants sending the case to Washington, D.C.
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August 12, 2024
Gamers Freed From Arbitration Take On Valve's 30% Cut
Valve, the operator of the dominant PC game marketplace Steam, is facing a new proposed class action accusing the company of monopolizing the gaming market to artificially inflate prices, this time from a group of plaintiffs who say they have overcome the company's arbitration agreements.
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August 12, 2024
Tougher 'Spectrum Screen' Would Spur Competition, FCC Told
To make room for at least a fourth competitor in the wireless industry, advocacy groups want the Federal Communications Commission to further tighten limits on the holdings of the three biggest holders of commercial spectrum.
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August 12, 2024
States Want Teva Generic Price Fixing Case Tried 1st
A coalition of state attorneys general suing a slew of generic drugmakers are asking for a Connecticut federal court to proceed with one of the two cases before the other, saying the outcome in that case will have a "significant impact" on settlement talks with other pharmaceutical company plaintiffs.
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August 12, 2024
The Biggest Telecom Developments Of 2024: Midyear Report
The first half of 2024 saw sweeping change in the telecom sphere as the Federal Communications Commission's Democratic majority pushed through controversial net neutrality rules and confronted challenges on artificial intelligence, national security and more, but also faces the prospect of new headwinds as the nation's top court pared back powers of federal agencies.
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August 12, 2024
Conn. Toothbrush Co. Says Rival In Poland Copied Design
The manufacturer of the Autobrush automatic toothbrush said they have nothing to smile about regarding a Polish company's similar U-shaped toothbrush, claiming in Connecticut federal court that its patents have been infringed.
Expert Analysis
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Key FCC Enforcement Issues In AT&T Location Data Appeal
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.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
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.
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What TikTok's Race Against The Clock Teaches Chinese Firms
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.
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Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs
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.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
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.
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Live Nation May Shake It Off In A Long Game With The DOJ
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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NCAA Settlement May End The NIL Model As We Know It
The recent House v. NCAA settlement in California federal court, in which the NCAA agreed to allow schools to directly pay March Madness television revenue to their athletes, may send outside name, image and likeness collectives in-house, says Mike Ingersoll at Womble Bond.
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Opinion
The FTC And DOJ Should Backtrack On RealPage
The antitrust agencies ought to reverse course on their enforcement actions against RealPage, which are based on a faulty legal premise, risk further property shortages and threaten the use of algorithms that are central to the U.S. economy, says Thomas Stratmann at George Mason University.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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Exploring Alternatives To Noncompetes Ahead Of FTC Ban
Ahead of the Sept. 4 effective date for the Federal Trade Commission's noncompete ban, employers should seek new ways to protect their proprietary and other sensitive information, including by revising existing confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, says Harvey Linder at Culhane.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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A Look At M&A Conditions After FTC's Exxon-Pioneer Nod
The Federal Trade Commission's recent consent decree imposing several conditions on Exxon Mobil's acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources helps illustrate key points about the current merger enforcement environment, including the probability of further investigations in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors, say Ryan Quillian and John Kendrick at Covington.
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Attys Beware 2 Commonly Overlooked NIL Contract Issues
As name, image and likeness deals dominate high school and collegiate sports, preserving a client's NCAA eligibility should be a top priority, so lawyers should understand the potentially damaging contract provisions they may encounter when reviewing an agreement, says Paula Nagarajan at Arnall Golden.