Competition

February 26, 2025
Merck, Glenmark Trim United Healthcare's Zetia Antitrust Suit

A Minnesota federal judge has trimmed a United Healthcare unit's antitrust suit claiming that Merck and Glenmark conspired to delay a generic version of the anti-cholesterol drug Zetia, throwing out non-Minnesota state-law claims he called a "bare and conclusory pleading."
February 26, 2025
Card Shuffler Maker Inks $73M Deal To Settle Antitrust Claims

Scientific Games Corp. has reached a $72.5 million agreement to settle its Illinois federal lawsuit with a would-be rival business that accused the company of monopolizing the automatic card shuffler market, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
February 26, 2025
Trump Orders Fed Agencies To Plan For Large Layoffs

The White House is telling federal agencies to submit plans for "large-scale" layoffs by mid-March, accusing them of siphoning funding for "unproductive and unnecessary programs" and "not producing results for the American public."
February 26, 2025
Frontier Airlines Rips Feds' DC Airport Slots Snub

Frontier Airlines Inc. has told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Department of Transportation unlawfully excluded it from competing for new slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan National Airport to operate long-distance flights, while carrier Spirit Airlines wants to have a say in the dispute.
February 26, 2025
Dewberry Ruling May Lead To More Defendants In TM Fights

Plaintiffs in trademark disputes likely will consider including multiple defendants in their complaints when it's unclear who holds the profits from the alleged infringement, according to intellectual property attorneys, after the U.S. Supreme Court remanded a case because nonparty affiliates of a defendant were ordered to pay an award that reached nearly $47 million.
February 26, 2025
COVID Plausible Cause For Tire Price Hikes, Judge Says

Consumers, dealerships and other tire purchasers will need more than claims of pretextual explanations for price hikes by Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin and other producers after an Ohio federal judge dismissed the "unsupported conclusion" that the pandemic doesn't explain their claims of consolidated price fixing.
February 26, 2025
No DQ For Norton Rose In Texas Competition Row, Court Says

Norton Rose Fulbright shouldn't be disqualified in a competitive spat between two industrial maintenance companies even though the firm has represented both entities in recent years, a state appeals court has ruled.
February 26, 2025
Top Dem Urges Trump To Leave Independent Agencies Alone

The top Democrat on the House Administration Committee urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to rescind his executive order seeking to assert more control over independent agencies, which the congressman says is an "unprecedented violation" of law.
February 26, 2025
DOJ Says RealPage Can't Ditch Antitrust Claims

The U.S. Department of Justice and a group of states are urging a North Carolina federal judge to reject a move by RealPage Inc. and a group of landlords to escape claims that use of the company's software paves the way for collusion on setting rental prices.
February 26, 2025
CVS Ordered To Comply With FTC's PBM Subpoena

A D.C. federal judge is ordering CVS to turn over new materials in the Federal Trade Commission's investigation into its pharmacy benefit manager Caremark Rx, saying that just because producing updated documents would cost the company more doesn't mean it faces an "undue burden."
February 26, 2025
Justices Vacate TM Award That Put Co.'s Affiliates On Hook

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday vacated an award that reached nearly $47 million in a trademark dispute that questioned whether affiliates of a real estate development company should be liable for the payment even though they were not defendants in the case.
February 25, 2025
DC Judge Blocks Trump's Federal Funding Freeze

A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from implementing a federal spending freeze while a group of nonprofits challenge the freeze, calling the measure "ill-conceived from the beginning."
February 25, 2025
Wage-Fixing Jury Should Hear Of DOJ Pivot, Exec Says

A nursing executive headed for trial next month on wage-fixing charges has urged a Nevada federal judge to let the jury hear that before 2016 the Justice Department didn't view such conduct as criminal, in the lone remaining test of the DOJ's labor antitrust enforcement initiative.
February 25, 2025
Apple Litigation Director Threatened With Sanctions At Hearing

A California federal judge presiding over a high-stakes evidentiary hearing into whether Apple has complied with her 2021 antitrust injunction threatened to sanction Apple's commercial litigation director Tuesday, telling counsel she has "significant concerns" about Apple's over-designation of attorney-client privilege, saying, "Your client is not entitled to have you engage in unethical conduct."
February 25, 2025
9th Circ. Won't Revive Consumers' Qualcomm Antitrust Suit

The Ninth Circuit Tuesday declined to revive cellphone buyers' antitrust suit against Qualcomm, backing a California district court's rejection of the consumers' claim that Qualcomm's policy of refusing to sell chips to cellular manufacturers that did not license its patents ran afoul of California antitrust law.
February 25, 2025
GoDaddy, Tech Co. Quietly Agree To Kill Antitrust Suit

The world's largest domain registrar, GoDaddy, has come to terms with the company behind an antitrust suit claiming that it blackballed the tech company from its platform, according to documents filed recently in Virginia federal court.
February 25, 2025
Meta Says 9th Circ. Shouldn't Touch Antitrust Cert. Denial

The Ninth Circuit should refuse to take up the appeal of a proposed class that was denied certification due to its novel theory that Meta Platforms Inc. would have been forced to pay users for the use of their data if it hadn't lied about how it was using it, the social media behemoth has told the court.
February 25, 2025
Petrochemical Cos. Want Judge Out Of Plastic Recycling Row

Petrochemical companies called on a Missouri federal judge to recuse himself from a proposed class action accusing them of misleading customers about the recyclability of plastic, saying his wife has a direct interest in the case as a Kansas City city council member.
February 25, 2025
FTC Probing $615M Healthcare Staffing Merger

Talent software and staffing company Aya Healthcare Inc.'s roughly $615 million bid to buy Cross Country Healthcare Inc. and take the staffing and recruitment company private hit a snag last week with a Federal Trade Commission merger probe that prevents the transaction from closing, for now.
February 25, 2025
Judge Lets RJ Reynolds, Altria Seal Docs From Juul Deal

A federal judge in North Carolina on Tuesday granted requests by tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. and rival Philip Morris' parent company to seal documents in their ongoing royalty dispute, keeping details of their licensing agreements with the vape brand JUUL confidential.
February 25, 2025
FTC Wins Discovery Spat In Amazon Prime Subscription Suit

A Washington federal judge won't force the Federal Trade Commission to share with Amazon discussions during past rulemaking about the scope of a federal law protecting online shoppers from deceptive billing, concluding for a second time that such information is irrelevant to whether the company's Prime subscription practices are illegal.
February 25, 2025
Insulet May Face Choice: $452M Award Or Stifling Rival

A Boston federal judge on Tuesday suggested that a medical device maker could have to choose between portions of its nine-figure trade secrets verdict it won against a rival or its request for a court order to permanently block sales of products based on the stolen technologies.
February 25, 2025
Agri Stats Can't Avoid Price-Fixing Deposition, DOJ Says

The U.S. Department of Justice is calling on Agri Stats' top executives to face deposition in the agency's price-fixing case, telling a Minnesota federal judge that the company's brass can't avoid questioning just because they were deposed in private suits years ago.
February 25, 2025
FTC Pick Concerned But Won't 'Prejudge' Censorship Claims

Kressin Meador Powers LLC partner Mark Meador walked a fine line during his confirmation hearing Tuesday when asked for his views on GOP claims of censorship on online platforms, expressing an "overarching concern" about content moderation practices while nevertheless asserting he'll keep an open mind on specific allegations if confirmed as the Federal Trade Commission's newest Republican member.
February 25, 2025
Referral Co. Barred From $5.54B Swipe Fee MDL Settlement

A New York federal judge has blocked a referral partner of a claims filing service from any role in the $5.54 billion settlement of long-running multidistrict litigation accusing Visa and Mastercard of charging improper merchant fees, after the referral partner allegedly improperly used class member information to submit claims.

Expert Analysis

Penn State Brand Case Leaves Ornamentality Unresolved

While the recent jury verdict in Penn State University v. Vintage Brand was a win for the college and brands, legal practitioners should expect plenty of litigation around unaddressed ornamentality issues of whether marks that are not yet incontestable can be canceled for being used solely in decorative, non-source-identifying ways, say attorneys at Debevoise.
Series

Illinois Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

While the last quarter of 2024 didn't bring any notable state financial legislation, Illinois banks did see developments in the challenge to the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, and received some awaited guidance on credit line disclosures and bank-fintech relationships, say attorneys at Dykema.
7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.
E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
Takeaways From DOJ, FTC End To Collaboration Guidelines

The Federal Trade Commission's and U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision to withdraw the guidelines for collaborations among competitors may reflect a desire for clearer parameters by emphasizing case law on specific ventures, but it also carries the potential to chill some future collaboration, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.
What To Expect In Higher Ed Enforcement Under Trump

Colleges and universities should prepare for shifting priorities, as President-elect Donald Trump is likely to focus less on antitrust cases and more on foreign relations policy, while congressional oversight of higher education continues to increase, say attorneys at Steptoe.
Series

NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

In 2024's final quarter, the New York State Department of Financial Services published guidance on mitigating the rising cybersecurity risks of artificial intelligence and remote technology workers with North Korean ties, and the state attorney general launched an antitrust investigation into Capital One's proposed Discover merger, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
Series

Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.
3 Factors Affecting Retail M&A Deals In 2025

Retailers considering mergers and acquisitions this year face an evolving antitrust environment, including a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump, revised merger guidelines and a precedent set last year by a canceled $8.5 billion handbag merger, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
FTC Picks Augur Pro-Business Bent For Much Of Economy

President-elect Donald Trump's choice of two top Federal Trade Commission officials suggests a business-friendly climate for a significant portion of the U.S. economy, with noteworthy exceptions of continued scrutiny of healthcare and Big Tech companies, excluding artificial intelligence, say attorneys at BCLP.
Top 10 Legal Issues This Year For Transportation Industry GCs

General counsel must carefully consider numerous legal and policy challenges facing the automotive and transportation industry in the year to come, especially while navigating new technologies, regulations and global markets, says Francesco Liberatore at Squire Patton.
Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.
What 2024's Noncompete Turmoil Means For Banks In 2025

A look back at the most significant legal challenges to the enforceability of various restrictive covenants like noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements in 2024 can help financial institutions address the use of these critical tools this year, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.
Searching For Insight On Requested Google Chrome Remedy

The potential for Google to divest its Chrome browser — a remedy requested by the Justice Department following a D.C. federal court’s finding the company is a monopolist — has drawn both criticism and endorsement, but legal precedent likely supports the former, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
Opinion

3 New Year's Resolutions For Antitrust Agencies To Consider

James Fredricks at Skadden rings in 2025 with his wish list for the federal antitrust agencies, starting with a provision for a presumptive safe harbor for information sharing.