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Competition
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August 08, 2024
UK Launches Formal Probe Into Amazon's $4B AI Investment
Britain's antitrust authority launched a formal probe on Thursday into Amazon's $4 billion investment in Anthropic, a U.S. artificial intelligence startup, as it seeks to establish whether it could harm competition in U.K. markets.
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August 07, 2024
FTC, CFPB Turn Up Scrutiny On Solar Energy Sales Practices
The federal government on Wednesday stepped up efforts to police shady solar energy sales and financing practices, with the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies releasing consumer advisories and announcing a new partnership to better monitor the industry.
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August 07, 2024
Google 'May Not Be So Lucky' Next Time Over Chat Deletions
Google's stunning antitrust loss in D.C. federal court Monday dealt another blow against its policies of letting internal chats delete automatically, and it came with a callout of its practice of training employees to avoid competition law "buzzwords."
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August 07, 2024
Advocates Tell 9th Circ. To Revive Invisalign Monopoly Suit
Competition advocates are backing the revival of a class action accusing the makers of Invisalign of monopolizing the market for clear dental aligners, telling the Ninth Circuit in a new amicus brief that a district court summary judgment ruling for Align Technology creates a dangerous precedent for refusal-to-deal cases.
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August 07, 2024
Teva Finds Some Big-Pharma Friends In Inhaler Patent Fight
Two large pharmaceutical companies have weighed in to ask the Federal Circuit to overturn a ruling that found that Teva's branded drugmaking operation misused a key federal patent database in order to block the release of competing generic asthma inhalers.
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August 07, 2024
Pipe Co. Exec Says Criminal Antitrust Charges Unconstitutional
A former executive of an aluminum pipe company defending the Fourth Circuit's reversal of his bid-rigging conviction has told the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that all criminal antitrust prosecutions under Section 1 of the Sherman Act are unconstitutional, claiming they violate "fundamental constitutional principles" of nondelegation and objectivity.
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August 07, 2024
Judge Hints No-Show Amazon, Apple Plaintiff May Testify
A Washington federal judge suggested Wednesday that the original lead plaintiff in an antitrust suit accusing Amazon and Apple of restricting iPhone and iPad sales may need to testify despite his lawyers wanting to drop him from the case, questioning if it would be fair to let the plaintiff continue to dodge long overdue discovery demands.
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August 07, 2024
Amgen Waged Lawfare To Overcharge For Drug, Suit Claims
Maryland-based independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association claim pharmaceutical giant Amgen Inc. and its subsidiaries have engaged in unlawful monopolistic practices that have inflated the cost of the blockbuster drug Enbrel.
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August 07, 2024
Parts Co. Fights Bid To Pause Pratt & Whitney Antitrust Suit
A parts supplier accusing RTX Corp. subsidiary Pratt & Whitney of using illegal agreements to monopolize the aftermarket supply of their turboprop engine components asked a Pennsylvania federal court to keep discovery moving while considering the possible dismissal of the $450 million lawsuit.
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August 07, 2024
Dems Push For Scrutiny On Fox, ESPN, Warner Bros. JV
Three Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a proposed joint venture between Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney subsidiary ESPN that would create a new streaming service called Venu Sports, arguing the partnership would lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.
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August 07, 2024
6 Swipe Fee Plaintiffs 'Arbitrarily' Picked For 2025 Trial
Six retailers including department store giant Target will go to trial in 2025 on claims that Visa and Mastercard overcharged them, a Manhattan federal judge said Wednesday, explaining that he arbitrarily chose from among 60 plaintiffs in a long-running, multibillion-dollar antitrust battle.
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August 07, 2024
M&A Rebounds, But Success Hinges On Broader Economy
There was a promising uptick in mergers and acquisitions activity in the second quarter, but the rising uncertainty about the broader economy that fueled Monday's stock market free fall could cause some hesitancy among dealmakers.
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August 07, 2024
Delta Dental Can't Get Antitrust Standard Decided Early
An Illinois federal judge denied a bid from Delta Dental to have the court decide what legal standard should apply to claims that it violated antitrust law through a $13 billion scheme to restrict competition before ruling on a class certification motion.
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August 07, 2024
NCAA's Scholarship Cap Still Hurts Us, Athletes Say In Suit
Elimination of the NCAA's cap on scholarships for most of its sports by way of the $2.8 billion settlement of the class action over name, image and likeness compensation does not undo the damage to athletes forced to compete under the cap, a new proposed class action in Colorado federal court claims.
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August 07, 2024
FTC Asks Courts To Pause $8.5B Handbag Merger
The Federal Trade Commission has asked a New York federal court to pause the planned $8.5 billion merger between the owners of Coach and Michael Kors while the agency conducts an in-house merger challenge.
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August 07, 2024
Ohio AG Cites Search Ruling In Google Common Carrier Suit
Ohio's attorney general pointed a state court judge Wednesday to a recent D.C. federal court decision declaring Google an illegal search monopolist, arguing the U.S. Department of Justice's win underscores why the internet giant should be banned from self-preferential treatment as a "common carrier."
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August 07, 2024
Khan 'Impermissibly Conflicted' In Cyber Probe, MGM Says
MGM Resorts International fought Wednesday to keep alive its lawsuit accusing the Federal Trade Commission of wrongly refusing to recuse chair Lina Khan from an investigation into the company's data security practices, arguing that its case involves core constitutional issues that belong in the D.C. federal court.
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August 06, 2024
4 Takeaways From Landmark Google Search Ruling
A landmark ruling in D.C. federal court Monday found that Google illegally maintains its search engine monopoly, and experts say the case could have broad implications for the company as well as the wider internet and shows how existing antitrust laws can apply to modern technology.
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August 06, 2024
Feds Say Bid-Rigging Bros. Aren't Owed New Trial
Federal prosecutors moved Monday to block two brothers' bids for a new trial after they were convicted last month of involvement in a coastal Georgia concrete bid-rigging and price-fixing scheme, telling a judge a few offhand remarks from witnesses can't topple the mountain of evidence behind the guilty verdict.
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August 06, 2024
Military Part Supplier Says Competitors Stole Equipment, Info
A machining manufacturer that supplies parts for military aircraft said in a complaint filed in Michigan federal court on Monday that some of its former workers used their access to steal confidential information and equipment to start competing businesses.
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August 06, 2024
NC Hospital Gets New Shot At Emergency Dept. Plan Approval
A state appellate panel on Tuesday unraveled a decision overturning approval for a freestanding emergency department in rural North Carolina, ruling that an administrative law judge misapplied precedent when deciding whether a state agency's failure to hold a public hearing prejudiced the decision-making process.
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August 06, 2024
Dem Lawmakers Back FTC's Kroger-Albertsons Challenge
A group of Democratic lawmakers is supporting the Federal Trade Commission in its suit to block Kroger's $25 billion acquisition of Albertsons, telling an Oregon federal judge in a friend-of-the-court brief that the agency's fears the deal would harm grocery workers and consumers are well-founded.
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August 06, 2024
Feds Seek $3.5M Premerger Penalty From Sporting Events Biz
Federal prosecutors have struck a deal requiring sports and entertainment event company Legends Hospitality to pay a $3.5 million penalty to settle allegations that it illegally conducted business with acquisition target ASM Global Inc. before finalizing the deal.
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August 06, 2024
Miss. Casino Says License Dispute Belongs In State Court
A lawsuit challenging the gambling license awarded to the Cherokee Nation's entertainment business should be sent back to state court where it was originally filed, a Mississippi casino operator told an Arkansas federal judge Monday.
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August 06, 2024
Elon Musk's X Sues CVS, Mars, Ads Group Claiming 'Boycott'
Elon Musk's X Corp. sued the World Federation of Advertisers, Unilever, Mars Inc., CVS Health and Ørsted in Texas federal court Tuesday, inspired by a House Judiciary Committee Republican staffer report decrying efforts to avoid advertising next to hate speech and other "disfavored" content as an anticompetitive group boycott.
Expert Analysis
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The Effects Of New 10-Year Limitation On Key Sanctions Laws
Recently enacted emergency appropriations legislation, doubling the statute of limitations for civil and criminal economic sanctions violations, has significant implications for internal records retention, corporate transaction due diligence and government investigations, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.
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Opinion
DOJ Messaging App Warnings Undermine Trust In Counsel
The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's increasingly ominous warnings to defense and in-house counsel about the consequences of not preserving ephemeral messaging and messages sent using collaboration tools could erode confidence and cooperation, says Mark Rosman at Proskauer.
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
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FTC Noncompete Rule Risks A Wave Of State AG Actions
The Federal Trade Commission's final rule language banning noncompetes may contribute to a waterfall enforcement effect in which state attorneys general deploy their broad authority to treat noncompetes as separate and independent violations, say Ryan Strasser and Carson Cox at Troutman Pepper.
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Patent Lessons From 4 Federal Circuit Reversals In April
Four Federal Circuit decisions in April that reversed or vacated underlying rulings provide a number of takeaways, including that obviousness analysis requires a flexible approach, that an invalidity issue of an expired patent can be moot, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.
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A Comparison Of FDIC, OCC Proposed Merger Approaches
Max Bonici and Connor Webb at Venable take a closer look at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's respective bank merger proposals and highlight certain common themes and important differences, in light of regulators continually rethinking their approaches to bank mergers.
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Series
Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.
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Behind Court Challenges To The FTC's Final Noncompete Rule
The Federal Trade Commission's recent final rule banning noncompetes may not go into effect any time soon amid a couple of Texas federal court challenges seeking to bar the rule's implementation, which will likely see appeals all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, says Michael Elkins at MLE Law.
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Tips For Keeping Trade Secrets In The Vault
Key practices aimed at maintaining confidentiality can help companies establish trade secret status as the Federal Trade Commission's ban on noncompetes makes it prudent to explore other security measures, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Saying What Needs To Be Said
Edward Arnold and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth Shaw examine three recent decisions that delve into the meaning and effect of contractual releases, and demonstrate the importance of ensuring that releases, as written, do what the parties intend.
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Tiny Tweaks To Bank Merger Forms May Have Big Impact
The impact of proposed changes to the Federal Reserve Board's and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s bank merger review forms would be significant, resulting in hundreds of additional burden hours for bank merger applicants and signaling a further shift by the prudential bank regulators toward more rigorous scrutiny of mergers, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Lessons On Challenging Class Plaintiffs' Expert Testimony
In class actions seeking damages, plaintiffs are increasingly using expert opinions to establish predominance, but several recent rulings from California federal courts shed light on how defendants can respond, say Jennifer Romano and Raija Horstman at Crowell & Moring.
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Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.
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FTC Noncompete Rule's Impact On Healthcare Nonprofits
Healthcare entities that are nonprofit or tax-exempt and thus outside of the pending Federal Trade Commission noncompete rule's reach should evaluate a number of potential risk factors and impacts, starting by assessing their own status, say Ben Shook and Tania Archer at Moore & Van Allen.
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Series
Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.