Competition

  • June 14, 2024

    9th Circ. Balks At Gas Buyers' Price-Fix Fight Over Trump Pact

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Friday of efforts to revive a proposed antitrust class action alleging that Chevron, Exxon Mobil and others fixed gasoline prices following the Trump administration's 2020 oil production deal with Russia and Saudi Arabia, with each judge doubting that federal courts have jurisdiction over the dispute.

  • June 14, 2024

    3rd Circ. Won't Halt 'Made In America' False Ad Ruling

    The Third Circuit will not pause an injunction against Albion Engineering Co. for falsely marketing its caulking guns as made in the United States, according to a Friday order declining to hold off the New Jersey federal court's order while the firm appeals.

  • June 14, 2024

    Novant Urges 4th Circ. To Reject FTC's 'Emergency' Bid

    Novant Health told the Fourth Circuit there is no need to block its planned North Carolina hospital purchase while the Federal Trade Commission pushes a merger challenge, saying the deal will increase competition by preventing the hospitals from closing.

  • June 14, 2024

    Off The Bench: Ex-Players Claim NIL, Loss For Trans Swimmer

    In this week's Off The Bench, the 1983 men's college basketball champions want a piece of the loot the NCAA made off of their names, swimmer Lia Thomas loses in her bid to overturn an international trans athlete ban, and the House gets a bill through committee that would keep college athletes from becoming employees.

  • June 14, 2024

    Study Bulk ISP Billing, But Don't Pass Rules Yet, FCC Urged

    A cable industry group is trying to dissuade the Federal Communications Commission from crafting new rules to clamp down on bulk billing practices for broadband services in apartment buildings.

  • June 14, 2024

    Burford Bound To Sysco And Pilgrim's Unsigned Chicken Deal

    An Illinois federal judge on Friday rejected a Burford subsidiary's bid to block a global protein price-fixing settlement that Pilgrim's Pride and Sysco memorialized through email but never signed on paper, saying it's clear the parties reached a material agreement.

  • June 14, 2024

    Update On Ex-George Mason Prof's Suits Over Sex Allegations

    After two women came forward last August accusing former BigLaw partner, FTC commissioner and George Mason University law professor Joshua D. Wright of sexual improprieties with students and direct reports, a number of additional accusations and lawsuits followed. Here are updates on the litigation and everything else surrounding the allegations.

  • June 14, 2024

    Japan's Kirin Plans $1.4B Fancl Purchase Amid Health Kick

    Kirin Holdings Co. said Friday that it plans to buy the remaining shares it doesn't own in Fancl Corp. for about $1.4 billion, part of the Japanese beverage giant's continued push into the consumer health sector.

  • June 14, 2024

    DOJ's Google Ad Tech Suit Bound For Sept. Trial

    A Virginia federal judge said Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit accusing Google of monopolizing technology used to place ads on third-party websites will go to trial, finding too many factual disputes to let the search giant nix the case.

  • June 14, 2024

    UK Opens Probe Into Barratt's £2.5B Redrow Acquisition

    Britain's antitrust regulator has launched a formal probe into whether Barratt Developments PLC's £2.5 billion ($3.1 billion) all-share deal for rival homebuilder Redrow PLC could harm competition in U.K. markets, according to a statement published Friday on the London Stock Exchange.

  • June 13, 2024

    Visa, Mastercard Fee Deal Not 'Likely' To Get Court Approval

    A New York federal judge said at a hearing Thursday that she will "likely not approve" Mastercard and Visa's proposed settlement in long-running litigation over merchant transaction fees, according to the case docket.

  • June 13, 2024

    Apple Fights To Ax 'Speculative' IPhone App Antitrust Suit

    Apple urged a California federal judge Thursday to toss a proposed antitrust class action alleging the company illegally prevents iPhones from running web-based apps that don't need to be downloaded, arguing consumers don't have standing to bring the "speculative" litigation since they're not directly injured by Apple's agreements with developers.

  • June 13, 2024

    DirecTV's 'NFL Tax' Gouged Sunday Ticket Buyers, Jury Told

    DirecTV gouged its Sunday Ticket subscribers by charging 24.6% above the "optimal price" it should have charged if the company was looking to maximize its profits instead of instituting an "NFL tax," an economist told a California federal jury considering multibillion-dollar antitrust claims against the league on Thursday.

  • June 13, 2024

    Canadian Businessman Cops To Stealing Tesla Trade Secrets

    A Canadian businessman residing in China pled guilty in New York federal court to scheming to sell secret battery manufacturing technology that belongs to Tesla, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

  • June 13, 2024

    FTC's Ferguson Says He's A Law Enforcer, Not A Policymaker

    Recently minted Federal Trade Commissioner Andrew Ferguson said Thursday that he views his new role as a law enforcer and not a policymaker and said the biggest issue for antitrust law right now is dealing with Big Tech.

  • June 13, 2024

    2nd Circ. Case Over NY Broadband Law Could Wrap Up

    An agreement could soon be reached between internet providers and the New York attorney general's office that would avoid the need for further Second Circuit review of New York's controversial low-cost broadband law, court records show.

  • June 13, 2024

    Apple Wants Discovery Hearing Closed In IPhone Class Action

    Apple is asking a California federal judge to close the courtroom during an upcoming discovery hearing in the ongoing antitrust class action it's facing from consumers, arguing that the proceeding is likely to reveal consumer data and billing information that should be kept out of public view.

  • June 13, 2024

    Judge OKs RBS, Lloyds Bank and Others' $1.9M Libor Deal

    A New York federal judge has granted preliminary approval to a $1.9 million deal between lender plaintiffs and several large banks, including the Royal Banks of Scotland, Lloyds, and others, over their alleged role in manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate.

  • June 13, 2024

    Teva Wins Pause Of Order Ousting Patents From Orange Book

    A New Jersey federal judge ordered on Thursday a 30-day stay of his Monday ruling that a handful of patents covering Teva-brand asthma inhalers were improperly listed in the federal Orange Book, saying he wanted the matter to reach the Federal Circuit in the most orderly way possible.

  • June 13, 2024

    CVS Dodges Discovery Audit In Generic Drug Collusion Suit

    A federal judge declined to make CVS hire a forensic auditor to evaluate its compliance with information demands in a lawsuit alleging it colluded with drugmakers to keep Medicare beneficiaries from accessing certain generic drugs, despite a whistleblower bemoaning "woefully deficient" discovery on the pharmacy chain's part.

  • June 13, 2024

    Verizon Opposes AT&T's FirstNet As 4.9 GHz Band Manager

    Verizon is done letting proxies speak for it in the war of words over a plan to make AT&T's FirstNet the national manager of the 4.9 gigahertz public safety band, telling the Federal Communications Commission in a new filing that the idea would disrupt the public safety spectrum marketplace.

  • June 13, 2024

    Blackstone's $10B AIR Buy Gets Nod From Top 2 Proxy Firms

    Denver-based Apartment Income REIT Corp.'s shareholders have recommendations from the two leading proxy advisory firms to approve an agreement to sell off the real estate investment trust to private equity giant Blackstone for $10 billion, the company announced June 13. 

  • June 13, 2024

    EU Makes First Ever Formal Pharma Price-Fixing Complaint

    European Union antitrust authorities issued their first ever price-fixing complaint in the pharmaceutical industry Thursday, going after the only company that did not agree to a €13.4 million ($14.4 million) settlement in October.

  • June 13, 2024

    IBM Resets Antitrust Review Clock For $6.4B HashiCorp Buy

    IBM has refiled the notice of its proposed $6.4 billion purchase of HashiCorp to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, resetting the 30-day review clock for enforcers to review the deal, according to a HashiCorp proxy statement filed Thursday.

  • June 13, 2024

    UK Digital Markets Law Will Spur Group Consumer Litigation

    Hastily passed legislation that equipped the competition regulator with the clout to punish companies for breaches of consumer protection will probably spur litigation, lawyers say, although claims will be limited for now after the proposal to extend the class action scheme was abandoned.

Expert Analysis

  • Tips For Healthcare M&A Amid Heightened Antitrust Scrutiny

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    As the Biden administration maintains its aggressive approach to antitrust merger enforcement, prudent healthcare M&A counsel will consider practical advice when contemplating their next transaction, including carefully selecting a merger partner and preparing for a potentially long waiting period prior to closing, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: March Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from consumer fraud to employment — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including coercive communications with putative class members and Article III standing at the class certification stage.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • 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.

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