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Competition

  • June 27, 2025

    Feds Use Fortress-Backed NPE Suit To Encourage Injunctions

    The federal government acted in line with the administration's strong pro-patent owner policies when, seemingly out of nowhere, it stepped into a little-known Texas patent case and promoted injunctions for nonpracticing entities, attorneys say. But there are suggestions that it may not be so random, as the patent owner may have ties to the nominee for U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director.

  • June 27, 2025

    Judge Waits On Fortune's Bid To Join Assa Abloy Fight

    A D.C. federal judge left open the question of whether Fortune Brands Home & Security can intervene to enforce Assa Abloy's 2023 settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday, as the DOJ seeks to keep a supply agreement between the two companies in place.

  • June 27, 2025

    Puerto Rico Soccer League Slims Down FIFA Antitrust Lawsuit

    A now-defunct Puerto Rican soccer league on Thursday filed a fourth amended complaint in its suit against FIFA, eliminating previously dismissed claims under the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act, as well as claims that had been put forward by an attorney disqualified from the antitrust case.

  • June 27, 2025

    Greystar, Landlords Push To Toss DOJ's RealPage Suit

    Greystar Management Services LLC and several other landlords urged a North Carolina federal court to toss a rent price-fixing suit lodged by the federal government and multiple states, arguing in part that they have failed to provide specifics for their antitrust claims.

  • June 27, 2025

    NJ Judge Denies Investment Fund's Bid For Nonparty Docs

    A New Jersey federal judge has rejected a Black-owned investment fund's bid to obtain personal emails and other documents related to the relationship between an asset management firm's principals and the ex-director of the Garden State's investment division, ruling the fund failed to show the need for the documents and that the request is overly burdensome.

  • June 27, 2025

    UK Tribunal Says Visa, Mastercard Fees Infringe Antitrust Law

    A U.K. tribunal issued a judgment Friday siding with merchants seeking damages from Visa and Mastercard for claims they were charged excessively high transaction fees, finding the interchange fees merchants pay to banks violate competition law.

  • June 27, 2025

    Compass Wants 'Zillow Ban' Halted For Antitrust Case

    Compass asked a New York federal court Friday to stop Zillow from enforcing a new policy the real estate brokerage claims is designed to block competition, saying the threat of Zillow's rules is already causing harm and confusion.

  • June 27, 2025

    Recently Retired US District Judge Joins JAMS In Los Angeles

    Alternative dispute resolution service JAMS continues expanding its roster, announcing Thursday it has added a former California federal judge as one of its neutrals.

  • June 27, 2025

    Off The Bench: Tatis Says Loan 'Predatory,' Tennis Player Suit

    In this week's Off The Bench, a Major League Baseball star wants out of a "predatory" loan from a future earnings investment company, a group of migrant workers keep alive their suit accusing companies that helped develop World Cup facilities in Qatar of exploitation and abuse, and the tennis Grand Slam tournaments may be in the crosshairs of players suing the sport's hierarchy.

  • June 27, 2025

    Mass. Cannabis Labs Call Rival's Suit 'Publicity Stunt'

    Seven Massachusetts cannabis testing labs are asking a state court judge to toss out a lawsuit brought by a competitor accusing them of manipulating test results, with three of the defendants calling the complaint a "publicity stunt" driven by the plaintiff's declining market share.

  • June 27, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Last-Minute Settlements Head Off Trials

    Untouched by the summer slump, the North Carolina Business Court kicked off June with a sanctions order against a biogas company caught spurning court orders and a new complaint by a former NFL player accusing his longtime financial adviser of defrauding him for decades.

  • June 26, 2025

    Trump DOJ Eyes Algorithmic Collusion, Welcomes 'Little Tech'

    Tackling algorithmic pricing collusion in the healthcare and housing markets and welcoming pro-competitive mergers of "Little Tech" are among the U.S. Department of Justice's plans for protecting consumers in today's digital markets, the top deputy for the DOJ's antitrust division told privacy professionals on Thursday.

  • June 26, 2025

    FTC OKs $1.6B Gas Station Deal, With Divestiture Of 35 Stores

    The Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday an agreement resolving antitrust concerns regarding Alimentation Couche-Tard's proposed $1.57 billion acquisition of 270 fuel stations from grocery chain Giant Eagle, requiring the Canadian convenience store company to divest 35 gas stations.

  • June 26, 2025

    Phillip Morris Moves To Arbitrate Rivals' Tobacco Deal Suit

    Philip Morris USA is urging a Washington state judge to force arbitration in a dispute with R.J. Reynolds and other tobacco companies over deals delineating billions of dollars in annual payments owed to states under Big Tobacco's 1998 master settlement agreement.

  • June 26, 2025

    Cable Biz Wants Notice Before FCC Waives Top-4 Rule

    The cable industry criticized the Federal Communications Commission's handling of a recent waiver of its rule blocking broadcasters from owning more than one top-four TV station in a single market, telling FCC officials they should ask for the public's views before making any exceptions.

  • June 26, 2025

    Kirkland Stops Repping Novartis After Regeneron Sought DQ

    A New York federal judge accepted the withdrawal Thursday of the entire Kirkland & Ellis LLP team that recently joined Novartis Pharma's legal team battling antitrust allegations over the eye medication Eylea, just a week after plaintiff Regeneron Pharmaceuticals sought their disqualification over an "unthinkable" conflict of interest by the lawyers, whose firm previously represented Regeneron.

  • June 26, 2025

    Juul Faces Possible Revival Of Price Discrimination Suit

    A vape wholesaler is urging an Illinois federal judge to reconsider an order ending its lawsuit accusing Juul Labs of giving a rival wholesaler a better deal on e-cigarettes, arguing its failure to explicitly identify the geographic market in which it competed should not have sunk the case.

  • June 26, 2025

    College Apparel Co. Forever Barred From Using Penn St. TMs

    A federal court has permanently barred a Washington-based print-on-demand company from selling merchandise with Pennsylvania State University's name or certain trademarked logos, though it stopped short of banning anything "substantially similar" or making the company pay the school's attorney fees.

  • June 26, 2025

    UK Investigating Boeing's $4.7B Deal For Spirit Aero

    Britain's Competition and Markets Authority on Thursday issued a call for comments about Boeing's planned $4.7 billion deal for aircraft parts maker Spirit AeroSystems to see if the tie-up will reduce competition in the country, joining U.S. enforcers who are already reviewing the deal.

  • June 26, 2025

    Magistrate Opposes $100M Injunction Against Houston Oil Co.

    A Texas magistrate judge said two insurance companies should be denied their request for a preliminary injunction that would require a Houston oil company to turn over more than $100 million in collateral connected to surety bonds.

  • June 26, 2025

    Judge Tosses Biogen MS Drug Antitrust Suit, For Now

    An Illinois federal court tossed a proposed class action accusing Biogen of reducing competition for its multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera through payments to pharmacy benefit managers, after finding that only some drug pricing lists would have been affected.

  • June 26, 2025

    Fla. Suit Claims Popeyes Unfairly Targeted Franchisee

    A longtime Popeyes franchisee has brought a petition in Florida federal court to halt what he claims are unfair tactics to sell his two stores in Virginia, claiming the restaurant corporation has engaged in a campaign to push him out in favor of a larger, corporate-backed operator.

  • June 26, 2025

    Calif. Judge Rejects CoStar, CREXi's Early Win Bids In IP Row

    A California federal judge has rejected cross partial summary judgment bids made by property listing rivals CoStar Group Inc. and Commercial Real Estate Exchange Inc. in CoStar's copyright infringement suit against CREXi, which is accused of stealing nearly 50,000 CoStar commercial real estate images.

  • June 26, 2025

    9th Circ. Rejects Amazon's Bid To Claw Back Antitrust Docs

    A Ninth Circuit panel has summarily refused to reverse a Washington federal court ruling that rejected Amazon's bid to claw back documents inadvertently produced in a trio of proposed antitrust class actions.

  • June 26, 2025

    New FCC Republican Names Key Legal Staff

    Commissioner Olivia Trusty, who was sworn in this week as the newest member of the Federal Communications Commission, announced the hiring of several top aides Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Pace Of Early Terminations Suggests Greater M&A Scrutiny

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    The nascent return of early termination under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act shows a more limited use than before its 2021 suspension under the Biden administration's Federal Trade Commission, suggesting deeper scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions across the board, says Michael Wise at Squire Patton.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: A Rare MDL Petition Off-Day

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    In an unusual occurrence in the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's history, there are zero new MDL petitions scheduled for Thursday's hearing session, but the panel will be busy considering a host of motions regarding whether to transfer cases to eight existing MDL proceedings, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • Customs Fraud Enforcement In The Age Of Tariffs

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    In the wake of the Trump administration’s new approach toward tariffs, two recent Justice Department developments demonstrate aggressive customs fraud enforcement, with the DOJ emphasizing competitive harm to American businesses, and signaling that investigations will likely involve both civil and criminal enforcement tools, say attorneys at Bernstein Litowitz and London & Naor.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles

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    Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • The Legal Risks Of US Restrictions On Investments In China

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    The second Trump administration has continued to embrace a more restrictive economic policy toward China, including an ongoing review of further restrictions on the flow of U.S. capital to China, so early planning and enhanced diligence can reduce exposure to the challenges resulting from further restrictions, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Series

    Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyLaw.

  • 4 Ways Slater Is Priming DOJ For Continued Antitrust Success

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    Just as Jonathan Kanter did during his recent tenure leading the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater is following the effective blueprint set by Thurman Arnold when he modernized the division more than 80 years ago, says Perry Apelbaum at Kressin Powers.

  • What EU 'Killer Acquisition' Study Means For Pharma Deals

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    The European Commission’s recent study of pharmaceutical companies' acquisitions of emerging competitive threats, the first of its kind globally, has important implications for the industry, and may lead to increased awareness of merger control risks in collaborative agreements, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.

  • Why Texas Should Slow Down On Healthcare Merger Bills

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    More time is needed to study three Texas bills aimed at considering the effects of healthcare consolidation to increase affordability and access to healthcare, which could have the opposite effect, say John Saran and Harshita Rathore at Holland & Knight and Robbie Allen at U.S. Heart and Vascular.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Becoming A Firmwide MVP

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    Though lawyers don't have a neat metric like baseball players for measuring the value they contribute to their organizations, the sooner new attorneys learn skills frequently skipped in law school — like networking, marketing, client development and case evaluation — the more valuable, and less replaceable, they will be, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • Big Tech M&A Risk Under Trump May Resemble Biden Era

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    Merger review under the Trump administration may not differ substantially from merger review under the Biden administration, particularly in the Big Tech arena, in which case dealmakers and investors should shift the antitrust discount on M&A deals upward, says Jonathan Barnett at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

  • Takeaways From DOJ's 1st Wage-Fixing Jury Conviction

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    U.S. v. Lopez marked the U.S. Department of Justice's first labor market conviction at trial as a Nevada federal jury found a home healthcare staffing executive guilty of wage-fixing and wire fraud, signaling that improper agreements risk facing successful criminal prosecution, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • FTC Focus: Interlocking Directorate Enforcement May Persist

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    Though the Federal Trade Commission under Chair Andrew Ferguson seems likely to adopt a pro-business approach to antitrust enforcement, his endorsement of broader liability for officers or directors who illegally sit on boards of competing corporations signals that businesses should not expect board-level antitrust scrutiny to slacken, says Timothy Burroughs at Proskauer.

  • $38M Law Firm Settlement Highlights 'Unworthy Client' Perils

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    A recent settlement of claims against law firm Eckert Seamans for allegedly abetting a Ponzi scheme underscores the continuing threat of clients who seek to exploit their lawyers in perpetrating fraud, and the critical importance of preemptive measures to avoid these clients, say attorneys at Lockton Companies.

  • Series

    Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.

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