Tag: Antitrust
Trio of Big Law Firms Hire Antitrust Partners as Demand Grows
NewsThree top U.S. law firms, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and Latham & Watkins, announced Monday they hired antitrust partners, signaling growing demand as regulators more closely scrutinize potential anticompetitive behavior.
Anthem Agrees to Pay $594M to Settle Antitrust Litigation
NewsThe settlement, struck last fall and awaiting final approval in an Alabama federal court, resolves lawsuits filed in 2012 by insurance customers alleging the Chicago-based Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and the nation’s 36 Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurers violated antitrust laws through practices that limited competition and caused higher prices.
Texas Hiring Two Law Firms for Google Probe Team
NewsThe Texas attorney general’s office has named The Lanier Law Firm and the law firm Keller Lenkner to the litigation team that would face off against Alphabet’s Google in an expected antitrust lawsuit.
DOJ Sues to Block Visa Acquisition of Fintech Startup Plaid
NewsThe federal government is suing to block Visa’s $5.3 billion acquisition of fintech startup Plaid, alleging the merger violates antitrust laws.
U.S. Says Google Breakup May be Needed to End Violations of Antitrust Law
NewsThe U.S. sued Google on Tuesday, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals in the biggest challenge to the power and influence of Big Tech in decades.
Pilgrim’s Announces Agreement with DOJ Antitrust Division
NewsPilgrim’s Pride Corporation has entered into a plea agreement with the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division in respect to its investigation into the sales of broiler chicken products in the US.
HP Wins $439 Million As Judge Triples Jury Price-Fix Award
News
Sony, Panasonic and some other disk-drive makers settled with HP over the past decade. Only Taiwan-based Quanta chose to go to trial.
Former Bumble Bee Tuna CEO Found Guilty of Price Fixing
News
Prosecutors alleged that he conspired with colleagues and executives at rival companies on a “peace proposal” in order to boost prices.
About 40 State Attorneys General Plan to Take Part in Facebook Antitrust Probe
News
The effort reflects a broadening belief among the country’s top Democrats and Republicans that the tech giant may be undermining its social-networking rivals.
Merger Non-Compete Clauses — Be Lawful or Be Gone
Insight
A recent FTC enforcement action clarifies the requirements for non-compete clauses in M&A agreements.
No-Poach, No-Solicit Provisions of Corporate Agreements Now Face Criminal Prosecution
News
A nearly ubiquitous element of corporate conduct, thought to be legal and competitively harmless, now faces the prospect of criminal prosecution by the U.S. Department. of Justice, according to Locke Lord.
AT&T Wants to Buy Time Warner To ‘Weaponize’ Its Content, Government Says in Antitrust Trial
News
In opening arguments, Justice Department lawyer Craig Conrath said AT&T could use Time Warner’s content as a weapon against competitors that rely on the programming.
Antitrust Litigation: How an Amicus Brief Can Win an Appeal
Insight
A group of 36 economists affiliated with top universities across the country filed an amicus brief explaining that the lower court used a faulty economic theory when it ruled against the FTC.
DOJ Warns of Criminal Actions Against Companies with Agreements Not to Poach Competitors’ Employees
News
Any violative anti-poaching policies after October 2016 expose employers to criminal punishment, warn three Seyfarth Shaw lawyers writing for Bloomberg.
AT&T Counsel, an Ex-Trump Attorney, Calls DOJ’s Suit on Time Warner Deal ‘Fake Antitrust’
News
“There is no credible evidence” that AT&T’s proposed $85.4 billion acquisition of media powerhouse Time Warner poses any threat to industry competition or consumer prices, AT&T attorney Dan Petrocelli told CNBC.
Intel Scores Victory (For Now) In Fight Against $1.3 Billion Fine
News
Fortune reports that Intel has won a victory of sorts in its long-running fight against a €1.06 billion ($1.26 billion) antitrust fine that was levied against it by the European Commission eight years ago.
Former FTC Chairman Timothy J. Muris Joins Sidley in Washington, D.C.
News
Former FTC chairman Timothy J. Muris has joined Sidley Austin LLP as senior counsel in the firm’s Antitrust/Competition practice.
Lex Machina Expands Legal Analytics Platform to Cover Antitrust Litigation
News
The new module enables attorneys to make data-driven decisions about federal antitrust case strategies and tactics and gives lawyers a competitive advantage in antitrust litigation
Reverse Break-Up Fees and Specific Performance: A Survey of Remedies
White Paper
Thomson Reuters is offering a complimentary copy of the 2016 edition of Practical Law’s study, Reverse Break-Up Fees and Specific Performance: A Survey of Remedies for Financing and Antitrust Failure.
When Customer Supply Contracts Lead to Trouble
Article
Melanie A. Hallas of McDermott Will & Emery writes that a recent consent order shows that exclusivity terms that arguably have the effect of harming competition may raise antitrust concerns.
