Antitrust Today

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following.

EU acted like a fishing trawler in antitrust data searches, Meta lawyer says. Meta Platforms Inc. compared searches by EU antitrust regulators to a fishing super trawler as watchdogs investigate the owner of Facebook's data and online marketplace. Meta says it has already handed over more than a million...

Court Green Lights Ohio AG’s Case to Declare Google a “Common Carrier”

Is Google Search a “common carrier” under Ohio law that is barred from prioritizing Google’s own products? Under a state court ruling last week, the answer to that question has gotten closer to yes. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) is suing to restrain Google from prioritizing Google products in its search engine results.  If successful, the lawsuit—which has now survived a motion to dismiss—could...

U.S. Adoption of a Central Bank Digital Currency Could Revitalize Payments Markets With Competition

The ailing U.S. payments markets could get a shot of much-needed competition if the U.S. government follows through on proposals to adopt a Central Bank Digital Currency (“CBDC”)—which would be issued by the Federal Reserve. The competitive failings of U.S. payments markets were highlighted a few weeks ago at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on interchange or “swipe fees,” the fees that merchants pay...

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following.

The commodities giant Glencore will pay $1.1 billion to settle bribery and price-fixing charges.  Glencore, the mining and commodity-trading giant, has agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle charges that two of its units bribed officials in several countries and manipulated oil prices. The settlement,...

New York State Senate Passes Groundbreaking Antitrust Bill

By Daniel Vitelli The New York State Senate pushed the state’s groundbreaking antitrust bill a little bit closer to becoming a trailblazing law yesterday when it passed the proposed “Twenty-First Century Anti-Trust Act.” On May 25, 2022, just days before the scheduled close of the legislative session, the State Senate passed the bill, S933C, by a vote of 36 to 25. The bill now heads to the New York...

Pass-on Defences and Indirect Claims: Will UK Courts Apply the Same Antitrust Sauce to the Goose as to the Gander?

How the UK is sorting out the rights of direct and indirect purchasers to claim damages for anti-competitive conduct. By Richard Pike It is well-established in economic literature that anti-competitive conduct may increase prices not only for direct purchasers but also for indirect purchasers. As UK courts are now demonstrating, however, determining who should be allowed to recover, and what each party must...

Antitrust Matters Episode 6: The NCAA

Antitrust Matters provides engaging and timely conversations about competition policy in the digital age. Antitrust has always mattered to consumers and businesses, and to antitrust lawyers and economists, but today it also is in the political and public discourse more than ever. From the prices we pay for food, travel, financial services, payments to the way we interact daily using digital apps and platforms,...

New York Senate Amends Groundbreaking Antitrust Bill

By Daniel Vitelli With the New York State legislative session scheduled to adjourn in a few weeks, the State Senate this week returned to work on New York’s groundbreaking antitrust bill. On May 16 (S933B), and again on May 17 (S933C), the Senate amended New York’s proposed “Twenty-First Century Anti-Trust Act” (S933), the trailblazing legislation that would reshape the state’s antitrust law and...

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following.   New Majority Gives F.T.C. a Chance to Push an Aggressive Agenda.  The confirmation of a third Democrat to the Federal Trade Commission broke a partisan deadlock at the agency. That’s good news for Lina Khan, the agency’s chair and a Democrat. It is also a test. With the F.T.C.’s new Democratic...

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following. U.S. Senate committee passes antitrust bill pressuring OPEC.  A U.S. Senate committee passed a bill that could expose the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and partners to lawsuits for collusion on boosting crude oil prices. The No Oil Producing or Exporting Cartels (NOPEC) bill sponsored...