Blog Posts: Antitrust
Competition Laws Successfully Enforced in 2012
A review of the performance of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division for 2012 shows a continued increase in the successful enforcement of antitrust laws. The EU successfully enforced its competition laws as well.
FTC Lets Google Off Hook, but Europe May Not
Earlier this month, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted unanimously to drop its 19-month antitrust investigation into Google's search practices without bringing charges. During the exhaustive investigation, FTC staff reviewed over nine million pages of documents from Google and other parties, in addition to conducting numerous interviews and hearings.
New U.S. Antitrust Chief Expected To Continue "Aggressive Enforcement"
Last week the Senate confirmed William Baer as the new chief of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. Baer, formerly a prominent antitrust lawyer at the law firm of Arnold & Porter, also served as director of the Competition Bureau of the Federal Trade Commission in the 1990s.
Google Complains about Alleged Anti-Competitive Actions of Microsoft and Nokia
The giant corporations of the technology world are clashing over so-called “patent trolls” — companies that buy up patents that they didn't create and that they don't plan to use themselves — in order to receive licensing fees and royalties. Google recently complained to regulators in the European Commission and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, accusing Microsoft and Nokia of colluding with patent trolls in order to discourage device makers from using Android, the operating system that Google uses in its mobile devices. Microsoft and Nokia both use Windows as the operating system on their phones.
Apple's E-book Pricing Method Spotlighted in DOJ Lawsuit
In just a few years, e-books have revolutionized the publishing industry. New legal issues have accompanied the transformation. Currently in the legal spotlight are the methods that publishers and booksellers use to set e-book prices.DOJ Focuses on Antitrust Compliance
Businesses beware: The Department of Justice is on a roll with antitrust enforcement activity. Justice Officials are building on a banner year in 2011 by pursuing criminal convictions and civil litigation in industries ranging from automotive parts to mobile communications networks.
