http://competition.law360.com/ The Newswire for Legal Professionals Copyright 2010 Portfolio Media, Inc. en-US http://competition.law360.com/images/headings/logo.gif http://competition.law360.com/ http://competition.law360.com/articles/156742 A federal judge has allowed direct purchasers to proceed with claims that Georgia-Pacific Corp. and other manufacturers engaged in a conspiracy to fix the prices of plywood, but limited the claims to purchases made after November 2004. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156742 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156616 A judge has ruled that an alleged scheme by ITS Mailing Systems Inc. to swipe clients and confidential information from rival postal technology company Pitney Bowes Inc. does not constitute false advertising under the Lanham Act, as Pitney Bowes claimed. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156616 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156525 Germany's economics minister proposed revisions to the country's telecommunications law Friday that would allow the German network regulator to force vertically integrated companies to split their wholesale and retail offerings into separate business units in cases of extreme, ongoing competition problems. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156525 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156588 Amcor Ltd. has objected to an economist report estimating that the plaintiffs in a class action accusing the Australian packaging giant and its rival of joining forces to fix prices on cardboard boxes are entitled to nearly $650 million in damages and interest. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156588 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156548 A group of gas companies has asked a federal judge to issue a summary judgment ruling that BP America Inc. put a stranglehold on supplies of propane when it tried to corner the market in 2004. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156548 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156455 A group of locally owned public utilities in California is seeking to invalidate a proposition on an upcoming statewide ballot, claiming it would allow Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to monopolize the state's energy markets. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156455 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156324 A trademark and false advertising dispute between paper towel maker Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP and trash bag maker Nextep Inc. over the Brawny trademark for household goods has heated up, with Nextep claiming that it is the senior user of the Brawny mark and accusing Georgia-Pacific of engaging in “reverse confusion” to harm Nextep's reputation. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156324 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156449 The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a bill to ban vertical price-fixing, paving the way for a full U.S. Senate vote on legislation that would overturn a controversial 2007 U.S. Supreme Court precedent. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156449 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156408 The Federal Communications Commission is seeking comments on the proposed merger of Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal Inc., asking for public input on the transfer of certain broadcast rights that need to happen for the giant media deal to go through. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156408 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156407 Innospec Inc. has agreed to pay $40.2 million to resolve civil and criminal cases in the U.S. and U.K., pleading guilty on Thursday to defrauding the United Nations, bribing officials in the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and violating the U.S. embargo against Cuba. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156407 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156390 Congress has elected to leave out a proposed ban on “pay-for-delay” settlements between generic and brand-name drugmakers from its health care reform package, a policy idea beloved by consumer advocates but vigorously opposed by pharmaceutical industry interests. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156390 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156109 Britain's Office of Fair Trading wants the European Commission to investigate Procter & Gamble Co.'s proposed acquisition of Sara Lee Corp.'s air care business. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156109 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156293 A federal judge has dismissed chemical company McShares Inc.'s complaint from multidistrict litigation over alleged price-fixing by hydrogen peroxide manufacturers, ruling that McShares' claims were time-barred. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156293 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156095 Howrey LLP said Wednesday it has formed an advertising litigation task force to capitalize on an “onslaught” of cases involving allegations of unfair competition, consumer protection violations and other false advertising claims. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156095 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156198 Heartland Payment Systems Inc. has resolved a case alleging rival Chase Paymentech Solutions LLC and others engaged in an anti-competitive scheme to corner the payment processing market in the restaurant industry. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156198 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/155972 The former prosecutor in charge of the federal government's fight against criminal health care fraud has joined Arnold & Porter LLP in its Washington office. http://competition.law360.com/articles/155972 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/155900 Brazil's minister of justice has issued a new regulation designed to increase transparency and predictability for cartel offenders seeking leniency under the country's competition law. http://competition.law360.com/articles/155900 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/155971 Purdue Pharma LP has settled a slew of suits brought by indirect buyers of OxyContin accusing it of stifling generic competition by filing bogus patent litigation, just days after its lawyer told a judge that the drugmaker anticipates settling all of the pending cases in the multidistrict litigation. http://competition.law360.com/articles/155971 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/156049 A Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate in Pennsylvania has sued the state's Insurance Department, accusing it of overreaching its authority by conducting broad reviews of competition in the state's health insurance market. http://competition.law360.com/articles/156049 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://competition.law360.com/articles/155858 The U.K. Competition Commission has formally cleared Sports Direct International PLC's acquisition of more than 30 stores from rival sports clothing and equipment retailer JJB Sports PLC, ending an investigation that started when a fellow regulator raised competition concerns last year. http://competition.law360.com/articles/155858 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500