The European Union’s competition chief, Joaquin Alumnia, in a speech prepared for EU lawmakers, vowed to stop mobile-device makers from using litigation over standard-essential patents to block their rivals’ smartphones and tablets from European markets. Almunia warned device makers against trying to take unfair advantage of European wireless standards’ key patents, which are “essential” to […]
Author Archives: Steve Semeraro
Sixth Circuit Affirms Dismissal Antitrust Challenge to the States’ Tobacco Settlement
March 2, 2012 – 3:56 pm
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the dismissal of a defunct tobacco manufacturer’s antitrust lawsuit against the 1998 master settlement agreement between states and tobacco companies. The plaintiff, Vibo Corp. dba General Tobacco, claimed that the other tobacco companies’ successfully lobbied the state attorneys general to block General Tobacco from amending its settlement […]
Pfizer Faces Suit by Health Plans Regarding Its Efforts to Delay Generic Lipitor
March 2, 2012 – 3:52 pm
Pfizer has been sued in a putative class action in the Southern District of New York by a group of health and welfare benefit plans who claim that Pfizer filed sham patent applications and colluded with Ranbaxy Inc. to delay the introduction of generic competitors to its cholesterol treatment Lipitor. The complaint alleges that Pfizer […]
MGA’s Antitrust Claims Against Mattel Over Bratz Doll Dismissed While IP Dispute Continues
March 2, 2012 – 3:50 pm
Central District of California federal judge David O. Carter dismissed MGA Entertainment Inc.’s claims that Mattel Inc. attempted to sabotage its Bratz doll line, ruling that MGA’s lawsuit against Mattel relied on the same factual allegations that were raised during a 2010 trial resolving an intellectual property dispute over the Bratz doll line. The new […]
Post-trial Motions Rejected in High Stakes Kevlar Litigation; Antitrust Claims to be Tested Next
March 2, 2012 – 3:49 pm
Eastern District of Virginia federal judge Robert E. Payne denied two separate post-trial motions lodged by Kolon challenging the jury’s $920 million verdict in favor of DuPont for theft of trade secrets concerning Kevlar armor products. The court found sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to have found in DuPont’s favor on its trade secret […]
EC Competition Regulator Investigates Samsung Patent Licensing, Litigation
March 2, 2012 – 3:48 pm
The European Commission is investigating whether Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. anticompetitively abused its patent rights by suing to block the sale of rival smartphones and other mobile devices based on patents that are part of wireless technology standards. The EC will focus on whether Samsung’s litigation violate EU antitrust law as well as Samsung’s irrevocable […]
FTC Sues to Halt OmniCare’s Bid to Acquire Pharmerica, Citing Effects on Medicare Part D Drug Plan
March 2, 2012 – 3:47 pm
The Federal Trade Commission filed an administrative complaint seeking to block Omnicare Inc.’s proposed $440.8 million acquisition of PharMerica Corp. The FTC alleged that Omnicare would control over half of the U.S. market for pharmacy services at nursing homes and other long-term facilities where patients receive prescription drugs from sponsors of the government’s Medicare Part […]
Microsoft Challenges Motorola/Google’s Patent Practices in EC Competition Complaint
March 2, 2012 – 3:46 pm
Microsoft Corp. has filed a competition complaint against Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., and its soon-to-be parent Google Inc., with the European Commission, claiming that Motorola charges too much for its patents and is trying to head off sales of Microsoft products. Microsoft deputy general counsel Dave Heiner opined in a blog post that Motorola is […]