In Command Tech., Inc. v. Lockheed Martin Corp. et al., a Montgomery County, Maryland jury found Lockheed Martin Corp. liable to Command Technology Inc. for illegally interfering with Command Technology’s efforts to sell competing technical maintenance software for F-16 jet fighters resold to American allies. According to Command Technology’s complaint, Lockheed allegedly sought to lock […]
Category Archives: State Antitrust Law
PI May Be Appropriate Under State Law Even if All Factors of Test Not Met
October 31, 2013 – 3:52 pm
In Heil Trailer International Company v. Gavin Kula et al., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit preliminarily enjoined the defendant from using the plaintiff’s trade secrets. Heil Trailer alledged that former employees – while still working for Heil – illegally sent confidential information to a competitor. The trial court denied Heil’s request […]
HP Files Antitrust Suit Over ODD Price-Fixing Scheme
October 29, 2013 – 2:23 pm
In Hewlett-Packard Co. v. LG Electronics Inc. et al., Hewlett-Packard Co. sued LG Electronics, Koninklijke Philips NV, Pioneer Corp., and various subsidiaries for their alleged involvement in a massive optical disc drive (“ODD”) price-fixing conspiracy. In its suit, HP claims that defendants violated the Sherman Act and California antitrust laws when they shared confidential business […]
Court Refuses to Dismiss Iron Pipe Fittings Price-Fixing Suit
October 18, 2013 – 3:08 pm
In In re: Ductile Iron Pipe Fittings Indirect Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, New Jersey District Court Judge Anne E. Thompson refused to dismiss indirect purchasers’ class action against McWane Inc. and several other manufacturers, importers, and sellers of ductile iron pipe fittings, accusing the companies of fixing the products’ prices. While the court dismissed plaintiffs’ unjust […]
Court Awards Best Buy $75 million in Damages After an LCD Price Fixing Trial
September 19, 2013 – 2:50 pm
In In re: TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litigation, Northern District of California jury awarded Best Buy Co. $75 million in damages against HannStar Display Corp., finding that HannStar participated in an Asia-based conspiracy to fix prices on LCD panels. The jury’s award is a fraction of the $770 million Best Buy sought in its suit […]
Court Dismisses Antitrust Counterclaim in Converter Box Royalty Suit
June 27, 2013 – 4:07 pm
In MPEG LA LLC v. GXI International LLC, New York Supreme Court Judge Melvin L. Schweitzer dismissed GXI International LLC’s antitrust counterclaims in MPEG LA’s breach of contract action for allegedly unpaid patent royalties. MPEG LA manages a pool of patents covering the technology needed to make converter boxes that allow analog televisions to receive […]
Federal Court Remands Reverse Payment Case to State Court
June 21, 2013 – 1:58 pm
In State of West Virginia v. Pfizer Inc. et al., District of West Virginia Judge Robert C. Chambers remanded, at West Virginia’s request, the state’s case alleging that Pfizer entered an anti-competitive settlement of a patent dispute with a generic Lipitor manufacturer and engaged in other anticompetitive conduct designed to delay the generic’s introduction into […]
Kanas Overturns Judicially Created Per Se Rule for Resale Price Maintenance
May 21, 2013 – 5:30 pm
In a May 2012 decision, the Kansas Supreme Court had rejected the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Leegin v. PSKS that overturned the per se rule under the federal antitrust laws against minimum resale price maintenance in favor of the rule of reason. The Kansas high court, by contrast, held that, under the state’s own […]
Court Dismissed All But Two Claims In Resin Monopoly Suit
February 24, 2013 – 5:11 pm
In DSM Desotech Inc. v. 3D Systems Corp., Northern District of Illinois Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman dismissed allegations that 3D Systems Corp. tried to monopolize the market for 3D printing. Desotech, a resin manufacturer, sued its rival 3D Systems, accusing it of trying to squeeze smaller competitors out of the highly concentrated resin market by […]