In It’s My Party Inc. et al. v. Live Nation Inc., District of Maryland Judge J. Frederick Motz denied the defendant’s motion for summary judgment in a case in which a concert promoter is alleging that Live Nation monopolized the concert market and entered anticompetitively tying its promotional services for artists to the use of […]
Category Archives: US Federal Courts
Class Alleges Price Fixing on Hotel Accommodations by Travel Reservation Websites
September 17, 2012 – 9:39 am
A class of plaintiffs have filed an antitrust action in the Northern District of California captioned Turik et al. v. Expedia Inc. et al., and alleging that online travel reservation firms and hotels have conspired to fix prices for hotel accommodations. The complaint alleges that the so-called “price-match guarantee” is really a means to fix […]
Breach of SSO Commitment Enforceable By Competitors, but Not as Antitrust Violation
September 11, 2012 – 10:35 am
In Apple Inc. v. Motorola Mobility Inc., Western District of Wisconsin Judge Barbara B. Crabb granted summary judgment against Apple on antitrust claims, but allowed its contract claims to stand, in a case alleging that Motorola Mobility refused to license its standard-essential patents on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms. Although Motorola’s commitments to standard-setting organizations […]
Farmers May Challenge Filed Rate for Nonfat Dry Milk
September 9, 2012 – 10:53 am
In Carlin et al. v. DairyAmerica Inc. et al., , the Ninth Circuit reversed the lower court and held that the filed-rate doctrine did not bar dairy farmers from challenging a buyers’ coalition that allegedly skewed prices by providing lowball rates to a milk pricing overseer. The decision reinstated a series of cases that in […]
Computer Seller Monopolization Case Dismissed
September 9, 2012 – 10:52 am
In QSGI Inc. v. IBM Global Financing et al., Southern District of Florida Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp dismissed computer reseller QSGI Inc.’s claim that IBM’s monopolistic conduct bankrupted it. The court held that the fatal flaw in QSGI complaint was the lack of injury to competition, as opposed to the company itself. As a result, […]
Court Dismissed Antitrust Suit Accusing Wireless Carriers of Rigging 3GPP Standards
September 7, 2012 – 12:36 pm
In Corr Wireless Communications, LLC et al. v. AT&T Inc. et al., Northern District of Mississippi Judge Sharion Aycock dismissed allegations that AT&T Inc., Motorola Mobility Inc., and Qualcomm Inc. conspired to push smaller wireless carriers, like Cellular South Inc., out of the market. The suit claimed that AT&T and the others rigged the 3rd […]
Second Circuit Upholds Coated Paper Price Fixing Verdict
September 6, 2012 – 4:12 pm
In In re: Publication Paper Antitrust Litigation, the Second Circuit held that a reasonable jury could find that FStora Enso OYJ North American affiliate conspired to fix the price of coated paper used in magazines and other printed material. The court thus overturned Judge Stefan R. Underhill grant of summary judgment in favor of the […]
American Airlines Case against Booking Companies to Move Forward
September 6, 2012 – 4:11 pm
In American Airlines Inc. v. Travelport Ltd. et al., Northern District of Texas Judge Terry R. Means ruled American Airlines Inc. claim that Sabre Holdings Corp., Travelport Ltd., and Orbitz Worldwide Inc. affiliate conspired to exclude the airline’s AA Direct Connect system from the flight booking market. The motion to dismiss claimed that American’s allegations […]
Puerto Rico Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Cable Company’s Antitrust Suit
August 20, 2012 – 10:19 am
In Puerto Rico Telephone Co. Inc. v. San Juan Cable LLC d/b/a OneLink Communications, Puerto Rico District Court Judge Gustavo A. Gelpi denied San Juan Cable LLC’s motion to dismiss Puerto Rico Telephone Co. Inc.’s suit accusing the company of violating federal and Puerto Rico antitrust by filing numerous lawsuits against PRTC to prevent it […]
Helicopter Transfer Price Fixing Claim Dismissed
August 17, 2012 – 9:52 am
In Superior Offshore International Inc. v. Bristow Group Inc., the Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the plaintiff’s price fixing claims because of a lack of direct evidence of a conspiracy. The case had been related to a DOJ investigation of the off-shore helicopter transport industry, which is used to transport workers to oil rigs. […]