Insights

Washington – December 19, 2024: Global Competition Review recognized Crowell & Moring’s Antitrust & Competition Group in its 2025 “GCR 100” – a comprehensive list of the world’s leading competition practices. This year marks the 25th edition of the rankings and the 18th consecutive year that Crowell’s Antitrust & Competition Group has been recognized.

Los Angeles and Orange County – December 20, 2024:  Jason Murray, co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s Antitrust and Competition Group, and Chahira Solh, chair of the firm’s executive committee and partner in the Antitrust and Competition Group, have been named “Top Antirust Lawyers 2024” in California by the Daily Journal. The annual award given by the California-based legal publication chose Murray and Solh for their track records of guiding Fortune 500 companies through high stakes litigation, consistently defending businesses in antitrust matters and recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for their clients.

On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, Crowell & Moring (Crowell) and King's College London co-hosted their 6thannual Competition Law Conference at TheMerode in Brussels. The event featured a keynote address by David Lawrence, Policy Director at the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ), and four panels of experts discussing the latest developments in competition law in the EU, UK and US. Key topics included the impact of AI and digital innovation, no-poach and non-compete provisions in the employment context, state aid and the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, and developments in merger enforcement. Distinguished speakers from the EU, UK and US, representing diverse perspectives from regulatory authorities, academia, and industry, shared their insights on these pressing issues.

Last week, the Ninth Circuit issued its long-awaited decision in FTC v. Qualcomm and vacated the district court’s injunction against the company. The decision provides guidance on how the antitrust laws should be applied to novel patent licensing schemes and settles some uncertainty surrounding if and when a company is obligated to cooperate with its competitors. The decision also closes one more chapter in a battle between the two federal agencies tasked with enforcing American antitrust law.

Low and discounted pricing programs, often involving product bundles and customer loyalty provisions, are a cornerstone of competition for many. Because such programs most often involve pro-competitive behavior and deliver benefits to consumers, they are likely to foster competition, the key goal of the antitrust laws. When implemented by firms with "market power," however, they may result in anticompetitive effects that remain a concern for antitrust enforcers. The issue of distinguishing pro-competitive from anticompetitive "conditional pricing practices" was the subject of a day-long workshop sponsored jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (together, the "Agencies") on June 23, 2014.

Antitrust agencies are bringing more cases — and exacting big penalties.

Participants of the GICLI Annual Meeting share valuable experiences and practical strategies for handling government investigations and related civil litigation at collegial roundtable and panel discussions. An open, knowledge-sharing forum is encourages throughout two days of breakfast sessions, workshops and casual, relationship-building events.

The Government Investigations & Civil Litigation Institute's (GICLI) Fifth Annual Meeting shares valuable experiences and practical strategies for handling government investigations and related civil litigation at collegial round-table and panel discussions.