The latest on: NFL Anti-Trust decision; Record Labels Sue Over Generative AI; Copyright Office clarifies Termination Rights, Royalties, Transfers, Disputes, and the MMA.
Fierce Competition Podcast | Antitrust Challenges in Organized Sports: How They Play Out in the EU, UK and US
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Sues the FTC Over Power Grab
The New FTC Rule Explained: Will Your Non-Compete Be Enforceable?
The FTC Issued a New Rule to Ban All New Noncompete Agreements
Podcast: Key Changes in Finalized Antitrust Merger Guidelines – Diagnosing Health Care
Fierce Competition Podcast | Takeaways From the Illumina-Grail Merger Challenge Saga
AGG Talks: Antitrust and White-Collar Crime Roundup - Analyzing the Latest Updates in the Litigation Against Trump
Fierce Competition Podcast | Letter From London: The Rise of UK Class Actions and the Competition Appeal Tribunal
Fierce Competition Podcast | Private Equity Under the Antitrust Microscope
JONES DAY TALKS® - Charting the Course: Antitrust's Past, Present, and Future in Labor Markets
What You Need to Know About the New FTC and DOJ HSR Changes
Fierce Competition Podcast | A Look at the Evolving Global Deal Landscape
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: Shining a Bright Light on Digital Dark Patterns
Podcast- The FTC's Mission: Competition and Antitrust
Cornerstone Research Connects: The CAT Judgment in Trucks
Uncorked With Farella: M&A in the Wine Industry With Robert Nicholson
Clocking in with PilieroMazza: #LNE4GovCons: FLSA Exemptions Matter When Bidding for SCA Contracts
Clocking in with PilieroMazza: #LNE4GovCons: Impacts of NLRB’s Ruling on Severance Agreement Content
Antitrust Conversations: Antitrust Litigation
A state trial court in Minnesota granted Renters Warehouse USA, LLC’s motion for a temporary injunction, and enjoined Life Property Managers, LLC (LPM) from violating its post-termination obligations and a covenant not to...more
A federal court in New Jersey recently granted a franchisor’s motion for a preliminary injunction, enjoining the former franchisee from using the franchisor’s marks and violating the franchise agreement’s noncompete clause,...more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to issue a Non-Compete Clause Rule that would ban most non-compete clauses in agreements between businesses and their “workers.” The final rule will take effect 120...more
On April 23, 2034, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a final rule intended to ban the use and enforcement of most non-compete clauses signed by workers. The new rule is not in effect yet. It will become...more
As we previously wrote, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) April 2023 loss in United States v. Patel, its fourth in a criminal no-poach case, cast a pall over the agency’s enforcement efforts. The following month, the DOJ...more
A federal court in Utah denied a requested injunction in a dispute between competitors in the gourmet cookie market. Crumbl LLC v. Dirty Dough LLC, (D. Utah Aug. 11, 2023)....more
In Deslandes v. McDonald’s USA LLC, issued August 25, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit overturned the dismissal of antitrust claims that challenged no-poach clauses in franchise agreements....more
The Federal Trade Commission on Friday announced a Request for Information regarding “franchise agreements and franchisor business practices, including how franchisors may exert control over franchisees and their workers.”...more
A federal court in New York has denied a franchisor’s motion for preliminary injunction aimed at preventing a former franchisee from operating a competing business in the same location as its former franchised business...more
A federal court in Missouri recently ruled that antitrust claims against four real estate broker franchisors and a trade association may proceed to trial based on evidence that the association’s code of ethics may inflate...more
Arrington v. Burger King Worldwide, Inc., No. 20-13561 (11th Cir. Aug. 31, 2022) – In October 2018, a former line cook of a Burger King franchise restaurant in Illinois, filed a class action complaint in the District Court...more
South Florida emerged as one of the most sought after markets coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. People flocked to the area, purchasing valuable real estate – both residential and commercial....more
So yesterday I discussed some background related to anti-poaching and non-compete law. Today, I explain why the decision in Pittsburgh Logistics Systems provides a helpful analogue to franchising...more
That which is old is new again. The U.S. Department of Justice and plaintiffs’ lawyers are taking aim at non-solicitation agreements restricting mobility of labor. This isn’t something employers usually think about. ...more
In a misappropriation of trade secrets action, a franchisor sued a prospective franchisee, claiming breach of a non-disclosure agreement ("NDA") by operating a competing business. The prospective franchisee signed the NDA...more
Called upon by the Ninth Circuit in Ixchel Pharma, LLC v. Biogen, Inc. to answer two key questions concerning the validity of a settlement provision requiring a party’s termination of a collaboration agreement with a...more
Section 16600 of the California Business and Professions Code states: Except as provided in this chapter, every contract by which anyone is restrained from engaging in a lawful profession, trade, or business of any kind is...more
It’s the holiday season, but franchise lawyers may find little in recent events to celebrate. The challenges just keep on coming! Most recently, we’ve been challenged by California’s AB5 legislation and Dynamex decision,...more
• The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have indicated in the past that they believe that certain agreements between employers not to poach each other’s employees are...more
Over the last 18 months, no-poach provisions in franchise agreements have drawn considerable attention from academics, state attorneys general, politicians, and the class action plaintiffs’ bar. Originally published in...more
2018 State AG Elections- Cozen O’Connor’s State AG Election Tracker Updates 2018 Election Prediction for Nevada Attorney General Race- With 19 days to go before election day, Cozen O’Connor’s State AG Election Tracker has...more
Tax service franchisor, H&R Block, was recently vindicated in having terminated a franchisee for violating an in-term non-compete covenant. A United States District Court granted the franchisor summary judgment in Devore v....more
In Devore v. H&R Block, the franchisor H&R Block was found to have lawfully terminated a franchisee for violating an in-term non-compete covenant, because the franchisee permitted its office manager and prior operator of the...more
For those looking to grow a thriving, established business, franchising offers an attractive option. But making the decision to franchise is not simple. While franchi+sing offers an avenue to cost-effective growth, any...more
On Valentine's Day of 2017, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland gave franchisors the legal equivalent of two dozen roses when it decided Frye v. Wild Bird Centers of America, Inc., 2017 WL 605285 (D....more