U.S. sues to block JetBlue from buying Spirit Airlines
The Justice Department said the $3.8 billion acquisition would hurt cost-conscious travelers who depend on Spirit to find cheaper options than they can find on JetBlue and other airlines.
Antitrust
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Lawmakers skeptical grocery merger will mean lower prices
Kroger announced its plan to acquire Albertsons for $20 billion in mid-October. Together, the companies would control about 13% of the U.S. grocery market.
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Judge blocks Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster merger
The judge issued a brief ruling Monday, agreeing with the Justice Department that the joining of two of the world’s biggest publishers could “lessen competition” for “top-selling books.”
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Athlete advocacy group files complaint with DOJ against NCAA
The National College Players Association is accusing those involved with the governing body of violating antitrust laws by capping compensation for athletes.
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NCAA could seek once-radical solutions after Supreme Court loss
After the NCAA’s stinging legal loss this week, college sports leaders are acknowledging the path forward will have to include changes that once seemed antithetical to the mission.
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Articles
FTC sues to block Microsoft-Activision Blizzard $69B merger
Xbox maker Microsoft has faced months of resistance from Sony, which makes the competing PlayStation console and has raised concerns with antitrust watchdogs around the world about losing access to popular game franchises such as Call of Duty.
Battle over the iPhone app store spills into appeals court
The high-stakes battle involve a setup that generates an estimated $15 billion to $20 billion for Apple every year, which has helped lift its market value to nearly $2.4 trillion.
U.S. House approves antitrust bill targeting giant tech firms
The limited bill would give states an upper hand over companies in choosing the location of courts that decide federal antitrust cases.
California sues Amazon, alleging antitrust law violations
Amazon controls roughly 38% of online sales in the U.S., more than Walmart, eBay, Apple, Best Buy and Target combined, according to the research firm Insider Intelligence.
Stephen King testifies for government in publishing merger trial
Stephen King didn’t break any legal ground on the stand Tuesday as he testified against his own publisher’s efforts to merge with Penguin Random House. But he did know how to please a crowd and even get the judge to thank him for his time.
U.S. begins court battle against publishing giants’ merger
The government and Penguin Random House are set to exchange opening salvos in a antitrust trial Monday as the U.S. seeks to block the biggest U.S. book publisher from absorbing rival Simon & Schuster. The government’s star witness will be author Stephen King.
Sysco accuses four largest beef processors of price fixing
The nation’s largest food distributor has joined the other businesses accusing the four largest meat processors of working together to inflate beef prices.
Lawmakers question beef executives over soaring food prices
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill aggressively questioned the chief executives of the country’s four major beef producers, accusing them of engaging in anti-competitive practices that have financially harmed cattle ranchers and driven up the price of meat.
Lawmakers ask Justice Department to probe Amazon for criminal violations
The House Judiciary Committee escalated the bipartisan battle against the world’s biggest online retailer with a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, referring the case for a criminal inquiry.
Justice Department sues UnitedHealth over nearly $8B deal
The U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday that the proposed deal for Change Healthcare would hurt competition and give UnitedHealth Group—which is a competitor to Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc.—access to sensitive claims information from competitors.
U.S. regulators aiming at illegal and anticompetitive mergers
The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are seeking public comment on how merger guidelines can be updated to better detect and prevent illegal and anticompetitive deals in an increasingly consolidating corporate marketplace.
U.S. files antitrust suit to stop major book publisher merger
The Justice Department is suing to block a $2.2 billion book publishing deal that would have reshaped the industry, saying consolidation would hurt authors and, ultimately, readers.
Biden administration ramps up antitrust efforts amid worries about high prices
Senior administration officials have been worried about polling showing that voters—including many Democrats—blame President Biden’s economic policies for high inflation.
Facebook hit by new U.S. antitrust case as FTC seeks do-over
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday filed the new complaint in federal court in Washington, alleging that Facebook violated antitrust laws by buying Instagram and WhatsApp in order to eliminate them as competitors.
Dozens of states target Google’s app store in antitrust suit
The 144-page complaint filed late Wednesday in a Northern California federal court represents the fourth major antitrust lawsuit filed against Google by government agencies across the U.S. since last October.
Judge dismisses government antitrust lawsuits against Facebook
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled Monday that the lawsuits were “legally insufficient” and didn’t provide enough evidence to prove that Facebook was a monopoly.
Break them up? Five ways Congress is trying to rein in Big Tech
Groundbreaking legislation is advancing in Congress that would curb the market power of tech giants Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple and could force them to untie their dominant platforms from their other lines of business.
House panel pushes legislation targeting Big Tech’s power
The ambitious legislation could curb the market power of tech giants Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple and force them to sever their dominant platforms from their other lines of business.
Biden elevates energetic critic of Big Tech as top regulator
The selection of legal scholar Lina Khan, 32, to head the Federal Trade Commission is seen as signaling a tough stance toward tech giants Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple.