Recent Articles

DOJ Sues to Stop AT&T and T-Mobile Merger

Jason C. Hicks
August 31, 2011 17:56

The Department of Justice has filed a civil antitrust suit to block AT&T's proposed $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile USA on the grounds that the deal would "substantially lessen competition." The deal would combine the second and fourth largest carriers to create a new market leader in the...

Jay Rogers Writes on Brazil’s New Positive Credit Registry

Jason C. Hicks
August 11, 2011 18:57

GREENVILLE, S.C.—Brazil’s new “Positive Credit Registry” law appears to be an important, and promising, development in the Brazilian credit market. For the first time, the world’s fifth-largest country is allowing the collection and maintenance of positive credit histories of consumers and...

Reckless Abandon and the Mongol Rally

Jason C. Hicks
July 22, 2011 15:30

Womble Carlyle is a proud sponsor of Team Reckless Abandon in the Mongol Rally. The Mongol Rally is a diminutive-car road rally that begins in Europe and ends in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Our support of Team Reckless Abandon benefits Water.Org, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization committed to providing...

California Court Relies on “Common Sense” in Rejecting Twombley Challenge

Jason C. Hicks
July 21, 2011 20:51

Perhaps there is life for conclusory antitrust claims after Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544 (2007). On May 24, the United States District Court for the Central District of California denied a motion to dismiss allegations that Duro Bag Manufacturing Company (“Duro”) put one of its...

Google Investigation

Jason C. Hicks
July 21, 2011 20:27

After months of a rumors about government action against Google, there are reports that government agencies are begining to take action. On June 24, the Wall Street Journal reported that the FTC is primed to serve subpoenas on the internet giant.A July 19, 2011 Bloomberg article states that DOJ and...

FTC Announces Major Changes to Disclosure Requirements under HSR Antitrust Improvements Act

Jason C. Hicks
July 21, 2011 19:06

On July 7, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced major changes to disclosure requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (“HSR”). Although intended to reduce the burden on the filing parties by eliminating certain disclosure requirements, the updated rules are...

$35 Million Settlement For Baby Products Antitrust Litigation

Jason C. Hicks
April 19, 2011 20:16

So much for Leegin... As we have mentioned previously in the blog, companies still face real risks with respect to resale price maintenance despite the Supreme Court's 2007 ruling that such policies are not per se illegal. See Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc., 127 S.Ct. 2705...

Black Friday For Online Poker?

Jason C. Hicks
April 19, 2011 19:23

American Lawyer reports that federal prosectures have inducted 11 people linked to some of the world's largest Web-based poker operations, such as PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker. Forbes reports that the online poker industry generated $30 billion in betting per year with $1.4...

Websites Report FTC Crack Down On Advertisements That Look Like Fake News Stories While Linking To Advertisements That Look Like Fake News Stories

Jason C. Hicks
April 19, 2011 19:07

Fox News reports that the FTC is cracking down on websites falsely advertising acai berry weight-loss pills. The FTC says the websites are deceiving consumers by emulating real news organizations.If you have not seen these ads, they look like investigative reporting and often contain tantalizing...

Event! Join NC Attorney General Roy Cooper & Womble Carlyle for the CLE Symposium for Top NC Legal Counsel on May 5

Jason C. Hicks
April 12, 2011 17:49

Womble Carlyle CLE Symposium for Top NC Legal CounselA full-day CLE event for in-house counselMay 5, 2011 -- 8:30-4:30 p.m.10 CLE Sessions, Lunch and Keynote Address by North Carolina Attorney General Roy CooperOn May 5, Womble Carlyle will offer CLE sessions on such topics as:political...