Our Curious Amalgam

Often the private antitrust and consumer protection bar is slightly more defense-oriented. But what is it like to be a leading plaintiff's lawyer in consumer class actions? Daniel Karon, class action attorney with 30+ years of experience, speaks with John Roberti and Anora Wang on the possible changes of legislation and policy affecting class actions, federal and state enforcement, and the plainti...

Many industries routinely use data collected from multiple competing companies to develop price, cost and performance benchmarks. But when do benchmarking activities raise antitrust concerns? Co-hosts Alicia Downey and Christina Ma ask John Delacourt, general counsel to an international trade association and co-chair of the Antitrust Law Section's Trade, Sports and Professional Associations Commit...

There has been growing interest in labor antitrust enforcement, particularly with the DOJ bringing its first criminal no-poach and wage-fixing cases in late 2020 and early 2021. How do we make sense of this vitally important but relatively unsettled area of law? Megan Gerking, a partner at Morrison & Foerster, joins Christina Ma and Sergei Zaslavsky to provide context around the recent enforcement...

U.S. merger enforcement has been active in recent years, involving legal challenges pursued under some newer theories. But can it go too far to bring certain challenges under Section 2 of the Sherman Act? Koren Wong-Ervin, partner at Axinn, Veltrop, & Harkrider LLP, and a recognized thought leader in the antitrust bar, speaks with Anora Wang and John Roberti on the critical differences and issues...

Section 230 of the 1996 federal Communications Decency Act immunizes online platforms from civil liability based on third-party content as well as for removing such content in certain circumstances. Twenty-five years after its enactment, has this immunity gone too far in protecting the behemoth internet companies from accountability and facilitating their pervasive growth and online presence? In t...

Measured in absolute numbers, there have been more women attorneys and economists working in the field of antitrust, as compared to one or two decades ago. But is there greater diversity and inclusion as well, especially in leadership roles? Dr. Antara Dutta, Principal Economist at Amazon, Co-Chair of the ABA Antitrust Section's Diversity. Advanced Initiative, speaks with Anora Wang and John Rober...

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many aspects of our everyday lives to go virtual, and the surge in demand for videoconferencing technology has come with a variety of problems when it comes to privacy, cybersecurity, and consumer protection. Do we finally have a handle on the problems that came with this "Zoom Boom"? From connectivity and consumer choice to misleading claims of data security and c...

The ABA Antitrust Law Section issues a Presidential Transition Report each time a new administration enters the White House. What agenda does the latest Report recommend for the incoming leaders of the antitrust agencies? Transition Report Task Force leaders Rich Parker and Bill MacLeod discuss the highlights from the Report and share their insights with Sergei Zaslavsky and Christina Ma. Listen t...

Serving as the Chair of the ABA Antitrust Law Section is the culmination of years of hard work and dedicated service to the organization and its members. What has it been like to lead an international association of antitrust and consumer protection lawyers, regulators, economists, and academics during a global pandemic? As the Section gears up for its Virtual Spring Meeting online March 23-26, 20...

Merger clearance encompasses a major portion of the practice of competition law. What are the coming trends for 2021? Ilene Gotts, one of the deans of the competition bar, joins Christina Ma and John Roberti to discuss the major issues she sees for competition law related to mergers for 2021. Listen to this episode to learn more about the key issues, trends and predictions for antitrust M&A in the...

The UK has finally left the EU and the ambit of EU law. What does this mean for competition law, merger control, subsidy control and competition litigation in the EU and UK? Anneli Howard, a UK barrister and EU law specialist, joins Matthew Hall and John Roberti to discuss the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, WTO subsidy rules, Northern Ireland Protocol and the rest of the new legal regime....

Thanks to COVID-19, many courts and government agencies are using computer-based videoconferencing technology to conduct conferences, motion hearings, and even trials online. What are the do's and don'ts for litigating effectively in virtual proceedings, especially in complex antitrust cases involving multiple parties and far-flung witnesses? Lisa Wood, and antitrust practitioner, Co-Chair of the...

The FTC's enforcement program has long included the remedy of disgorgement, which requires that a defendant found liable return ill-gotten gains. Will the Supreme Court take this authority away? Michael Kades, Tim Muris, Maureen Ohlhausen and John Villafranco join Gerald Stein for a discussion of the Supreme Court's oral argument and what may happen to the FTC's disgorgement. Listen to this specia...

The Department of Justice Antitrust Division enjoys many tools to hone its criminal investigations, including many designed to incentivize cooperation from potential defendants. But how do Deferred Prosecution Agreements differ from the leniency program, and when might the Antitrust Division choose to negotiate one? Jon Jacobs, a seasoned antitrust trial lawyer and DOJ alumnus, joins Christina Ma...

At its most basic, marketing often consists of simply explaining a product's qualities relative to its alternatives. Can this go too far and amount to a competition law infringement? Isabelle de Silva, President of the French Competition Authority (FCA), and Bill Batchelor join John Roberti and Matthew Hall to discuss product denigration by reference to the FCA's cases in the pharma sector. Listen...

The editorial staff of Our Curious Amalgam is teaming up with substantive ABA Antitrust Law Section committees to summarize the main antitrust and consumer protection events of 2020 and preview the trends to watch in 2021. In Part Three of a three-part series, Legislation, Federal Civil Enforcement, and Exemptions and Immunities committees provide incisive analysis of the key happenings and issues...

This past year has been anything but a slowdown in antitrust enforcement around the world and has also put privacy and consumer protection issues in the limelight. What do you need to know? In Part Two of this three-part series, members of the International, Privacy and Information Security, and Consumer Protection committees discuss what they believe to be the key happenings and issues in 2020 an...

The editorial staff of Our Curious Amalgam is teaming up with substantive ABA Antitrust Law Section committees to summarize the main antitrust and consumer protection events of 2020 and preview the trends to watch in 2021. In Part One of a three-part series, Mergers & Acquisitions, Economics, and Insurance and Financial Services committees provide incisive analysis of the key happenings and issues...

Brazilian competition law and enforcement regime is among the most active ones around the world, with a well-recognized cartel program and efforts to advocate and develop its law. How does the Brazilian system work and what are the most important elements in Brazil's competition enforcement? The Honorable Commissioner Luiz Hoffmann of Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) spe...

From mergers to monopolization investigations, state attorneys general are playing a more active role in antitrust enforcement. How are states complementing or filling the gaps in federal antitrust enforcement? Phil Weiser, Colorado Attorney General, joins Tammy Zhu and John Roberti to discuss his office's efforts and strategies to promote competition and protect consumers in Colorado. Listen to t...

The ongoing debate of data portability has produced many unanswered questions, resulting in a need for a more structured analysis of the issues surrounding of the movement of data. How can governments, or various sectors, industries, or companies develop solutions for data portability that encompass the often-competing goals of promoting competition and protecting privacy rights? Internationally-r...

With the enactment of stronger privacy laws in Europe and California, and with the prominent use of digital platforms and intense policy debates surrounding their regulation, issues regarding what has been termed "data portability" have been brought to the forefront. What is data portability, and how is it being addressed in the law? Alex Brown and Gabe Maldoff join Christina Ma and Kayla Odom to...

Screening out potential collusion and manipulation is the key to corporations' antitrust compliance by flagging suspicious activities early and accurately, and also at a later stage of investigations or private actions. But what exactly is in a screen? The relevant economic tools are very sophisticated and evolving. There are also practical considerations in designing and applying screens, especia...

The Women. Connected Committee of the ABA Antitrust Law Section recently inducted four prominent women in the field of antitrust into its Hall of Fame-inism. How did they overcome career challenges and gender bias to make it to the top of their field? Co-hosts Christina Ma and Alicia Downey interview Margaret Guerin-Calvert, Deborah Majoras, Lisa Phelan, and Bonny Sweeney about how they achieved (...

Data and technology issues are behind many antitrust/competition and consumer law cases. How are regulators responding to this and what are their capabilities? Stefan Hunt, Chief Data and Technology Insights Officer at the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), joins Christina Ma and Matthew Hall to discuss the activities of the CMA's Data, Technology and Analytics unit (DaTA). Listen to this...