Happy Saturday from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, March 14, 2025, is below. What started as a relatively quiet week in the travel industry (other than the concerning reports from several...more
The Federal Trade Commission recently sued PepsiCo, Inc. alleging that the company engaged in illegal price discrimination by providing a large retailer with unfair pricing advantages in violation of the Robinson-Patman Act....more
This month, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) filed its much-anticipated lawsuit against Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, LLC (“Southern Glazer’s”), alleging the alcohol distributor violated the Robinson-Patman Act...more
On December 12, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed its first Robinson-Patman Act case in more than 20 years, just as the White House is set to change parties and the balance of power on the FTC will swing...more
In the waning days of the current administration, the antitrust agencies continue to cross items off their holiday wish list. Since the presidential election in November, the antitrust agencies have filed a new merger...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently filed a complaint in federal court alleging Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits LLC (Southern Glazer) violated the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), a price discrimination law....more
In a 3-2 party-line vote (Democratic majority), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the first time in decades filed an action alleging secondary line price discrimination under the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA). The FTC's...more
On December 12, 2024, following a nearly two-year-long investigation, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initiated its first litigation under the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) in more than two decades. The FTC sued Southern...more
On the eve of a new administration, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed its first price-discrimination action under the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) since 2000. The FTC sued Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits LLC in US...more
On December 12, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, LLC (Southern) in the Central District of California for alleged price discrimination, initiating the first federal government...more
On December 12, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) filed a lawsuit against Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, the largest distributor of wine and spirits in the U.S., alleging that Southern Glazer’s has violated the...more
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert highlighting Assembly Bill 1287, which prohibits businesses from charging different prices for substantially similar products based solely on gender, a practice...more
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in a company’s work processes is not new. AI has automated, innovated, and optimized a business’s processes and outcomes. In recent years, tech firms and consultants have been touting...more
Introduction A recent ruling condemning price discrimination for a popular eye drop brand is yet another reminder that companies cannot afford to ignore antitrust risk under the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), a longstanding law...more
Retailers today have grown increasingly sophisticated in how they collect and use sales data and price their merchandise to optimize sales, revenue, and profits, using that information in conjunction with digital marketing...more
The rumors of the death of price discrimination enforcement may have been greatly exaggerated. The Robinson-Patman Act (“RPA”) (15 U.S.C. §13), enacted in 1936, prohibits price discrimination by producers and resellers of...more
On May 20, 2024, US District Court Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald rejected a popular over-the-counter eyedrop seller’s bid for a new trial and granted a pricing injunction impacting two large wholesale membership clubs following...more
After decades of dormancy, the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), a Depression-era antitrust statute prohibiting price discrimination, has recently become the subject of renewed interest from both private plaintiffs and government...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has heralded its increased antitrust scrutiny of price discrimination under the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), though little has come of it to date. Yet, our review of trends in private...more
On March 28, 2024, 14 lawmakers penned an open letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging the agency to revive enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act. This call to action, coupled with the FTC’s recently renewed interest...more
There have been reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is leveraging the long-dormant Robinson-Patman Act as a basis for civil investigations into potential price discrimination by distributors in the alcoholic and...more
News of a recently filed Federal Court petition against Total Wine & More (“Total Wine”) has brought renewed focus on aggressive actions by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) to enforce antitrust laws, even at great expense...more
Price discrimination under the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) involves charging different prices to competing buyers for the same product. This was the key issue recently before the Ninth Circuit in U.S. Wholesale Outlet &...more
The Ninth Circuit recently revived a portion of a price discrimination claim brought by wholesalers of the popular 5-Hour Energy drink against its manufacturer, which provided more favorable promotional terms to a mass...more
While government enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act (the Act) was all but forgotten for nearly two decades, the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) announced a second investigation over potential price discrimination in...more