Paolo Morante's practice focuses on antitrust and trade regulation law. Mr. Morante represents clients in commercial litigation in federal and state courts, US and international transactions, and regulatory matters before the US Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and offices of the attorneys general of several states. He has substantial experience in matters relating to US and international merger enforcement, including regulatory review of complex cross-border transactions and compliance with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

DLA Piper's Antitrust practice, of which Mr. Morante is a member, was recently ranked the #1 Antitrust Litigation practice by Martindale-Hubbell®, according to the total number of antitrust cases in which the firm has represented clients in US federal district courts during the prior two years.

Mr. Morante is a co-author of the Maryland chapter of State Antitrust Practice and Statutes (Fourth Ed.) (ABA 2009), and of the United States chapter of Cartel Enforcement Worldwide (Cameron May 2011), and has been a guest lecturer in antitrust law at the University of Maryland School of Law.

Representative Engagements

Mr. Morante regularly represents clients as antitrust counsel in merger enforcement proceedings before the US antitrust agencies. Significant recent merger enforcement and civil antitrust investigation engagements include:

• Hypercom Corporation merger with VeriFone Systems, Inc.
• PopCap Games acquisition by Electronic Arts
• Qualcomm sale of spectrum assets to AT&T
• Radiant Systems acquisition by NCR
• Applied Signal Technology acquisition by Raytheon
• CAE acquisition of Medical Education Technologies
• Animal Health International merger with Lextron
• The Johns Hopkins Health System acquisitions of Suburban Hospital Healthcare System, Sibley Memorial Hospital and All Children’s Hospital
• Life Technologies Corporation sale of mass spectrometry joint venture to Danaher Corporation
• JDA Software Group acquisition of i2 Technologies
• The Hain Celestial Group acquisition of Gourmet Marketing
• Trident Microsystems acquisition of certain assets of Micronas GmbH
• ZeniMax acquisition of id Software
• Chesapeake Sciences Corporation acquisition by L3 Communications
• Invitrogen acquisition of Applied Biosystems
• NEC Corporation acquisition of NetCracker Technologies
• JDA Software acquisition of Manugistics
• ON Semiconductor acquisitions of AMI Semiconductor, Catalyst Semiconductor and certain assets of Analog Devices
• Symantec acquisition of PC Tools
• Finisar Corporation acquisition of Optium Corporation
• Radyne Corporation acquisition by Comtech Telecommunications
• Packeteer acquisition by BlueCoat Systems
• Audible, Inc. acquisition by Amazon.com
• Swedish Match acquisition of Cigars International and formation of a joint venture with Scandinavian Tobacco
• Groupe Laperriere & Verrault's acquisition of its mineral process group by FLSmidth
• Surfcontrol acquisition by Websense
• Maxtor Corporation acquisition by Seagate Technology
• Aggregate Industries acquisition by Holcim
• Virsa Systems acquisition by SAP
• Pinnacle Systems acquisition by Avid Technology
• Cross Match acquisition by Smiths Group
• Represented a major construction materials supplier in civil investigation of the asphalt industry by the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice and the Attorneys General of Michigan and Massachusetts. The investigations were closed without any remedies being sought by the government

Significant recent antitrust litigation engagements include:

• In re Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation. Defense of an optical disk drive supplier in private class actions alleging price-fixing conspiracies in violation of the Sherman Act
• In re Linerboard Antitrust Litigation. Represented a major US poultry processor in multi-district litigation alleging price-fixing and output restrictions among major US linerboard producers
• In re Methionine Antitrust Litigation. Obtained substantial recovery for a major US poultry processor in multi-district litigation alleging an international price-fixing conspiracy among feed additives suppliers
• In re Vitamins Antitrust Litigation. Advised a major US poultry processor in a complex class action alleging price-fixing among suppliers of vitamins and obtained reduction in class counsel fees as a percentage of the client's recovery
• Avitech, LLC v. Embrex, Inc. Successfully defended a patentee against monopolization counterclaims in a patent dispute. Counterclaims were dismissed
• East Side Vend Distributors v. Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., et al. Represented a major US bottling company in defending a price discrimination lawsuit brought by a regional distributor
• Kelley v. Thompson McCully Co., et al. Successfully defendeda multinational construction materials supplier against a private lawsuit alleging price-fixing and market allocation agreements