Inside Competition

United States key takeaways

• Civil litigation:  Jury verdict against Medtronic’s bundling allowed to stand.  Indirect purchasers file proposed class action alleging shipping container manufacturers conspired to restrict output and fix prices. Illinois federal court denies class certification in healthcare no-poach wage-suppression suit.
• Criminal enforcement: Nevada man pleads guilty to rigging bids for healthcare-related and other US Air Force projects.
• Civil enforcement: DOJ proposes settlement to resolve challenge to OhioHealth’s healthcare contracts. 
• Merger review and challenges: FTC requires divestiture of four generic drugs in Aurobindo–Lannett deal.

International key takeaways

• Australia:  ACCC blocks Coles greenfield supermarket site under new mandatory merger regime.
• European Union: EU increases focus on labor markets and no-poach agreements.
• Germany: Germany proposes 12th amendment to Competition Act.
• Ireland: Irish merger notification thresholds increase.
• Italy: AGCM launches market investigation into motor third-party liability insurance sector.
• Spain: CNMC opens proceedings against major Spanish banks for public statements on future commercial policies. CNMC updates guidance on competition compliance programs. Government of Spain nominates new CNMC president and board members.
• United Kingdom: CMA accepts first buyer side exiting firm defense in UK bakeries merger. CMA imposes “world-first” AI publisher requirement on Google.

United States

• Civil litigation: Brokerage files proposed class action against CoStar. Consumers file proposed class action against Lucky Strike.
• Criminal enforcement: DOJ investigates Texas Gulf Coast fertilizer plants. DOJ opposes motion to dismiss in Sherman Act bid-rigging prosecution.
• Civil enforcement: Agri Stats to make significant changes to settle DOJ lawsuit. DOJ highlights growing use of AI and data analytics to detect collusion.
• Merger review and challenges: FTC requires divestiture in 365 Retail–Cantaloupe. Senator Booker introduces CLEAN Mergers Act. DOJ requires divestitures in Taiheiyo/CalPortland–Vulcan ready-mix concrete acquisition.

International

• European Union: Key updates in the draft EU Merger Guidelines. European Commission opens in-depth foreign subsidies investigation into JD.com’s proposed acquisition of CECONOMY.
• Germany: German Federal Court of Justice confirms limits to collective claims collection in cartel damages litigation.
• Italy: Cartel in the savory snacks sector: the Italian Competition Authority (ICA) finds an infringement and applies the settlement procedure for the first time.
• Spain: Spanish CNMC hosts annual meeting of Ibero-American Association of Energy Regulatory Authorities and adopts Madrid Declaration. CNMC closes proceeding against Naturgy concerning alleged discrimination of competitors. For professional responsibility reasons, these summaries may not include discussions of developments relating to certain matters.

United States key takeaways

• Civil litigation: Ninth Circuit allows challenge to extraterritorial application of California’s Cartwright Act. Second Circuit declines to revive Ivy League athletes' suit over scholarship ban. Eighth Circuit affirms dismissal of farmers’ antitrust suit against agricultural companies. JPML consolidates growing wave of fire apparatus antitrust actions. 
• Criminal enforcement: Former Air Force Master Sergeant pleads guilty to bid-rigging scheme involving IT contracts for the US Air Force. Fuel executive sentenced to five years for defrauding US Navy. DOJ enters non-prosecution agreement with Broadway Across America over non-compete. FTC urges Tennessee Supreme Court to open up law school accreditation. 
• Civil enforcement: DOJ challenges NYP’s payor contracting restrictions. FTC secures USD10 million settlement with StubHub for deceptive ticket pricing. DOJ opens investigation into NFL subscription fees. State enforcers push for parallel remedies proceedings after jury verdict against Live Nation.
• Merger review and challenges: Federal court blocks Nexstar-Tegna merger pending resolution of antitrust suit. Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chair flags competition concerns over proposed RV components “merger of equals”. Senator Blumenthal calls for DOJ investigation into sale of WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. 
• Recent legislation: Maryland enacts state-level ban on surveillance pricing in food retail. 

International key takeaways

• European Union: Revised EU Merger Guidelines forthcoming. The April 2026 edition of DLA Piper’s Antitrust Bites newsletter covers other EU antitrust developments, including the European Commission’s Revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation and Guidelines on the application of Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) to technology transfer agreements. 
• United Kingdom: UK Competition Appeal Tribunal rejects Atlantic salmon collective proceedings order application. 
• Hungary: Below-threshold Hungarian media merger triggers warning from the EU Media Board. 
• Poland: SOKiK upholds LPP for in-house counsel while UOKiK challenges independence of employed lawyers.