The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following.

Apple Hit With $25K Per Day Fine in Qualcomm Antitrust Case.  Apple is being fined $25,000 per day for missing a court-imposed deadline to produce evidence in a government lawsuit that alleges mobile chip supplier Qualcomm has been imposing unfair licensing terms on the makers of smartphones.  The fine imposed Thursday by a federal magistrate judge in San Jose, California, is retroactive to Dec. 16 and will remain in effect until Dec. 29.  If Apple hasn’t produced all 1.3 million documents covered by an order issued in October, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins intends to increase the fine.

Disney backs Fox’s request for more data protection in antitrust trial.  Walt Disney Co joined Twenty-First Century Fox Inc on Wednesday in asking the judge hearing AT&T Inc’s antitrust case to strengthen an order aimed at keeping its data private if it is used at trial next year.  Disney and Fox have given data to the Justice Department that is being used to build a case against AT&T’s bid to buy Time Warner Inc.  The companies say they fear that executives with AT&T, which owns satellite TV provider DirecTV, could inadvertently gain access to it during the trial.

Talent Company Wants Ex-Football Star’s Lawsuit Tossed.  Efforts by a former Ohio State and NFL football star to expand his antitrust lawsuit over alleged improper use of ex-players’ images are futile and the complaint should be tossed out, talent management company IMG said in a court filing.  The dozens of colleges and universities targeted by ex-linebacker turned broadcaster Chris Spielman are immune from such lawsuits, and Spielman hasn’t shown how former football players at these schools have been prevented from marketing their own likeness, IMG said in the filing in federal court in Columbus.

Japan’s Taisei Corp raided by prosecutors over alleged antitrust violations.  Tokyo prosecutors raided the headquarters of Japan’s Taisei Corp on Wednesday over alleged antitrust violations linked to $80 billion worth of magnetic levitation train line projects, a company spokesman said.  Shares in Taisei, one of the so-called “big four” group of Japanese construction firms involved in the maglev project, fell as much as 5 percent on reports of the raid.  Peers Shimizu Corp and Kajima Corp have also been raided on suspicion of antitrust breaches related to the projects.