2 Gurus Talk Compliance: Episode 55 – The From Worse to Worser Edition
First 100 Days of the New HSR Rules with Antitrust Partner Kara Kuritz
The LathamTECH Podcast — Getting Deals Done: Tackling Antitrust Challenges in Tech M&A
Daily Compliance News: June 2, 2025, The Unintended Consequence Edition
Podcast - Navigating the New Landscape of Private Equity in Healthcare
10 For 10: Top Compliance Stories For the Week Ending May 17, 2025
From Cell Phones to Tractors: The Right to Repair Movement Drives On — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
Daily Compliance News: May 12, 2025, The Corruption in the Broad Daylight Edition
Daily Compliance News: May 1, 2025, The 100 Days of Corruption Edition
Daily Compliance News: April 23, 2025, The R-E-S-P-E-C-T Edition
Business Better Podcast Episode: Bridging Campuses: Legal Insights on Education Industry Consolidation – Mergers, Acquisitions, and Antitrust
Antitrust Insights for Private Equity Navigating the New Administration's Policies — PE Pathways Podcast
12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 11 – State AGs on the Antitrust Frontline — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 8 - Inside the Texas AG's Office — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 3 - State AG Oversight in the Health Care Industry — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
Episode 341 -- DOJ Charges Visa with Monopolization and Exclusionary Conduct in the Debit Card Market
Fierce Competition Podcast | Antitrust Challenges in Organized Sports: How They Play Out in the EU, UK and US
Podcast: Key Changes in Finalized Antitrust Merger Guidelines – Diagnosing Health Care
The Changing Landscape of State AG Antitrust Enforcement — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
Fierce Competition Podcast | Takeaways From the Illumina-Grail Merger Challenge Saga
A federal court in Ohio dismissed a putative class action brought by franchisee-eyewear sellers against their franchisor, Luxottica of America. Brave Optical, Inc. v. Luxottica of Am. Inc., 2025 WL 962827 (S.D. Ohio Mar. 31,...more
In May of last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sought to ban non-compete agreements in most employment contracts. Franchise agreements were an exception. However, before the rule could take effect in September, a...more
On January 16, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued “Antitrust Guidelines for Business Activities Affecting Workers” (2025 Guidelines). The 2025 Guidelines aim to “promote clarity and...more
On January 16, 2025, in the waning hours of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) jointly released their “Antitrust Guidelines for Business Activities Affecting...more
In June of 2022, McDonald’s obtained a judgment on the pleadings, ending antitrust litigation challenging the legality of the no-hire restraints it previously included in its franchise agreements. More than a year later, the...more
The Seventh Circuit recently revived an antitrust challenge to a clause in McDonald’s franchise agreements barring franchises from poaching other franchises’ employees. (See our previous coverage of antitrust challenges to...more
In Deslandes v. McDonald’s USA LLC, issued August 25, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit overturned the dismissal of antitrust claims that challenged no-poach clauses in franchise agreements....more
A federal court in Missouri recently ruled that antitrust claims against four real estate broker franchisors and a trade association may proceed to trial based on evidence that the association’s code of ethics may inflate...more
Arrington v. Burger King Worldwide, Inc., No. 20-13561 (11th Cir. Aug. 31, 2022) – In October 2018, a former line cook of a Burger King franchise restaurant in Illinois, filed a class action complaint in the District Court...more
A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has held that an antitrust challenge to a “hiring restriction [that] prevented” plaintiff employees “from taking a better-paying position with a...more
Almost one year has passed since the Supreme Court’s unanimous antitrust decision in NCAA v. Alston. That well-publicized decision affirmed the District Court’s rejection of the NCAA’s limits on education-related compensation...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM, formerly known as The GPMemorandum. Periodically, The Franchise Memorandum focuses on topics primarily of interest to companies that use distributors and dealers rather than...more
The plaintiffs filed a class action against Domino’s, alleging that the company’s franchise agreement violated federal antitrust law as well as state law. Domino’s moved to compel arbitration, and the plaintiffs opposed on...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM, formerly known as The GPMemorandum. Since December 1997, The GPMemorandum has been presenting summaries of recent legal developments of interest to franchisors and companies...more
Franchise systems, and many licensing arrangements contain anti-poaching provisions. These provisions are being tested under the antitrust laws as being anticompetitive. This article will discuss the benefits and burdens of...more
In a recent post, I expressed the view that no-poach clauses in franchise agreements are unlikely to violate the antitrust laws. Recent activity, however, has given me a “maybe yes, maybe no” on my prediction....more
The recent antitrust attacks on no-poach clauses encourage insomnia among franchise lawyers. But is the attack serious or just a flash in the pan, soon to be extinguished? The insomnia began in the tech industry, where...more
Since issuing the DOJ/FTC Antitrust Guidance for Human Resource Professionals in 2016, the DOJ Antitrust Division has remained active in enforcing and commenting on agreements among employers not to compete for hiring...more
Several years ago, state attorneys general began investigating claims of antitrust violations based on franchise agreements that required franchisees not to hire employees of another franchisee. Despite the regular use of...more
In the midst of a federal effort to ramp up antitrust prosecutions of companies agreeing not to recruit or hire each other’s employees special scrutiny – and criticism – has been directed toward the use of no-poach agreements...more
In order to avoid a lawsuit by the Washington State Attorney General, seven fast-food chains with store locations nationwide agreed to no longer enforce “no-poach/no-hire” provisions in their franchise agreements and to...more
The Attorneys General of ten states are investigating fast food franchisors for their alleged use of “no poach” provisions in their franchise agreements, according to a press release by the New Jersey Attorney General’s...more
Franchise agreements often contain provisions prohibiting the franchisee from soliciting or hiring workers employed by the franchisor or other franchisees. Such “anti-poaching” agreements have recently come under increased...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: There are currently pending at least four class actions claiming that provisions contained in franchise agreements prohibiting the hiring of employees of other intrabrand franchisees without the consent of...more
Agreements among companies to not hire each other’s workers are more risky than ever. The DOJ’s Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division, Makan Delrahim, stated on January 19 that the division has criminal cases...more