Monthly Archives: October 2010

Certification Denied in Wellbutrin Case

A federal judge decided not to certify a class action against GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Wellbutrin.  The consumer and indirect purchaser class action sought to show that there was a plan to maintain higher prices of the drug Wellbutrin.  A federal judge refused on the grounds that there wasn’t enough to prove that each member was affected.  This has been touted as a “significant win for big pharmaceutical firms.”

Interested in learning more?  PLI held its annual seminar Developments in Pharmaceutical and Biotech Patent Law 2010.  The accompanying course handbook is now available and provides valuable insight.

Tax Research Program At Your Fingertips

PLI and LLAGNY recently sponsored a program entitled An Introduction to Tax Research in the Library: The Crossroad Between Information & Practice.  It was presented by Jennifer A. Lawton, Tax Librarian, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP; Russell Switzer, Tax Librarian, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; and tax attorney, Erin M. Collins, Manager, Tax, KPMG.  The program explained the types of authority in federal tax research, the sources to look for answers to your tax research questions, as well as the sources to consult for legislative histories.

Erin M. Collins is also the author of the Internal Revenue Service Practice and Procedure Deskbook.  This title is a valuable resource for any tax library.  The title is available here.

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Please note this program has expired.  If you are interested in current PLI Library Programs, please visit www.pli.edu/libraryaudiobriefings.

Antitrust Settlement Reached

It was reported that an agreement was reached between Department of Justice  (DOJ) and Visa and Mastercard on the fees that these companies charge merchants.  This is good news for customers and store owners because the DOJ estimated that the fees cost merchants $35 billion and that those costs were passed on to customers.  In addition the DOJ announced that they filed an antitrust suit against American Express. 

Interested in learning more about antitrust issues?  Every year the PLI holds the Antitrust Insititue and publishes the accompanying course handbook by the same name.  The Antitrust Institute 2010 course handbook is available here.

Antitrust Settlement on the Horizon for Visa & Mastercard

It was reported today that Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. are close to a settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ).  The DOJ has been investigating possible antitrust violations on credit card acceptance rules.  The issue involves the fees that Visa and Mastercard charge to merchants and a settlement would give merchants some flexibility to steer customers to a cheaper card.

Interested in learning more about antitrust issues?  Every year PLI holds the Antitrust Insititue and publishes the accompanying course handbook by the same name.  The Antitrust Institute 2010 course handbook is available here.