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Bernstein on the Law Deans, Tenure, and the ABA

TOTM My colleague David Bernstein at VC points out this article in Inside Higher Ed by Doug Lederman discussing the American Law Deans Association’s criticisms of . . .

My colleague David Bernstein at VC points out this article in Inside Higher Ed by Doug Lederman discussing the American Law Deans Association’s criticisms of the ABA’s imposition of requirements that go well beyond “assuring the quality of legal education.”

Read the full piece here.

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The FCC Payola Probe Continues

TOTM The Federal Communications Commission has announced that it is stepping up efforts in its investigation of payola practices at four radio conglomerates: Clear Channel, CBS . . .

The Federal Communications Commission has announced that it is stepping up efforts in its investigation of payola practices at four radio conglomerates: Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Entercom, and Citadel, and has issued former letters of inquiry. Bill pointed me to an article in the LA Times which reports that settlement talks with the four radio firms broke down recently…

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Telecommunications & Regulated Utilities

Manne & Williamson get results from the FTC and DOJ!

TOTM My co-author, Marc Williamson, just alterted me to this section in the recently-published FTC/DOJ Merger Guidelines Commentary (.pdf)… Read the full piece here.

My co-author, Marc Williamson, just alterted me to this section in the recently-published FTC/DOJ Merger Guidelines Commentary (.pdf)…

Read the full piece here.

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Antitrust & Consumer Protection

Do Slotting Contracts Harm Consumers?

TOTM Warning: shameless plug of my own research to follow! Slotting allowances, or payments for shelf space, have been a central part of my research agenda . . .

Warning: shameless plug of my own research to follow!

Slotting allowances, or payments for shelf space, have been a central part of my research agenda for the last several years. My work with Ben Klein, The Economics of Slotting Contracts, presents a procompetitive theoretical explanation (and some aggregate data in support of our theory) for slotting contracts which I have blogged about from time to time. One of the reasons that I enjoy this topic is because payments for distribution are pervasive.

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Antitrust & Consumer Protection

Ford on Lott v. Levitt and “Replication”

TOTM The Lott v. Levitt lawsuit has become a pretty popular topic for bloggers of late (see, e.g., here, here or here). My previous post with . . .

The Lott v. Levitt lawsuit has become a pretty popular topic for bloggers of late (see, e.g., here, here or here). My previous post with links to some earlier blog discussions is here. As many have noted, Lott’s defamation claim comes down to the meaning of the term “replicate.”

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In Defense of Short-Selling

TOTM In today’s W$J, Holman Jenkins stands up for short-sellers, and rightly so. Those folks have taken a bit of a beating lately. They’ve been sued . . .

In today’s W$J, Holman Jenkins stands up for short-sellers, and rightly so. Those folks have taken a bit of a beating lately. They’ve been sued by companies like Biovail and Overstock.com and trashed on talk shows like CBS’s 60 Minutes.

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Financial Regulation & Corporate Governance

Tenure and the Law Deans

TOTM While we’re talking about the ABA . . . Brian Leiter asks whether the American Law Deans’ Association is opposed to tenure. The question is . . .

While we’re talking about the ABA . . .

Brian Leiter asks whether the American Law Deans’ Association is opposed to tenure. The question is spurred by the ALDA’s comment (.doc) filed with the DOE on the ABA’s application for reaffirmation as a recognized accrediting body. Leiter cites to a blog post (which links to the ALDA’s comment) from Marina Angel (he attributes the post to Ann Bartow, but the post seems to be by Marina Angel) at the Feminist Law Professors Blog. There’s a follow up to the post here.

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Antitrust & Consumer Protection

A Bizarre Insider Trading Case from Down Under

TOTM Today’s W$J reports on an odd lawsuit the Australian government is pursuing against Citigroup. According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, a smoke break . . .

Today’s W$J reports on an odd lawsuit the Australian government is pursuing against Citigroup. According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, a smoke break conversation between Citigroup employees resulted in illegal insider trading. Citigroup, it seems, was representing bidder Toll Holdings, Inc. in a yet-to-be-announced hostile bid for Patrick Corp., Austrialia’s largest port cargo handler. Someone from Citigroup’s investment banking operation allegedly shared information about the deal with one of Citigroup’s proprietary traders (i.e., someone who trades securities for Citigroup’s own account). The trading that followed, Australian regulators say, violated the law.

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Financial Regulation & Corporate Governance

MSM, Blogs, and George Mason’s “Other” Big News

TOTM It has been a fine month for George Mason University. The Final Four appearance has attracted a good deal of media attention and general buzz. . . .

It has been a fine month for George Mason University. The Final Four appearance has attracted a good deal of media attention and general buzz. This week, I received a record number of phone calls from friends about Mason (“No, I dont have any extra Final Four tickets.”). As great as this news is for the university community as a whole, GMU Law had an eventful March in its own right. For what it is worth, we moved up a few (4) spots in the US News Rankings to 37 (Brian Leiter thinks we are still underrated). But I want to write about what I found to be a very interesting series of events following reports that a GMU Law faculty member would be nominated to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.

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Intellectual Property & Licensing