Ruling May Signal Larger FTC Role

Law.com - IP Practice Center: A rare Federal Trade Commission ruling that a company’s patent enforcement actions were anti-competitive without the typical agency ruling that the company violated the Sherman Act has patent lawyers wondering if the FTC is expanding its enforcement reach. In the Jan. 23 decision, the commission said Chicago-based patent licensing company Negotiated Data Solutions LLC (or N-Data) engaged in unfair methods of competition and an unfair act or practice. The FTC sought to curtail the company from collecting hig