Overview
Bloomberg, Inside Higher Ed, Law360 and Reuters covered June 14 decisions from a Manhattan federal judge dismissing a series of antitrust lawsuits accusing some on-campus bookstore chains and college textbook publishers of conspiring to eliminate competition and raise prices through programs commonly known as "Inclusive Access." Inclusive Access programs usually provide students with automatic access to digital textbooks when they register for classes and charge the cost to tuition bills, unless a student elects to opt of the program. US District Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York, who was overseeing a multidistrict litigation proceeding that included complaints brought by both off-campus retailers and students, dismissed all of the claims. Steptoe represents one of the defendants, Pearson Education.
The Steptoe antitrust and litigation team is led by partners Jennifer Quinn-Barabanov, Michael Dockterman, and Damon Kalt, with associates Zachary Schreiber and Daniel Aldrich.
Read the coverage at Bloomberg Law and Law360 (subscriptions required) Inside Higher Ed and Reuters.