Westlaw Must Face Antitrust Claims in a Case That Could Boost Competitive Compatibility

Westlaw, the world’s largest legal research service, is very likely to face antitrust liability. A federal court has ruled that ROSS Intelligence, a tiny rival offering new research tools (which Westlaw forced out of business with a copyright infringement suit) could proceed with claims that Westlaw uses exclusionary and anticompetitive practices to maintain its monopoly over the legal research market. 

The ruling is a significant step in an antitrust case about Westlaw’s conduct as an entrenched incumbent. The company controls …

antitrust case claims competition competitive fair use