Israel’s Antitrust Authority has proposed amendments to the country’s antitrust law that will broaden its powers and help boost private enforcement.

New legislation has been proposed in Korea to open the door to private antitrust damages lawsuits, a Fair Trade Commission official announced today. Faaez Samadi in Singapore

Joaquín Almunia says he will draft legislation to address the contrast between public and private enforcement in the next months, while warning telecoms companies against national mergers.

In a case before the European Court of Justice that builds on issues raised by Pfleiderer, Niilo Jääskinen, one of the court’s advocate generals, has confirmed that national courts must decide whether leniency documents can be disclosed.

The US Second Circuit Court of Appeals has backed a lower court ruling that price-fixing claims filed by indirect purchasers of air cargo services were “expressly pre-empted” by the Federal Aviation Act, which shields airlines from state laws.

Italy’s Antitrust Authority has asked the country’s government to grant leniency applicants full immunity from criminal actions and partial immunity from follow-on claims for damages.

Finland’s largest ever damages claim trial for a competition infringement has started, as the country’s government and several municipalities demand €120 million in compensation from an asphalt cartel.

A European Commission official in charge of private enforcement has criticised the EU Court of Justice’s Pfleiderer ruling for introducing “unpredictability” to the commission’s enforcement programme and urged the EU parliament to settle the matter with new legislation. Stefano Berra in Florence.

A Brazilian court has dismissed antitrust claims against search leader Google after finding that there is extensive competition in the online search market, and that its power in the market cannot be “mistaken for a monopoly”.

A Canadian court has agreed to pause the private prosecution of airlines allegedly involved in a scheme to fix surcharges for air cargo transportation while waiting for the country’s Supreme Court to resolve questions about who can sue for antitrust damages.

A German appellate court has refused to disclose a leniency application to potential claimants for follow-on damages in a coffee cartel case, confirming a lower court’s approach to the Pfleiderer ruling.

Lawyers defending a closed merger between pharmacy rivals Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions have won their attempt to dismiss most of a private antitrust lawsuit against the deal, but must still face claims that the deal may harm the market for some specialised drugs.

A California state appeals court has agreed that allegations of a price-fixing conspiracy among the largest drug makers in the US have no merit, siding with a lower court’s decision to end an antitrust case against the companies.

The Court of Appeal of England & Wales has overturned a Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) decision that limited the timespan for private plaintiffs to bring follow-on claims against a participant in the graphite cartel.