California Recruits Top Tech Lawyer to Challenge Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger
California and a coalition of states are in talks with prominent tech lawyer Robert Van Nest to represent them in a potential lawsuit blocking Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Van Nest, known for major antitrust and tech cases including Google's Supreme Court victory, met with California's Attorney General on Friday, with a decision expected within a month. The multi-state challenge represents one of several regulatory obstacles the merger faces, alongside federal and international scrutiny.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office is negotiating with Robert Van Nest, a prominent Silicon Valley trial lawyer, to lead a multi-state legal challenge against Paramount's proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Van Nest, a partner at Keker, Van Nest & Peters, has built a reputation through high-profile tech cases, including representing Google in a Supreme Court copyright dispute and currently defending OpenAI in copyright litigation. A coalition of states—including New York, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Connecticut, and Tennessee—is preparing to file the lawsuit within approximately one month, with most led by Democratic attorneys general, though some Republican prosecutors have also joined. The states are examining theatrical distribution, streaming, and news markets as potential areas of competitive concern, with particular focus on impacts to CBS and CNN. Paramount will face opposition from multiple regulatory bodies, including the Justice Department, FCC, European Union, and U.K. regulators who recently opened their own investigation with an August 7 deadline for determining whether deeper review is warranted.
What's missing
The articles do not explain the specific competitive concerns that prompted the investigation or provide Paramount's detailed rationale for why the merger would benefit consumers and competition. Additionally, there is limited discussion of historical precedent for state-led challenges to major media mergers or their success rates.
What different sources said
- The Hollywood ReporterCenter
California In Talks for Superstar Tech Lawyer to Challenge Paramount’s Warner Bros. Deal (Exclusive)
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