Tobacco Tiff

“The goal of informing the public about the risks of tobacco use can and should be accomplished consistent with the U.S. Constitution.”

–Martin Holton, general counsel for R.J. Reynolds

A federal judge ruled on Feb. 29 that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could not require tobacco companies to include graphic images on cigarette packaging. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said that the mandate violated the companies' constitutional right to free speech.

Cutting Costs

“Among the legacy costs that must be addressed as part of our reorganization are retiree health care costs that are not borne by many of the companies we compete against in the marketplace.”

–Patrick M. Sheller, general counsel of Kodak, in a letter to the company's retirees

As part of its recently announced bankruptcy, Kodak is slashing expenses by cutting health care for former employees who retired after 1991 and are eligible for Medicare. Dependents who are under 65 will still be covered.

Antitrust Argument

“Motorola has broken its promise. Motorola is on a path to use standard essential patents to kill video on the Web, and Google as its new owner doesn't seem to be willing to change course.”

–Dave Heiner, vice president and deputy general counsel of Microsoft, in a blog post

On Feb. 22, Microsoft filed a formal complaint with the European Commission accusing Google and Motorola of patent abuse. Microsoft claims that Motorola is violating competition rules by pursuing patent infringement suits on technologies essential to the industry.