WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department
is probing Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Encana Corp
(ECA.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) for possible collusion after a Reuters investigation
showed that top executives of the two rivals plotted in 2010 to
avoid bidding against each other in Michigan land deals, a
source close to the probe said.

The Reuters report uncovered emails showing that the two
natural gas companies repeatedly discussed how to avoid bidding
against each other in a public land auction in Michigan and in
nine prospective deals with private land owners in the state.

By Diane Bartz and Dan Levine

(Reuters) – A U.S. trade panel said on Monday it would revisit an initial ruling that Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) infringed one of four patents asserted by Motorola Mobility, now a Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) unit.

The smartphone industry has seen dozens of lawsuits on several continents. The legal challenges are a proxy for the larger fight for market share between Apple and companies that make smartphones that use Google Inc’s Android software.

WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) – Universal Music Group is
trotting out a roster of big-name allies as it makes its case on
Thursday before U.S. lawmakers for its much-criticized deal to
buy a chunk of rival EMI.

Irving Azoff, the head of Live Nation Entertainment,
which faced its own regulatory rough ride in its controversial
merger with Ticketmaster in 2010, plans to tell a congressional
hearing that increased competition in digital music will make
the mega-music merger less concerning.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When the Federal Trade Commission recently intensified its probe of Internet giant Google, it hired the high-powered Washington lawyer who helped send Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to the death chamber.

With little anti-trust experience but a long record of victory, Beth Wilkinson built a reputation as a tough litigator with cases like that of McVeigh and the defense of Big Tobacco against smokers’ lawsuits, and her hiring was seen by some as a sign that the FTC was contemplating a suit against Google.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Facebook has received notice that U.S. antitrust regulators will give its proposed purchase of the popular photo-sharing app maker Instagram a lengthy investigation, an industry source told Reuters on Tuesday.

Facebook has received a “second request” from the Federal Trade Commission, essentially a request for relatively large amounts of data that the regulators will sift through to ensure that the deal complies with antitrust law.

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) – Some Motorola Mobility
smartphones infringe on a Microsoft patent and
will be barred from importation to the United States, a U.S.
trade panel said on Friday.

The order by the U.S. International Trade Commission has
been sent to President Barack Obama, who has 60 days to consider
whether to overturn it for policy reasons.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – On the face of it, Universal Music Group’s bid to buy a big chunk of EMI stands to make the world’s leading music company an even more formidable force, combining Universal’s star lineup of Lady Gaga and Rihanna with the British company’s deep library of The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Katy Perry.

Certainly the fierce opposition from rival Warner Music Group, consumer groups and independent music companies makes it seem that way. They have all vowed to fight it tooth and nail, telling U.S. and European regulators that the merger would create a behemoth capable of controlling the future of digital media by withholding content from digital music startups.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court ruled on Monday that Apple Inc could press its bid for an immediate injunction to block the sale of some tablet computers made by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd based on allegations of infringement of one patent.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said the judge in a district court in California had erred in deciding that Apple failed to show that it was likely to succeed on the merits and sent the case back to the district count for further review.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook will pay Microsoft Corp $550 million in cash for hundreds of patents recently sold by AOL, the social networking company’s latest move to bulk up its intellectual property in the wake of a lawsuit filed by Yahoo.

The deal, shortly before Facebook is expected to have the largest initial public offering in Silicon Valley history, will give the social network 650 patents and patent applications, as well as a license to another 275 patents and applications owned by Microsoft.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who on Friday requested an extension to file his 2011 tax forms, estimated his tax liability at $3.2 million for last year, according to the forms.

In filing for the extension, the likely Republican presidential nominee said he had made total tax payments of $3,434,441 for 2011 but estimated his tax liability for the year at $3,226,623.