WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department and Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), embroiled in a battle over whether AB InBev can expand its stake in the Mexican brewing company Grupo Modelo, asked a court on Friday to extend a delay in the court fight as the two sides hold settlement talks.

The Justice Department and the companies had previously requested and received a limited stay that put the case on hold until March 19.

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) – The Senate’s antitrust
panel will focus on the transportation, communications and
healthcare industries, among others, in coming weeks, Senator
Amy Klobuchar, the panel’s new chairwoman, said on Thursday.

Klobuchar told Reuters the Senate Judiciary Committee’s
subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer
rights would also likely hold an oversight hearing soon to hear
from the new leadership at the Justice Department’s antitrust
division and the Federal Trade Commission.

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) – Lawmakers asked on Thursday
whether a bill aimed at stopping abusive patent litigation that
costs companies millions of dollars each year could end up
hurting legitimate companies whose inventions have been
infringed.

Cisco Systems Inc, Apple Inc, Google Inc
and other tech powerhouses have been pushing for
legislation that would reduce the number of times each year that
they are sued for infringement by a “non-practicing entity,” a
company that licenses patents as its business.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A planned merger of two large U.S. mattress companies will force antitrust regulators to decide how much concentration they are prepared to allow in this once diffuse market.

Tempur-Pedic International Inc, an upstart from Kentucky that rules the market for pricey space-age foam mattresses, has offered to pay $242 million for century-old Sealy Corp, taking on about $750 million in Sealy’s debt in the process.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama intends to name Edith Ramirez, once a colleague of his at the Harvard Law Review, as chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, a White House official said on Thursday.

Ramirez has been an FTC commissioner since April 2010. She was a Los Angeles lawyer specializing in business litigation and intellectual property before joining the commission.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Executives from American Airlines AAMRQA.UL and US Airways Group Inc (LCC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) on Tuesday faced gentle questions from lawmakers about their planned merger, with some expressing concern about losing hubs in their districts.

US Airways Executive Vice President Stephen Johnson and American Airlines General Counsel Gary Kennedy defended the proposed $11 billion transaction by saying the companies had largely complementary networks, so little competition would be lost.

WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) – Executives from American
Airlines and US Airways Group Inc on Tuesday
faced gentle questions from lawmakers about their planned
merger, with some expressing concern about losing hubs in their
districts.

US Airways Executive Vice President Stephen Johnson and
American Airlines General Counsel Gary Kennedy defended the
proposed $11 billion transaction by saying the companies had
largely complementary networks, so little competition would be
lost.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department and Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which have been embroiled in a court fight over whether AB InBev can expand its stake in Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo, asked a court on Wednesday for a short delay as the two sides hold settlement talks.

AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, has 200 brands ranging from big names like Budweiser and Stella Artois to craft-style beers like Shock Top and Goose Island.

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department
and Anheuser-Busch InBev, which have been embroiled in
a court fight over whether AB InBev can expand its stake in
Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo, asked a court on Wednesday for a
short delay as the two sides hold settlement talks.

AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, has 200 brands ranging
from big names like Budweiser and Stella Artois to craft-style
beers like Shock Top and Goose Island.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Antitrust experts said on Tuesday there were no guarantees that a deal to merge Office Depot Inc, the No. 2 U.S. office supply retailer, with smaller rival OfficeMax Inc would win government approval.

The two companies are in advanced talks to merge and a deal could come as early as this week, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday.