Representing clients ranging from renowned brands and Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurial startups, Joseph Vanek has achieved winning results in and out of court in antitrust, intellectual property, and many other commercial litigation cases.
With over thirty years of experience in both law and business, Joe brings uncommon insight in advising clients. Taking a creative and holistic approach to problem-solving and dispute resolution, he helps clients identify and leverage opportunities and manage risk.
In the antitrust arena, Joe represents companies harmed by federal and state antitrust violations recover on their claims. He has favorably resolved cases alleging price fixing and other anti-competitive practices and has prevailed in opt-out litigation, representing large corporate clients overcharged for products or services.
In his commercial litigation practice, Joe focuses on complex multidistrict litigation. He thrives on a challenge, taking on new and complex issues in emerging areas of the law. Joe's clients benefit from his skill in resolving wide-ranging matters, including intellectual property, partnership, contract, constitutional, antitrust, unfair competition, defamation, insurance coverage, and noncompete-related issues.
Representing clients in a broad spectrum of industries, including agriculture, chain grocery services, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and payment cards, Joe takes the time to know his clients, their businesses, pain points, and aspirations. In doing so, he gains the knowledge to best position them for success.
Joe holds two patents and founded, fostered, and later sold several companies, including Automark Technical Systems, LLC, which designed and sold voting machine solutions for the disabled, and Simple Truths, LLC, an inspirational book and mixed media company focused on personal and corporate development.
Honors & Awards
Representative Matters
Secured a $100 million settlement with Apple Inc. including going forward-rate relief for App developers in a lawsuit alleging that Apple violated U.S. antitrust and California unfair competition laws by monopolized (or attempted to monopolize) an alleged iOS app and in-app product distribution services market and charging supra competitive fees to app developers by restricting their access to payment options. Cameron et al. v. Apple, Inc., 19-cv-03074 (N.D. Cal.). This closely watched and widely reported case received the American Antitrust Institute’s Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement award in 2022.
Attained cumulative settlements totaling well into the nine figures for merchants in a case alleging that Visa and MasterCard engaged in an anticompetitive scheme to artificially inflate interchange fees charged to process credit card transactions on their networks. Interchange fees are the swipe fees merchants must pay on each credit-card transaction under the credit card companies’ rules. In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 05-MD-1720 (E.D.N.Y.).
Achieved a $453 million settlement for direct purchasers of the drug Glumetza. The case alleged that direct purchasers of the pharmaceutical product Glumetza overpaid for the drug as a result of a payoff to potential generic competitors. In re Glumetza Antitrust Litigation, 19-cv-6156 (N.D. Cal.)
Secured a $485 million settlement for direct purchasers of certain of Ranbaxy, Inc.’s generic drugs. The case alleged violations of RICO, federal and state antitrust laws and consumer protection laws claiming Ranbaxy improperly conspired to defraud U.S. regulatory authorities into giving the company certain regulatory exclusivities to produce generic versions of Novartis AG's blood pressure drug Diovan, Pfizer's acid reflux medication Nexium and Genentech's antiviral drug Valcyte. Meijer, Inc. v. Ranbaxy Inc., Case No. 15-cv-11828 (D. Mass.).
Secured more than $120 million in licensing fees on behalf of an inventor of essential technology needed for DVD players to operate. This matter involved assisting the inventor in securing additional patents and conducting a licensing campaign that resulted in the successful negotiation of running royalty licenses with every manufacturer of DVD players.
Practice Areas
Education
J.D., Boston College Law School, with honors, 1987
B.A., Creighton University, magna cum laude, 1984
Bar Admissions
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
