The U.S. and Plaintiff States sought to enjoin Thomson and West from entering into a merger which they alleged would substantially reduce competition among law resource publishing companies. Thomson and West agreed to settlement terms with the U.S. and the Plaintiff
States in which Thomson agreed to divest or license some of its law publications and products as viable lines of business to ensure that the buyer would be able to publish and sell the assets as viable product lines. The U.S. Department of Justice participated in the case.