Letter to the FTC: Purchase of Casetext by Westlaw, and the Closing of Subscriptions to New Subscribers

Office of Policy and Coordination 

Bureau of Competition 

Federal Trade Commission 

600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20580 

 RE: Purchase of Case Text by Westlaw/Reuters to Shut Down a Low Price Competitor to the public. Deirdre Stanley - Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Thomson Reuters, 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036 

 Dear Madam or Sir: I am a consumer of legal research. I tried to get a subscription to a low cost account at Case text. I was told that no new subscribers to CaseText will be accepted. I would be required to purchase a subscription to the higher priced Westlaw to get the benefit of the superior product by CaseText. 

 CaseText is a legal research company and database that provides access to a comprehensive library of legal documents, including: 1. Case law: Federal and state court decisions, including opinions, briefs, and dockets. 2. Statutes: Federal and state laws, regulations, and legislative materials. 3. Secondary sources: Legal treatises, law review articles, and other authoritative texts. 4. Annotations: Summaries and analysis of key cases and statutes. 

 CaseText's database is searchable by keyword, citation, or topic, and offers features like: 1. AI-powered search and recommendation tools 2. Advanced filtering and sorting options 3. Document visualization and mapping 4. Collaboration tools for teams CaseText aims to make legal research more efficient, accurate, and accessible for lawyers, researchers, and students. 

Its database is regularly updated to reflect new developments in the law. Some of the key benefits of using CaseText include: 1. Time-saving: Quick access to relevant legal information 2. Comprehensive coverage: Extensive library of legal documents 3. Advanced search: AI-powered tools for precise searching 4. Collaboration: Easy sharing and collaboration on research projects Overall, CaseText is a valuable resource for legal professionals, researchers, and students seeking to streamline their legal research process. 

 This is a description of Westlaw by Reuters/Thompson. It is basically the same, but less intelligent, less efficient, less helpful. Westlaw, owned by Thomson Reuters, is a leading legal research database providing access to: 1. Case law: Federal and state court decisions, including opinions, briefs, and dockets. 2. Statutes: Federal and state laws, regulations, and legislative materials. 3. Secondary sources: Legal treatises, law review articles, and other authoritative texts. 4. News and business information: News articles, company information, and market data. Westlaw features include: 1. Advanced search: Boolean, natural language, and proximity searching. 2. Document analysis: KeyCite, Westlaw's citation tracking tool. 3. Research folders: Organize and save research sessions. 4. Alerts: Customizable notifications for new cases, statutes, or news. 5. Practical Law: Access to practice guides, checklists, and forms. 

 Thomson Reuters, the parent company, is a global information and technology provider, offering solutions for: 1. Legal professionals 2. Tax and accounting professionals 3. Healthcare professionals 4. Scientific and academic researchers 5. Business and financial professionals Thomson Reuters provides a wide range of products and services, including: 1. Westlaw 2. LexisNexis (competitive legal research database) 3. Reuters News Agency 4. Thomson Reuters Financial & Risk 5. Thomson Reuters Scientific & Scholarly Research Westlaw and Thomson Reuters aim to provide comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date information to support research, decision-making, and professional development across various industries. 

 These are the recent fees for CaseText in 2022. CaseText offers various subscription plans with different pricing tiers. Here are some general pricing ranges for CaseText subscriptions: 1. Individual plans: - Basic: around $59-$79 per month (billed annually) - Premium: around $99-$129 per month (billed annually) 2. Team plans (for 2-10 users): - Basic: around $199-$299 per month (billed annually) - Premium: around $399-$599 per month (billed annually) 3. Enterprise plans (for 11+ users): - Custom pricing for large teams and organizations 4. Academic plans (for students and faculty): - Free or discounted access through participating law schools - Individual academic plans: around $20-$50 per month (billed annually) 5. Free trial: - 14-day free trial available for new users 

 These are the substantially greater costs for a subscription to Westlaw by Reuters/Thompson. The costs of a subscription to Westlaw, a legal research database, vary depending on the specific plan, features, and user type. Here are some general pricing ranges for Westlaw subscriptions: 1. Individual plans: - Westlaw Edge: around $125-$175 per month (billed annually) - Westlaw Essentials: around $75-$125 per month (billed annually) 2. Law firm plans: - Small firm (1-10 attorneys): around $1,500-$3,000 per month (billed annually) - Medium firm (11-50 attorneys): around $3,000-$6,000 per month (billed annually) - Large firm (51+ attorneys): custom pricing 3. Academic plans: - Student access: free or discounted through participating law schools - Faculty access: around $100-$300 per year 4. Government and non-profit plans: - Custom pricing for government agencies and non-profit organizations 5. Add-ons and additional features: - Westlaw Edge Plus: around $50-$100 per month (billed annually) - Westlaw International: around $100-$300 per month (billed annually) - Westlaw UK: around £100-£300 per month (billed annually) 

 Here is a brief history of the purchase of CaseText by Westlaw: 

 - 2016: CaseText is founded by a team of legal technologists, including CEO Jake Heller, with the goal of creating an AI-powered legal research platform.

- 2017: CaseText raises $12 million in funding from investors, including Canvas Ventures and Y Combinator.

- 2018: CaseText launches its flagship product, CaseText Prime, a legal research platform using AI to analyze and summarize case law. 

- 2020: Thomson Reuters (Westlaw's parent company) announces its acquisition of CaseText for an undisclosed sum. 

- June 2020: The acquisition is completed, and CaseText becomes a part of Westlaw's legal research offerings. 

- 2020-2022: Westlaw integrates CaseText's AI technology and content into its platform, enhancing Westlaw's legal research capabilities. 

 The acquisition aimed to: 1. Enhance Westlaw's legal research capabilities with AI-powered tools. 2. Expand Westlaw's content offerings to include CaseText's unique analysis and summaries. 3. Strengthen Westlaw's position in the legal research market. By acquiring CaseText, Westlaw combined its comprehensive legal database with cutting-edge AI technology, providing users with advanced research and analytical tools. The stated purpose of the purpose of the purchase was to add the artificial intelligence capability of Casetext. It made it a superior product to Westlaw. 

What this official statement does not disclose is that cheaper subcriptions to Casetext would be closed to new subscribers like me. The idea is to force me to purchase an inferior product at twice the cost. 

 Please investigate this matter.