A Texas federal district court held on Aug. 20, 2024, that the Federal Trade Commission’s rule banning most employer-employee non-compete agreements is unlawful. This decision — unlike earlier preliminary decisions — orders...more
On Jan. 22, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced new premerger filing thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR Act) and new filing fee thresholds under the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022. The...more
On Dec. 18, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued new Merger Guidelines that explain how both agencies will analyze whether potential transactions may violate the antitrust...more
On September 14, 2023, Daniel W. Glad — Director of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (“Strike Force”) for the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division — gave remarks as the keynote speaker for the Virginia Bar...more
On July 18, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released draft updates to their merger guidelines that reflect considerable shifts in how the DOJ and FTC review horizontal and...more
On June 27, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that, if adopted, would significantly amend the rules and instructions governing the scope of information that must be submitted in a...more
On April 28, 2023, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division suffered another setback to its expanded criminal prosecution of no-poach agreements. The trial court in United States v. Patel, et al., granted a motion to...more
On Feb. 3, 2023, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) announced that it has withdrawn what it considers to be “outdated” joint Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and DOJ guidance, including the 1996 Statements of...more
On Feb. 2, 2023, Doha Mekki, a senior leader of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, announced wholesale changes to the Antitrust Division’s review of companies’ information-sharing practices. The Antitrust...more
On Jan. 25, 2023, the White House announced President Joe Biden’s Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights and several related initiatives “to increase fairness in the rental market and further principles of fair housing.” The...more
On Jan. 23, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced new premerger filing thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR Act).
Under the HSR Act, parties to mergers clearing certain thresholds generally must...more
On Dec. 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package, which includes two important changes to antitrust law. It revises merger filing fees, raising fees for some transactions and lowering fees...more
On Dec. 9, 2022, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) signed a memorandum of understanding...more
Based on recent announcements and remarks of U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) leadership, it is clear that Section 8 of the Clayton Act, prohibiting “interlocking directorates,” is an enforcement priority...more
On Oct. 31, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) announced that it brought criminal attempted monopolization charges under Section 2 of the Sherman Act, resulting in a guilty plea. Section 2, which...more
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division previewed on March 2, 2022, a potentially dramatic shift in its enforcement of Section 2 of the Sherman Act, which prohibits monopolization, attempted monopolization and...more
In his March 1, 2022 State of the Union Address, President Joe Biden again emphasized his commitment to increased competition — this time directing attention to the ocean shipping industry. In support of this commitment, the...more
On Jan. 21, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it is publishing revised reporting thresholds for premerger filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act)....more
On Aug. 3, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it has begun sending form letters alerting companies that have made Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR) filings that, despite the expiration of the HSR waiting period, the...more
On July 9, 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order aimed at restricting the use of noncompete agreements by private employers.
The order calls on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to adopt new rules to...more
On July 9, 2021 President Biden signed a sweeping executive order aimed at promoting competition in the United States by calling on federal agencies to promptly address what the administration views as “some of the most...more
At a press briefing on July 7, 2021, the White House announced that President Joe Biden plans to issue an executive order aimed at restricting the use of noncompete agreements by private employers....more
On Feb. 1, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it is publishing revised reporting thresholds for premerger filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act). For the first time in...more
Investment funds may face enhanced premerger reporting requirements under a new rule jointly proposed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Published Dec. 1,...more
On June 30, 2020, the Department of Justice and a divided Federal Trade Commission finalized new Vertical Merger Guidelines applicable to acquisitions and mergers that combine firms or assets at different stages of the same...more