It has been a year since Article 50 was triggered on March 29, 2017, and if no extension is given, the U.K. will leave the European Union (EU) on March 29, 2019. This means that negotiations are now at the half-way point, but...more
4/18/2018
/ Article 50 Treaty of the EU ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EFTA ,
EU ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Member State ,
Merger Agreements ,
Mergers ,
State Aid ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
WTO
Divining trends in antitrust enforcement in a given presidential administration can take some time. Many commentators didn’t notice material changes in antitrust enforcement in the Obama administration – at least in merger...more
This quarter saw the announcement of sweeping new sanctions against Russia’s billionaire class and their corporate holdings, and included the Trump Administration’s first issuance of sanctions against Russia for meddling in...more
4/16/2018
/ CAATSA ,
Counter-Terrorist ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Drug Trafficking ,
Economic Sanctions ,
General Licenses ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Narcotics ,
North Korea ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
SDN List ,
SSI List ,
Terrorism Funding ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine ,
Venezuela
Algorithms and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have become commonplace in a vast number of markets, and this has drawn the attention not only of competition law academics and practitioners, but also of competition...more
While structural remedies remain the primary remedy of choice, and virtually the only option in the case of horizontal mergers, under the Obama Administration and with respect to vertical mergers, the agencies increasingly...more
The EU and U.S. competition authorities have been and remain active in enforcing gun-jumping cases, while in recent years other competition authorities across the world, including in China, have also become increasingly...more
4/12/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
China ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Gun-Jumping ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Japan ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Mergers ,
MOFCOM
In China, where foreign investments used to be subject to a case-by-case evaluation, the screening process for acquisitions of local businesses by foreign investors is being simplified and becoming more industry-focused. This...more
4/12/2018
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Germany ,
Italy ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
MOFCOM ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
UK
Is this perception well-founded? And does it represent a new policy trend towards ‘social justice’ objectives or simply a continuation of a policy driver that has underpinned EU competition enforcement for some time?...more
4/11/2018
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Cartels ,
Competition ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
International Tax Issues ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
Multinationals ,
R&D ,
State Aid ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Headlines from the final months of 2017 included the signing of a new executive order with global anti-corruption implications; new guidance on the Trump Administration’s approach to Russia sanctions under CAATSA; tightening...more
1/9/2018
/ Counter-Terrorist ,
Cuba ,
Drug Trafficking ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Magnitsky Act ,
North Korea ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sudan ,
Trump Administration
The third quarter was headlined by the imposition of broad new US legislative sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The Trump Administration also acted unilaterally to significantly expand sanctions against both...more
The first six months of the Trump Administration saw several notable developments for US sanctions, with particular implications for Russia and Iran. The Administration also declared a shift in US policy toward Cuba. ...more
7/6/2017
/ Counter-Terrorist ,
Cuba ,
Drug Trafficking ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Foreign Policy ,
Iran Sanctions ,
North Korea ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Russia ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine
On Monday, June 19, 2017, the Supreme Court clarified the limits of specific personal jurisdiction in state courts, holding that a connection between a defendant’s contacts with the forum and the claims at issue remains...more
Shearman & Sterling’s 2017 Antitrust Annual Report reflects our lawyers’ experience and insights on key antitrust risks affecting our clients’ businesses.
...more
3/22/2017
/ American Express ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Big Data ,
Cartels ,
E-Commerce ,
EU ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
FTAIA ,
Merger Controls ,
State Aid ,
UK Brexit
On November 8, 2016, Donald John Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States. Following fiery criticism of the Obama Administration’s sanctions policies, including the Iran deal, the lifting of substantial parts...more
Shearman & Sterling’s bi-annual Trends & Patterns in FCPA Enforcement report provides insightful analysis of recent enforcement trends and patterns in the US, the UK and elsewhere, as well as helpful guidance on emerging best...more
1/4/2017
/ AstraZeneca ,
Bribery ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Declination ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Official ,
GlaxoSmithKline ,
Internal Controls ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Novartis ,
Nu Skin ,
Odebrecht ,
Popular ,
Qualcomm ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Teva Pharmaceuticals ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblowers ,
Yates Memorandum
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous, but narrow, ruling in Salman v. United States, regarding criminal tipper/tippee liability for insider trading, which the Supreme Court had not significantly...more
In so-called “price maintenance” securities fraud cases, plaintiffs argue that a misrepresentation that does not cause a stock’s price to rise can nevertheless be actionable under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange of...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC or the Commission) brought over 400 enforcement actions in the first half of 2016 and is on pace to surpass its record of 807 enforcements actions in a single fiscal year, which...more
7/20/2016
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
Books & Records ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Cooperation ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Statistics ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Adviser ,
Municipal Bonds ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblowers
The tolling rule established by the Supreme Court in American Pipe & Construction Co. v. Utah generally provides that the commencement of a class action in federal court suspends the applicable statute of limitations for all...more
For purposes of assessing the existence of federal subject matter jurisdiction based on diversity of citizenship, national banking associations—i.e., corporate entities chartered not by any State, but by the Office of the...more
The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (“FIRREA”) includes a so-called Extender Statute prescribing the limitations period for actions brought by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) as...more
Twenty-five years ago, in Ceres Partners, the Second Circuit held that the implied private right of action under Section 14 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) was subject to a three-year repose...more
On April 5, 2016, the United States Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section launched a one-year Pilot Program that invites companies to self-report potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act...more
In Janus Capital, the Supreme Court established the “ultimate authority” test to determine who may be liable under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) as a “maker” of a materially misleading...more
OFAC amends the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to ease Cuban sanctions in response to President Obama’s policy changes announced on December 17, 2014. These revisions have major implications for the banking and financial...more
4/18/2016
/ Boeing ,
Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) ,
EU ,
General Licenses ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Myanmar ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
United Nations