On February 10, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 25 (SB 25) into law, launching California’s version of the Uniform Antitrust Premerger Notification Act (UAPNA). The new law establishes an obligation...more
2/18/2026
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Filing Requirements ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
New Legislation ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Legislatures ,
Threshold Requirements
On February 12, 2026, Judge Jeremy Kernodle of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas struck down the Federal Trade Commission’s expanded Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act filing requirements that went...more
2/16/2026
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Appeals ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Requirements ,
Final Rules ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Judicial Review ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Vacated ,
Vacatur
U.S. antitrust enforcement is entering a period of recalibration. After years of aggressive scrutiny and often expansive theories of harm, the trajectory is shifting toward a more empirical, outcomes-driven enforcement...more
2/2/2026
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Competition Authorities ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Innovation ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Technology Sector
On January 14, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) published new, higher notification thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (the “HSR Act”). The HSR Act requires the FTC to adjust...more
1/16/2026
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition Authorities ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Requirements ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Reviews ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Size of Persons Test ,
Size of Transaction Test ,
The Clayton Act ,
Threshold Requirements
In 2025, global M&A value rose 41% from 2024, to $4.8 trillion, making 2025 the second-highest M&A value year on record. Overall deal count fell, but deal sizes increased, with a record-breaking number of $10 billion+ deals....more
1/15/2026
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Due Diligence ,
Foreign Investment ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector
On December 6, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) entitled “Addressing Security Risks from Price Fixing and Anti-Competitive Behavior in the Food Supply Chain.” The EO directs the Department of Justice (DOJ)...more
1/7/2026
/ Agribusiness ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
National Security ,
Price-Fixing ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration ,
USDA
The Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (together the “Agencies”) submitted a note about efficiencies in merger control in connection with a June 17, 2025 Organisation for...more
6/26/2025
/ Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Government Agencies ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
OECD ,
Trump Administration
Antitrust experts from across the globe convened in Washington, D.C. on April 2–4, 2025 to discuss new enforcement policies and share updates on current issues in antitrust. We provide the key highlights from numerous panels...more
4/9/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Biden Administration ,
Cartels ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Mergers ,
No-Poaching ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
On January 10, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) published new, higher notification thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (the “HSR Act”). The HSR Act requires the FTC to adjust...more
1/16/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Fees ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Interlocking Directorate ,
Mergers ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Size of Persons Test ,
Size of Transaction Test ,
Threshold Requirements
Global M&A in 2024 faced geopolitical issues, elevated interest rates, and inflationary pressures, with expanding antitrust, foreign investment, national security, and export regimes adding complexity. But inflation receded...more
1/10/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
CFIUS ,
Competition ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Emerging Technologies ,
EU ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Investment ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
IRS ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Outbound Transactions ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Stakeholder Engagement ,
Technology
Antitrust enforcers and private plaintiffs over the past few years have pursued increasingly aggressive theories of liability based on information exchange and the use of algorithmic pricing and revenue management software....more
12/20/2024
/ Algorithms ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Information Sharing ,
Price-Fixing ,
Rental Property ,
Trump Administration
On October 24, 2024, Judge Rochon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent Tapestry, Inc. (“Tapestry”) from...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has appealed a ruling from a Texas district court that set aside the FTC’s rule banning non-competes with employees (the “Rule”). As we previously reported, on August 20, 2024, Judge Ada E....more
On October 10, 2024, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) voted 5-0 to adopt new Hart-Scott-Rodino (“HSR”) rules, which will substantially expand filing requirements for parties when the new rules go into effect. The...more
10/14/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Best Practices ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Fast Track Process ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Requirements ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Lead Supervisory Authority ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Suppliers
On August 5, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a proposed settlement with Legends Hospitality Parent Holdings (“Legends”), a global venue services company, in connection with its proposed acquisition of ASM...more
8/15/2024
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Gun-Jumping ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Securities Transactions ,
Waiting Periods
Judge Ada Brown in the Northern District of Texas has stayed the effective date of the FTC’s Non-Compete Rule and granted plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction against the Rule, effective July 3, 2024. The court found...more
On May 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division announced a Request for Information (“RFI”) seeking information from the public to “identify serial acquisitions...more
6/5/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Anticompetitive Behavior ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Healthcare ,
Pricing ,
Public Comment ,
Request For Information ,
Suppliers ,
The Clayton Act
On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) promulgated its final rule prohibiting non-competes for most workers in the United States (the “Final Rule”). The Final Rule raises several issues, including...more
5/2/2024
/ Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Franchises ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Nonprofits ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Selling a Business ,
Unfair Competition
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (the “Commission”) voted to issue its final rule (the “Final Rule”) barring non-competes for most workers in the United States, with exceptions for non-competes entered into in...more
On January 22, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published new, higher notification thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (the “HSR Act”). The HSR Act requires the FTC to adjust the...more
M&A activity in 2023 was subdued, as dealmakers grappled with geopolitical tensions, inflation, rising interest rates, and increasing regulatory scrutiny, against a backdrop of general economic uncertainty. Challenges in the...more
1/4/2024
/ Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
CFIUS ,
Data Security ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Shareholder Activism ,
State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) ,
UK ,
Vertical Mergers
On December 18—nearly two years after announcing plans to revise the Merger Guidelines—the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (together, “the Agencies”) issued a final version of their new...more
The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (collectively, the “Agencies”) released for public comment draft Merger Guidelines that outline how the agencies evaluate proposed deals. The Agencies have...more
7/28/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Draft Guidance ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreclosure ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Market Manipulation ,
Market-Sharing ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Minority Shareholders ,
Vertical Mergers
On June 27, 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), with the collaboration and concurrence of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the “Notice”)...more
Antitrust practitioners from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C. the week of March 27, 2023, for a series of industry meetings, centered around the American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section’s 71st Annual Spring...more
4/11/2023
/ Algorithms ,
Anti-Monopoly ,
Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Cartels ,
Collusion ,
Competition ,
Consent Decrees ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Instant Messaging Apps ,
Mergers ,
Price-Fixing ,
Robinson-Patman Act ,
Sherman Act ,
Wage-Fixing