In a case referred by the Portuguese Court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has held that a standalone exchange of information can constitute a restriction of competition by object under Article 101. This means that it...more
The UK Government has published its second Annual Report on the functioning of the National Security and Investment regime, providing high-level statistics on how the regime has functioned over the past year. The report...more
On 25 April 2023, the UK Government published the long-awaited draft Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (the “Bill”). The Bill will introduce a broad range of reforms (including in respect of competition and...more
On 25 April 2023, the Government published the long-anticipated draft Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (the Bill), consolidating the results of two consultations launched in July 2021. If enacted, the Bill will...more
In December 2022, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) made a preliminary ruling which will herald a significant, and welcome, impact on the treatment of lawyer-client communications by the EU courts. The...more
The highly anticipated Memorandum of Understanding on scrutiny of the Investment Security Unit (“ISU”) between the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee (“BEIS Committee”) and the ISU (the “MoU”) agreed on 14...more
The increasing number and complexity of foreign direct investment (FDI) screening regimes requires careful navigation when planning and executing global M&A transactions, as well as greenfield cross-border investments. In...more
A speech delivered this week by the Chief Executive of the CMA provides insights into the competition watchdog's approach to merger control – reflecting on some of the most pressing and debated issues regarding merger control...more
The CMA has concluded that a merger between the two largest suppliers of ready to bake products to UK grocery retailers should be unwound, highlighting the risks of choosing to complete mergers without first receiving CMA...more
The National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSIA) came into force a year ago, ushering in a new era of investment control in the UK. Though not without teething issues, the NSIA appears to be working well, and is...more
The UK’s Digital Markets Unit is now expected to be put on a statutory footing and granted new wide-ranging powers to regulate anti-competitive behaviour by May 2023, with its powers coming into force by October 2023....more
The European Commission has adopted guidelines addressing the application of EU competition law to the "solo self-employed". The guidelines clarify situations in which certain self-employed individuals may work collectively...more
The UK Government has, for one of the very first times, used its new national security powers to intervene in respect of a transaction. This new intervention is in respect of the acquisition of asset development rights to an...more
Join the Hogan Lovells Antitrust and Competition team on Thursday, September 29, 2022 for a discussion on the key recent changes to the vertical agreement block exemptions in both the EU and UK:
- Highlighting the key...more
The UK Government this week prohibited the acquisition of intellectual property owned by University of Manchester by a Chinese company – marking the first time the UK Government has exercised its powers to block a transaction...more
The UK Government has published its first Annual Report on the functioning of the recently implemented National Security and Investment regime, which gives the Government the power to scrutinise certain acquisitions and...more
The UK’s new Vertical Agreement Block Exemption Order (VABEO), the long awaited replacement to the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER – which was retained in the UK under domestic law post-Brexit) is now live in the UK...more
The UK Government recently announced a series of reforms for strengthening the UK competition regime, including measures that will increase penalties for non-compliance, speed up antitrust investigations and permit better...more
The European Commission has published draft Guidelines on the application of competition law to collective bargaining involving the working conditions of the “solo self-employed”. The draft Guidelines clarify the Commission’s...more
In what could herald the most significant changes to the UK competition regime in 25 years, the UK Government has announced a series of proposed reforms to UK competition law enforcement. The stated aims of the reforms are...more
The UK Government is consulting on proposed powers for the recently launched Digital Markets Unit. This is a significant juncture in the reconfiguration of the post-Brexit regulatory landscape, marked by a determination to...more
The UK’s much publicised National Security and Investment Bill has now been granted Royal Assent – passing into law an Act which will significantly affect the way investments in the UK can be reviewed by the Government where...more
The UK Government has launched the much anticipated Digital Markets Unit (DMU) as a first step towards an “unashamedly pro-competition" regime focused on the position of “tech giants”. ...more
New measures, announced on 21 June 2020, will allow the UK Government to intervene in relation to transactions involving businesses with "critical capabilities" to help combat public health emergencies, such as...more
Competition/antitrust laws generally require rival firms to operate on the market independently of each other and tolerate cooperation between competitors only in limited circumstances where any resulting loss of competition...more