The Situation: To address a perceived enforcement gap, the European Commission ("EC") has issued guidelines expanding the types of non-reportable transactions subject to its "upward referral mechanism," which permits EU...more
The UK Competition and Markets Authority ("CMA") has successfully appealed a decision of the UK Competition Appeals Tribunal (the "Tribunal") rejecting its application for a warrant to search domestic premises—paving the way...more
In Short -
The Development: The Court of Justice of the European Union ("ECJ") annulled a General Court ("GC") ruling that had adopted a high standard of proof for the European Commission ("EC") to block transactions in...more
8/15/2023
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
EU ,
EU Merger Directive ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Judicial Review ,
Merger Controls ,
UK
In Short -
The Development: The Court of Justice of the European Union ("ECJ") held that national competition authorities ("NCA") may investigate and block an M&A transaction that violates Article 102 of the Treaty on the...more
In Short -
The Development: The European Commission ("EC") has published highly anticipated draft guidelines ("Draft Guidelines") detailing a new antitrust exemption for agreements in the agriculture and food supply chain...more
In Short -
The Situation: The European Commission ("EC") is expected to release guidelines regarding a newly introduced exemption to the EU antitrust rules for certain agreements aimed at achieving the EU's sustainability...more
Following an extended review, the European Commission ("Commission") has adopted revised competition law exemptions and guidance applicable to agreements in the vertical supply chain.
EU antitrust law prohibits certain...more
5/16/2022
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
European Commission ,
Goods or Services ,
New Guidance ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Safe Harbors ,
Supply Chain ,
Vertical Agreement ,
Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER)
The Background: The European Commission ("Commission") recently unveiled long-awaited draft revisions to its Vertical Block Exemption Regulation ("VBER") and Vertical Guidelines. The VBER includes safe harbors that exempt...more
8/12/2021
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
International Trade ,
Most-Favored Nations ,
Safe Harbors ,
Sales & Distribution Agreements ,
Supply Chain ,
V-BER (Vertical Block Exemption Regulation)
This Jones Day Global Merger Control Update highlights significant changes in merger control regimes in 2020. In this Update, we review: (i) changes in Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Bulgaria, Ecuador, France, Germany,...more
2/1/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
New Rules ,
Notification Requirements ,
Public Comment ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Vertical Mergers
The Development: The European Commission ("EC") recently released two long-awaited legislative proposals, the Digital Services Act ("DSA") and Digital Markets Act ("DMA"), that would significantly increase the EC's regulatory...more
The EU General Court ruled that the Commission must demonstrate with a "strong probability" that the effect on competition is "significant" to block a merger that does not create a dominant company.
In a rare judgment, the...more
This Jones Day Global Merger Control Update examines recent developments in merger control regimes, as well as anticipated changes to those regimes worldwide.
Merger control enforcement has continued to surge around the...more
4/19/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Monopoly ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Corporate Counsel ,
European Merger Control Regulation ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Global Market ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Joint Venture ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Size of Transaction Test ,
Threshold Requirements
The Background: The automotive industry has achieved a number of technological advances aimed at developing connected cars, automated vehicles, and ultimately autonomous driving. These innovations are expected to pose a...more
9/7/2018
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Automotive Industry ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Connected Cars ,
Cybersecurity ,
Driverless Cars ,
EU ,
FRAND ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Monopolization ,
Popular
The French Competition Authority ("FCA") has published the results of its sector-specific inquiry into display online advertising. The 125-page opinion of March 6, 2018, ("Opinion") identifies potential competition concerns...more