The fourth quarter of 2025 underscored evolving merger control frameworks in the European Union and United Kingdom, marked by greater flexibility, streamlined processes, and pragmatic enforcement....more
2/2/2026
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Remedies ,
Merger Reviews ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Merger control authorities remained active in Q4 2025, reviewing transactions across the healthcare, manufacturing, and consumer goods sectors. In the United States, courts and regulators issued rulings in cases involving...more
2/2/2026
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Automotive Industry ,
Competition Authorities ,
Divestiture ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Healthcare ,
Medical Devices ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Remedies ,
Merger Reviews ,
Private Equity ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
2025 proved to be a challenging year in court for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as it was unsuccessful in challenging the Tempur Sealy/Mattress Firm acquisition, the GTCR/Surmodics acquisition, a decade-old Meta...more
2/2/2026
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Appeals ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merger Challenges ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Reviews ,
Private Equity ,
Remedies ,
State Attorneys General
United States (US) antitrust enforcement in Q3 2025 reflects a pragmatic yet assertive approach under the Trump administration. While the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are clearing mergers...more
11/19/2025
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Compliance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merger Controls ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Settlement ,
Trump Administration
Recent developments in European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK) merger control reveal a dynamic shift toward greater flexibility and practical enforcement....more
11/19/2025
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Best Practices ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Jurisdiction ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Remedies ,
Merger Reviews ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Remedies ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Global merger control authorities remained highly active in Q3 2025, scrutinizing deals across healthcare, aerospace, logistics, and digital platforms....more
11/19/2025
/ Aerospace ,
Antitrust Division ,
Competition Authorities ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Platforms ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Healthcare ,
Logistics ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Reviews ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
In a parallel push to modernize antitrust oversight, key European regulators, including the European Commission (EC) and the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), are simultaneously reforming their merger...more
8/28/2025
/ Competition Authorities ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Innovation ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Public Consultations ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Supply Chain ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Recent antitrust enforcement actions in the United States and Europe have significantly influenced global M&A trends. Regulators approved major deals in highly concentrated markets, such as Synopsys / Ansys in the US and...more
8/28/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
UK
Under the second Trump administration, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have signaled a significant departure from the antitrust enforcement policies of the Biden administration. This new...more
8/28/2025
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Remedies ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Trump Administration
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) each recently announced that they would accept structural remedies to address concerns that two transactions in the technology industry would reduce...more
6/10/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Biden Administration ,
Consent Decrees ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Divestiture ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Mergers ,
Trump Administration
JANUARY – MARCH 2025: KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS -
UNITED STATES -
FTC Loses Vertical Challenge to Tempur Sealy/Mattress Firm
On July 2, 2024, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit in federal court seeking to block...more
5/6/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Big Tech ,
Competition ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Vertical Mergers
IN THIS JANUARY 2025 ISSUE -
In the fourth quarter of 2024, US antitrust regulators continued their rigorous scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions. The US Department of Justice (DOJ), under the leadership of the outgoing...more
On January 20, 2025, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s administration will come into power. The McDermott antitrust and competition team has analyzed the first Trump term, compared it to the Biden administration’s actions,...more
12/4/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Biden Administration ,
Big Tech ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trump Administration
The US antitrust regulators continued to aggressively challenge transactions and associated Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) violations during the third quarter of 2024. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) litigated two merger...more
11/1/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Competition Authorities ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Requirements ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States
UNITED STATES -
- Agencies Revisiting Consummated Mergers -
What’s old is new again, as agencies are increasingly scrutinizing consummated mergers from years past. In May 2024, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Antitrust...more
7/29/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Competition ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Mergers ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Request For Information ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
UNITED STATES -
New Merger Guidelines Deployed -
The 2023 Merger Guidelines are a non-binding statement that provides clarity on aspects of federal agencies’ deliberations and enforcement practices undertaken in...more
5/3/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Emerging Technologies ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Healthcare ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
UK ,
Vertical Mergers
IN THIS FEBRUARY 2024 ISSUE -
UNITED STATES -
New Merger Guidelines Released -
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and US Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) issued their updated Merger Guidelines on...more
2/14/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Mergers ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
Vertical Mergers
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and US Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) issued their updated Merger Guidelines on December 18, 2023.
These guidelines represent a significantly more...more
12/22/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Draft Guidance ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Vertical Mergers
UNITED STATES -
Proposed Merger Guidelines Outline Fundamental Change of Approach to Merger Investigation and Enforcement -
On July 19, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ)...more
10/27/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Competition ,
Enforcement ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Investigations ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
New Guidance ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
APRIL – JUNE 2023: KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS -
UNITED STATES -
• Federal Trade Commission Unveils Proposal Detailing Significant Changes to Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Merger Notifications On June 27, 2023, the Federal Trade...more
7/31/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Premerger Notifications
Mergers and acquisitions will continue to face strong headwinds at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) under new proposed Merger Guidelines released on July 19, 2023.
The Proposed...more
7/25/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Biden Administration ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Proposed Guidance ,
Supply Chain ,
Vertical Mergers
The Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division have released their revised Merger Guidelines. Which industries will be most affected? What should companies be doing now to avoid regulatory...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed, for comment, significant changes to the information and documents to be submitted with premerger filings—even in transactions that do not raise significant antitrust issues....more
UNITED STATES -
Wilson Resigns as FTC Commissioner -
On February 14, the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) lone Republican commissioner, Christine Wilson, announced that she was resigning. Wilson explained her decision...more
4/21/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
American Bar Association (ABA) ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Healthcare ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Investigations ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Settlement Agreements ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
DOJ Sees First Merger Win After String of Losses -
Penguin Random House’s planned acquisition of rival Simon & Schuster was blocked by Judge Florence Pan of the US District Court for the District of Columbia on November...more
1/20/2023
/ Activision ,
Appeals ,
BEIS ,
China ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Divestment ,
Enforcement ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Mergers ,
Microsoft ,
New Guidance ,
Semiconductors ,
UK