In a landmark judgment (and in unusual circumstances), the UK Supreme Court has held that the ongoing Merricks v Mastercard case should be referred back to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). Not only is this a step...more
The UK has published a draft of its new National Security and Investment Bill, together with explanatory notes, heralding the introduction of a new regime for reviewing investments in the UK. The new regime would introduce,...more
On 11 November 2020, the government announced the details of its proposals for national security-based review of investments in the UK, in the form of the National Security and Investment Bill ("NSIB").
Protectionism is a...more
The UK has outlined the details of its new National Security and Investment Bill, heralding the introduction of a new regime for foreign direct investments in the UK. The new regime would introduce, for the first time, a...more
One-
The UK has championed an open and dynamic market economy, including foreign direct investment ("FDI") into the UK, ever since political theorists such as Adam Smith argued the benefits of free trade over mercantilism...more
FDI restrictions have been on the political agenda in Europe and further afield for at least the past year, and following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the changed economic landscape, the approach in jurisdictions across the...more
7/20/2020
/ Biotechnology ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Investors ,
Medical Research ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Political Parties ,
Reputation Management
The UK government has tabled changes to the Enterprise Act 2002 to expand the circumstances in which the government will be empowered to review foreign takeovers of UK companies. The new rules will allow the government to...more
6/23/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Enterprise Act 2002 ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Goods or Services ,
Merger Controls ,
National Security ,
Public Health Emergency ,
UK
On 17 June 2020, the European Commission published a White Paper seeking views on three powerful new tools to control the acquisitions and activities of foreign subsidised companies in the EU:1 (i) a general ex post control...more
6/19/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Subsidiaries ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Public Consultations ,
Screening Procedures ,
WTO
This alert provides an overview of COVID-19 governmental financial assistance measures available in some of the principal jurisdictions. Our team can cover advice on governmental financial assistance across the globe.
The...more
6/10/2020
/ Banking Sector ,
Competition ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Stimulus ,
Financial Assistance Policies ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Lenders ,
Relief Measures ,
Reorganizations
On 2 June 2020, the European Commission published its roadmap on the possible introduction of a ‘new competition tool’ that would allow it to initiate market investigations into perceived structural competition problems, with...more
Four years after the European Commission (“EC”) thwarted Hutchison’s attempt to consolidate the UK mobile telecoms market through its planned acquisition of O2, the General Court yesterday dealt a crushing blow to the...more
Prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been a growing and global trend of established Western economies increasingly scrutinising foreign investment in key sectors. FDI restrictions have been on the...more
5/29/2020
/ Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) ,
Blocked Mergers ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
EU ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
Non-EU Investors ,
Popular
In anticipation of the wave of requests from stricken companies due to the COVID-19 outbreak for more long-term State support, on 8 May, the Commission extended the scope of its State aid Temporary Framework to allow Member...more
The CMA has published new guidance on its approach to merger assessments during the Coronavirus pandemic, confirming that it does not intend to change either merger control assessments or deadlines, despite the outbreak....more
Antitrust agencies around the world are adjusting to the policies and procedures they quickly implemented in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”), as detailed in White & Case’s March 16th alert. In...more
3/27/2020
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Global Market ,
Merger Controls ,
Office Closures ,
Remote Working ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States
The European Court of Justice's ruling in Paroxetine, handed down in record time just before Brexit, confirms the narrow interpretation of restrictions by object given in other recent cases. It also clarified certain issues...more
2/19/2020
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Appeals ,
EU ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Generic Drugs ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reverse Payment Settlement Agreements ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT)
As the UK departs the European Union, the CMA – the UK competition regulator – is facing a transformation in its mandate. White & Case considers how the CMA will approach its workload during and after the Transition Period...more
2/1/2020
/ Anticompetitive Behavior ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Cartels ,
Competition Authorities ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
Expiration Date ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Parallel Proceedings ,
Transitional Arrangements ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Withdrawal Agreement
National security interventions have largely been confined to defense-related transactions -
Since mid-2018, there have been a number of important changes (actual and proposed) to legislation permitting intervention by...more
1/9/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Defense Sector ,
Dual Use Goods ,
Enterprise Act 2002 ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Intervention Notices ,
National Security ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Public Interest ,
Secretary of State ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
In BritNed v ABB, the English Court of Appeal substantially reduced the UK's first award of damages in a so-called cartel damages claim brought for breach of European competition law. In so doing, the Court rejected calls for...more
11/11/2019
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Appeals ,
Breach of Competition Law ,
Burden of Proof ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Cartels ,
Compensatory Damages ,
Compound Interest ,
Damage Caps ,
Damages ,
Electricity ,
European Commission ,
Infringement ,
Lost Profits ,
Power Grid ,
Punitive Damages ,
Remittitur ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
UK
CMA investigation into Amazon/Deliveroo and Paypal/iZettle deals highlights the regulator's increased interest in technology transactions....more
7/15/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Amazon ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
Initial Enforcement Order (IEO) ,
Killer Acquisitions ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
PayPal ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
UK Regulatory Reforms
On 3 July 2019, the Competition & Markets Authority ('CMA') announced a new Digital Markets Strategy, which sets out the watchdog's new "road map" for policy development in a bid to keep pace with a rapidly developing digital...more
7/10/2019
/ Abuse of Power ,
Advertising ,
Anticompetitive Behavior ,
Consumer Information ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
European Commission ,
Marketing ,
Monetization ,
Online Platforms ,
Targeted Digital Advertising ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
In a landmark decision on 21 February 2019 (the "Decision"), marking the first use of its enforcement powers under the Competition Act 1998 ("CA 1998"), the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") imposed fines on three asset...more
5/30/2019
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Asset Management ,
Bids ,
Competition Act ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Fines ,
Immunity ,
Information Sharing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investors ,
Leniency Programs ,
Offering Price ,
Precedential Opinion ,
Securities ,
UK
This Alert provides an update with respect to foreign direct investment ("FDI") regimes in certain key jurisdictions since the Firm's comprehensive FDI Guide, National Security Reviews 2018, was published in November 2018....more
4/29/2019
/ Australia ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
EU ,
European Council ,
Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
FIRB ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Germany ,
Japan ,
Mergers ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
UK ,
United States
Competition authorities around the world typically place considerable weight on parties' internal documents when assessing the potential effects of a merger. Such documents, many of which can pre-date the companies' decision...more