An EU Advocate General has advised that an appeal brought by Altice should be dismissed in its entirety – in effect confirming the validity of a 2018 European Commission decision imposing a record fine on Altice for breaching...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
With 2023 only a few days old, many predictions are out there about what the New Year holds for investment and M&A activity. While it is hard to prophesy, particularly in such unprecedentedly turbulent times, one legal trend...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 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 EU General Court has issued the latest judgment in a suite of hard-line anti-gun-jumping cases – effectively confirming the European Commission’s 2018 decision imposing a record fine on Altice for breaching EU merger...more
The CMA has imposed a record fine on an Irish trading software supplier for alleged breaches of a ‘hold separate order’ in relation to the completed purchase of a US rival. This is the latest instance in a string of fines...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
A new National Security and Investment Bill laid before the UK Parliament this week will, on enactment, significantly affect the way investments in the UK can be reviewed by the UK Government where they raise national...more
2/12/2021
/ Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Investment ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Merger Controls ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
UK
In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, many companies will be facing significant financial difficulties for which the only viable solution to remain a going concern will be acquisition by another company. It is safe to predict...more
The UK Competition and Markets Authority ("CMA") recently issued its Annual Plan for 2020/2021, which aims to give clarity to the CMA's objectives for the next year....more
The UK's departure from the EU on 31 January has initiated an 11 month transition period, during which the application of EU competition law in the UK will remain largely unchanged. Thus the EU rules governing mergers will...more
3/16/2020
/ Competition ,
Covered Transactions ,
EFTA ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Jurisdiction ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Withdrawal Agreement
On 27 June 2019, the European Commission (Commission) announced it had fined Japanese camera and printer manufacturer, Canon, €28m for partially implementing its 2016 acquisition of Toshiba Medical Systems prior to the...more
On 10 June 2019, the outgoing UK Prime Minister confirmed that the UK government will move forward with a proposal for a new 'Digital Markets Unit'. In her speech at the launch of London Tech Week, Theresa May noted that the...more
Read the latest news on antitrust, competition and economic regulation (ACER) in this Winter's edition of our quarterly ACER newsletter.
...more
4/3/2019
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Bid Rigging ,
CFIUS ,
Economic Development ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Government Shutdown ,
Hold-Separate Remedies ,
Merger Controls ,
No-Poaching ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Public Procurement Policies ,
Regulatory Standards ,
South Africa ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
On 10 January 2019, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it had fined European Metal Recycling Ltd (EMR) and its parent company, Ausurus Group Ltd, £300,000 for allegedly breaching an initial enforcement...more