This week, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) voted 3-2 along party lines to finalize a rule that bans noncompete clauses in employment agreements as a per se illegal “unfair method of competition” (“UMC”) under Section 5...more
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
What Is the FTC's New "Prior Approval" Policy? At the end of an FTC investigation into the competitive impact of a merger, the agency may (i) take no action (allowing the parties to close), (ii) challenge the transaction...more
11/4/2021
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Merger Controls ,
Policy Management ,
Policy Statement ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Approval ,
Regulatory Reform
Expansion of FTC's Interpretation of Its Antitrust Enforcement Authority -The Commission majority has reinvigorated a longstanding but dormant debate about the bounds of the FTC's authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act....more
President Biden recently signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy (the "Order") outlining 72 initiatives by more than a dozen federal agencies to combat "excessive" corporate consolidation...more
The Comisión Federal de Competencia's new guidelines clarify notification requirements for joint ventures and the "failing firm" defense.
Newly revised merger control guidelines ("Guidelines") from the Comisión Federal de...more
The Development: The Bundestag, the German legislature, amended Germany's antitrust laws to include special competition rules for digital platform "companies with overwhelming importance for competition across multiple...more
Fortnite game maker Epic Games brings dispute with Apple to Australia, alleging "misuse of market power."
Epic Games, developer of the popular game Fortnite, filed proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia alleging...more
The U.S. Department of Justice's ("DOJ") new remedies guide reinforces its strong preferences for structural divestitures and upfront buyers to resolve merger investigations.
Last week, the DOJ released a new "Merger...more
9/15/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Divestiture ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Merger Remedies ,
Mergers ,
New Guidance ,
Private Equity ,
Vertical Mergers
The UK Competition and Markets Authority ("CMA") Final Report in the Market Study into Online Platforms and Digital Advertising proposes the creation of a new regulatory authority and additional regulations to govern the...more
The Development: The U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") and a divided Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") released the final version of their Vertical Merger Guidelines, the first revision in more than 35 years. The Guidelines...more
7/15/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Defense Strategies ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Diagonal Mergers ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Guidelines ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Supply Chain ,
Vertical Mergers
In a decision that extends the FTC's winning streak in the courts of appeals in healthcare provider merger cases, the Eighth Circuit affirmed the Federal Trade Commission's ("FTC") bid to enjoin Sanford Health's acquisition...more
7/8/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Hospital Mergers ,
Hospitals ,
Monopolization ,
Physicians ,
Rural Health Care Providers
New guidance from the Federal Trade Commission's ("FTC") staff describes the FTC's views on "post-order" divestitures and highlights the difficulties in persuading the FTC to abandon its preference for upfront buyers in...more
The Federal Trade Commission, by a 3-2 party-line vote, has settled a vertical merger challenge in exchange for the merging companies' behavioral commitments. The decision and Commissioner statements signal tension for FTC...more