On February 19, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an order staying the lower court’s order enjoining the enforcement of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) 2024 rule amending the...more
2/24/2026
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Appeals ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merger Controls ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Stays ,
Vacated
On February 12, 2026, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) 2024 rule (the “Final Rule”), amending the Premerger Notification Rules that implement the...more
2/17/2026
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Appeals ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Vacated
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced increases to the notification thresholds and premerger filing fees under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act, which requires premerger notification of...more
1/21/2026
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Fees ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Interlocking Directorate ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Reviews ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Size of Transaction Test ,
The Clayton Act ,
Threshold Requirements
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) (collectively, the Agencies) recently issued the Hart-Scott-Rodino Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024 (the Report), covering the...more
New U.S. merger control filing forms to take effect in February 2025 -
Following publication in the Federal Register, the new Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) premerger notification forms will become effective on February 10, 2025....more
12/4/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Australia ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Healthcare ,
Luxury Goods ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Poland ,
Section 7 ,
The Clayton Act ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Democratic Commissioners Swung for the Fences, but FTC Settles for Unanimous Revisions, Still Increasing Burden on Filers -
On October 10, 2024, all five Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) Commissioners, with concurrence...more
11/13/2024
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Interlocking Directorate ,
New Rules ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Required Forms ,
Section 8 ,
The Clayton Act
In the nearly three years since President Biden took office, it has become clear that his Administration has sought to develop an “inflection point” for antitrust enforcement. Speeches by new leadership at both the U.S....more
Proposed FTC and DOJ Merger Guidelines Formalize Biden Administration’s Aggressive Vision for Merger Enforcement – Top Ten Takeaways -
When losing, some players seek to change the rules. Others seek to change the playing...more
On January 21, 2022, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the annual changes to the thresholds for the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “HSR Act”). The official publication is...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (collectively, “Agencies”) released the final version of the Vertical Merger Guidelines (“Vertical Guidelines”) on June 30, 2020. The new Vertical...more
On Friday, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) released joint draft Vertical Merger Guidelines (“Guidelines”) for public comment. This much anticipated...more
1/14/2020
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Anticompetitive Behavior ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Comment Period ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Draft Guidance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Vertical Mergers
Welcome to the 2019 Shearman & Sterling Antitrust Annual Report.
Our seventh edition focuses on the contrasting use by regulators of antitrust laws with respect to the FANGs, and how antitrust is being enforced in the U.S....more
7/24/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Liability ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Media ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FinTech ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Leniency Programs ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
No-Poaching ,
Recruitment Policies ,
State Aid ,
Trump Administration ,
UK Brexit