In the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration, the Biden FTC rushed to initiate major lawsuits and to tie a bow on various antitrust policy efforts. In a series of dissenting statements, the minority Republican...more
On January 7, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed settlement for crude oil producers XCL Resource Holdings, LLC; Verdun Oil Company; and EP Energy LLC to pay a record-breaking $5.6 million civil...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced, on January 7, 2025, that crude oil producers agreed to pay a record $5.6 million fine as settlement for violating the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR Act) through illegal pre-merger...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) secured a record consent penalty of $5.6 million against two merging parties on January 7, 2025 for improper pre-merger coordination, marking the agency’s first gun-jumping action in over a...more
Crude oil producers XCL Resources Holdings, LLC (XCL), Verdun Oil Company II LLC (Verdun), and EP Energy LLC (EP) have agreed to pay a $5.6 million civil penalty to settle violations under Section 7A of the Clayton Act, as...more
On January, 7, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that crude oil producers XCL Resources Holdings, LLC (XCL), Verdun Oil Company II LLC (Verdun) and EP Energy LLC (EP) collectively will pay a $5.68 million...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has imposed a record-breaking $5.6 million fine on XCL Resource Holdings, LLC (XCL), Verdun Oil Company II LLC (Verdun), and EP Energy LLC (EP) to settle allegations that they engaged in...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rang in the new year this week by announcing that three crude oil producers had agreed to pay a $5.6 million fine to settle claims that they engaged in unlawful “gun-jumping” by prematurely...more
On January 7, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a settlement with three crude oil producers in which those companies will pay a $5.6 million fine to resolve claims they engaged in unlawful premerger...more
On August 5, 2024, the United States Department of Justice filed a rare gun jumping civil lawsuit and proposed settlement in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against a global sports and...more
On August 5, 2024, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that it filed a civil complaint and proposed settlement with Legends Hospitality Parent Holdings LLC (“Legends”) for unlawful pre-merger coordination, commonly...more
On 10 April 2024, Australia’s Federal Government announced far-reaching reforms to its merger control regime, most notably the introduction of a new single, mandatory and suspensory, merger control system. The reform package...more
2024 is shaping up to be a year of significant change in Brussels. European Parliamentary elections in June will be followed by the appointment of a new Commission in the autumn....more
This newsletter is a summary of the antitrust developments we think are most interesting to your business. Börries Ahrens, partner based in Hamburg, is our editor this month. He has selected: Significant reforms to German...more
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has (mostly) confirmed the European Commission (EC)’s decision to fine Altice for implementing a transaction prior to its notification and the EC’s merger control clearance....more
Participants in the renewable energy industry should be aware of antitrust and competition rules because renewable energy is no longer a nascent field. Europe generated almost 40% of its electricity from renewable sources in...more
On October 12, 2023, the European Commission (EC) ordered Illumina to unwind its already completed acquisition of the cancer-test provider GRAIL Inc. This is the first time that the EC has ordered a reversal of an...more
The European Commission (EC) has imposed a fine of around EUR432 million on genomics company Illumina for closing its acquisition of blood-based cancer test developer GRAIL before the conclusion of the EC’s merger control...more
Following the August 1, 2022, amendment of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Anti-Monopoly Law, the State Administration for Market Regulation — the PRC’s antitrust authority (AMR) — released the Provisions on the Review...more
The Development: China's State Administration for Market Regulation ("SAMR") recently released four regulations ("Regulations") that implement 2022 amendments to the Anti-Monopoly Law of China ("AML"). The most significant...more
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
Advocate General Anthony Michael Collins has proposed that the European Court of Justice uphold the General Court's Altice judgment. In his Opinion, he considered that the entering into certain types of pre-closing covenants...more
Following last year’s significant amendments to the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law (2022 AML) the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has published final versions of the accompanying implementing regulations. Taking...more
In 2022, the French Competition Authority (the "FCA") maintained a high level of activity, focusing notably on digital markets, which remain one of its key priorities. Last year also brought the first successful failing firm...more
As we enter 2023, the European Commission is redoubling its efforts to scrutinise transactions on a variety of bases. The focus has been on the digital sector for some time, but the impact of the Commission’s expanding...more