The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced its annual adjustments to (1) the pre-merger notification thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (the HSR Act), (2) the HSR Act filing...more
The identification, investigation and removal of persons who serve as directors or officers of two competing companies (i.e., “horizontal interlocks”) is a significant component of the Biden Administration’s antitrust...more
Below is a summary of some of the most important points made by antitrust enforcers who participated in panels at the ABA Antitrust Section’s annual Spring Meeting....more
In January 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) made three important announcements for M&A practitioners....more
For companies in the energy and chemical sectors, the potential for antitrust scrutiny is an ever-present concern. The next round of enforcement inquiries is never further away than the next jump in commodity prices or the...more
It has been over 40 years since the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has enforced Section 8 of the Clayton Act. Section 8 prohibits interlocking directorates among competing businesses, specifically referring to boards of...more
Over the past year, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has renewed enforcement efforts against “interlocking directorates” that violate Section 8 of the Clayton Act. This provision prohibits directors and...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced revised jurisdictional and filing fee thresholds for the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act. These include annual revisions to filing thresholds and a new six-tier filing fee...more
The business community was put on notice last week after the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the resignations of seven directors from five corporate boards following what DOJ called the “first in a broader review of...more
Section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 (Section 8) prohibits directors and officers from serving simultaneously on the boards of competing corporations, subject to limited exceptions. Specifically, Section 8...more
Transactions involving private equity should expect to face antitrust concerns from the DOJ that go beyond the question of how many competitors will remain afterwards, even if the transactions do not trigger an HSR filing. ...more