ICAP’s successful appeal against the EU Commission’s €14.96 million fine for facilitating banks in influencing the LIBOR/TIBOR rates is hugely significant and signals a significant set back for the EU competition authority. The case was complicated and unusual from the start, the European Court of Justice clarified the level of detail required in a decision … Continue Reading
On 19 June 2019, our Paris office organized a client seminar on the topic: “Insight into competition and regulatory authorities’ investigations in France”. Our Paris competition partners Natasha Tardif and Marc Lévy spoke alongside in-house counsel Amandine Jacquemot, senior legal advisor at EDF, before a fully packed room composed of Paris contacts and clients. Natasha … Continue Reading
The recently proposed Sainsbury’s/Asda merger would have combined the second- and third-largest UK supermarkets. The merger would also have created the largest retailer of fuel by volume in the UK. The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decided to step in and concluded that the prohibition of the merger was the only way to go. Most … Continue Reading
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed an Executive Order to allow state agencies to join together and negotiate the purchase of prescription drugs. This measure could significantly reduce the cost of drugs and therefore will most certainly impact pharmaceutical manufacturers, managed care companies, pharmacies and other industry participants, as well as prescription drug consumers. For … Continue Reading
Antitrust enforcement may be becoming an increasingly politicized issue, however, most policies are fairly consistent from administration to administration and, consequently, from one Attorney General to the next. Replacing Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, William P. Barr was recently appointed by the Senate to serve as Attorney General. Having previously served as Attorney General under President … Continue Reading
Recently, the DOJ has shined a spotlight on the potential antitrust risks associated with employers’ use of “no-poach” agreements, in which companies agree not to hire or solicit each other’s employees. Interestingly, in February of this year, the DOJ filed Statements of Interest in several civil antitrust cases brought against franchisors, taking the position that … Continue Reading
The EU Commission, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) or other sector regulators with competition powers may conduct unannounced onsite inspections of businesses if they suspect a breach of competition law through anti-competitive activity or conduct. These surprise inspections, often dubbed ‘dawn raids’, are employed to gather evidence in relation to suspected cartels. Such raids are … Continue Reading
