Tag Archives: merger control

What do you need to know about national security and investment notifications?

According to a recent report issued by the department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Investment Security Unit (ISU) received 222 notifications in the first three months of the UK’s new National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSIA) coming into force. Of these notifications, 17 were called in for further assessment. This report … Continue Reading

FTC reevaluates merger filing rules

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Competition has issued new guidance relating to the merger filing process. Effective September 27, 2021, the FTC will recommend enforcement action for companies that fail to include debt to be paid at closing in calculating the transaction value for purposes of the HSR Act. With the risk of … Continue Reading

As a multi-agency pharmaceutical task force emerges now is the time for pharmaceutical companies to shape merger control policy

Following a period of relative leniency for pharmaceutical companies, a Multilateral Pharmaceutical Merger Task Force formed by key antitrust enforcement agencies has been established to review and update merger analysis. The task force includes representatives from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Canadian Competition Bureau, the European Commission Directorate General for Competition, the UK’s Competition … Continue Reading

What will post-Brexit competition law enforcement look like?

The EU and UK have very similar systems of competition law enforcement however Brexit has given the UK a degree of autonomy and the opportunity to apply its own rules and regulations independent of the European Commission.  We consider the likely practical impact of Brexit across three key areas of competition enforcement: investigations into violations of … Continue Reading

DOJ’s Antitrust Division makes significant updates to Merger Remedies Manual

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division updated its Merger Remedies Manual for the first time in more than a decade.  The updates improve upon the 2004 Manual by providing a significantly more detailed account of the Division’s approach to preserving competition pre- and post-merger. Our team highlights the various revisions and additions to the Manual … Continue Reading

COVID-19 puts predatory acquisitions in the antitrust crosshairs of U.S. government

As businesses continue to deal with the repercussions of extended lockdowns, the U.S. government is on the lookout for enterprises that may use the pandemic as a cover to pursue anticompetitive endeavors. In April, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced the Pandemic Anti-Monopoly Act (the Proposed Act) with the aim of … Continue Reading

German lawmakers adopt temporary amendments to the German Competition Act to mitigate consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in competition law

On 14 May 2020, the German Parliament adopted temporary amendments to the Act against Restraints of Competition (ARC) to mitigate consequences resulting from COVID-19 in the field of competition law. See BT-Drucksache 19/18963. In order to enable the Federal Cartel Office (FCO) to continue investigating mergers and their impact on the market concerned under the … Continue Reading

How are competition law authorities responding to the unfolding COVID-19 crisis?

With COVID-19 sweeping across the globe, competition law authorities and legislative bodies across the world are having to act quickly and flexibly to minimise disruption while ensuring business compliance and consumer protection. In our recent client alert, we take a look at how COVID-19 is shaping the competition landscape from a multi-jurisdictional perspective, honing in … Continue Reading

What’s faster: the Indy 500 or your next merger review? Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim’s recent remarks on the merger landscape explain why the answer might not be what you expected

On February 5, 2020, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim spoke at the Media Institute on the current merger review landscape (see Makan Delrahim, “Getting Better: Progress and Remaining Challenges in Merger Review”). While he celebrated an administrative success, he also forewarned of a formidable obstacle to effective agency enforcement. Delrahim remarked that since the Antitrust … Continue Reading

FTC orders unwinding of consummated, non-reportable merger of microprocessor-equipped prosthetic knee companies

On November 1, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) upheld the decision of an administrative law judge (ALJ), finding that the non-reportable acquisition of FIH Group Holdings, LLC (Freedom) by Otto Bock HealthCare North America, Inc. (Ottobock) was likely to substantially lessen competition. Ottobock and Freedom are both manufacturers of prosthetic knees, and they both … Continue Reading

What does the Competition and Markets Authority’s decision to impose a 10-year ban on the Sainsbury’s/Asda merger suggest for the future of UK competition law?

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

Merger control and minority investments

A commonly held view is that merger control filings are not relevant for minority investments. On Friday, 5 July 2019, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it had issued an order to hold separate to Amazon.com Inc and Roofoods Ltd (trading as Deliveroo). We understand that Amazon had made an investment for … Continue Reading
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