The first quarter of 2025 brought a surge of high-profile merger activity in the technology and artificial intelligence (AI) space, offering an early test of how antitrust regulators under the new Trump administration will...more
6/17/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Apple ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Hewlett-Packard ,
IBM ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
As we look back on 2024, one thing is clear: Antitrust enforcement in the technology sector continued at a steady pace, with global agencies showing no signs of relenting in their scrutiny of Big Tech companies....more
3/17/2025
/ Amazon ,
Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Antitrust actions significantly impacted the technology sector in 2023 and are poised to have substantial repercussions in the future, affecting both major tech companies and emerging enterprises. In addition to a focus on...more
On September 26, 2023, the FTC and 17 state attorneys general filed a long-anticipated antitrust complaint against Amazon. The complaint alleges that Amazon wields monopoly power in what the plaintiffs define as the online...more
On October 30, 2023, President Biden issued an Executive Order (EO) on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. The EO establishes sweeping directives and priorities for federal...more
11/1/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Legislative Agendas ,
National Security ,
NIST ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Agencies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Semiconductors ,
Technology Sector
Antitrust enforcers remained active across the globe, with the announcement by the FTC and DOJ of proposed guidelines that have an emphasis on tech mergers in the United States, and several investigations of major tech deals...more
8/25/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Adobe ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Broadcom ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Draft Guidance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Mergers ,
Microsoft ,
Online Platforms ,
Popular ,
Proposed Guidance ,
Public Comment ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Vertical Mergers
On July 19, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) (each an Agency, and collectively, the Agencies) released a long-awaited draft version of revised Merger...more
7/21/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Biden Administration ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Guidance Update ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Vertical Mergers
The start of 2023 has been a busy one, with global antitrust agencies advancing investigations and challenging a number of technology acquisitions. Future antitrust enforcement could also be shaped by new digital market...more
6/15/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Adobe ,
Antitrust Division ,
Broadcom ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Divestiture ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Microsoft ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Remedies ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
2022 saw a major uptick in antitrust scrutiny and enforcement, primarily related to vertical transactions by large technology companies. Meta/Within, Microsoft/Activision, and Broadcom/VMware (among others) faced resistance...more
2/22/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Broadcom ,
Competition ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Mergers ,
Microsoft ,
Popular ,
Technology ,
Technology Sector ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Two major technology companies, Meta and Microsoft, continue to defend their acquisitions against challenges from antitrust regulators. The FTC dropped one of the two claims underlying its challenge of Meta’s acquisition of...more
11/10/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Mergers ,
Microsoft ,
Mobile Apps ,
Popular ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
In July 2022, the FTC brought an enforcement action to enjoin Meta’s acquisition of virtual reality app maker Within. The FTC’s approach in that complaint could have implications for Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of...more
8/16/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Amazon ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
App Developers ,
Big Tech ,
Broadcom ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Microsoft ,
Mobile Apps ,
Popular ,
Vertical Mergers ,
Video Games ,
Virtual Reality
On June 13, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “the Commission”) announced a consent agreement resolving concerns with a private equity acquisition, incorporating novel prior notice and approval requirements...more
6/17/2022
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Division ,
Competition ,
Consent Order ,
Divestiture ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Notice Requirements ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Veterinarians
..Two shifts in merger control enforcement in the U.S. have emerged that are impacting the technology space: an increase in challenges of vertical transactions and increased scrutiny and enforcement with respect to deals...more
5/3/2022
/ Activision ,
Amazon ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
MGM ,
Microsoft ,
NVIDIA ,
Technology Sector ,
Vertical Mergers