On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or the “Commission”) voted to finalize a rule abolishing the vast majority of employee noncompetes across the United States (the “Noncompete Rule” or “Rule”). The FTC...more
4/25/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Trade Secrets
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently published a blog post warning that the use of algorithms to assist in determining prices may violate federal antitrust laws, regardless of the business or industry. The FTC...more
For the first time in 40 years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action to enforce Section 8 of the Clayton Act, which prohibits so-called interlocking directorates. In the same action, the FTC mounted its first...more
On July 19, 2023, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (together, the Agencies) released a draft set of revised Merger Guidelines (the Revised Guidelines) to set forth the...more
On June 27, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), with the concurrence of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, announced a wide range of significant proposed changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) pre-merger...more
As part of the Biden Administration’s enhanced antitrust enforcement efforts, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking a new look at the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA). Several investigations are already underway, with calls...more
Manufacturing companies should actively prepare for heightened antitrust scrutiny of their business practices in 2023, including practices that have not traditionally garnered the focus of the federal antitrust enforcers. ...more
On February 3, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division (DOJ) announced that it is withdrawing three policy statements the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued between 1993 and 2011, related to...more
2/7/2023
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare ,
Information Sharing ,
Joe Biden ,
Safe Harbors ,
Sherman Act ,
Third-Party Service Provider
On January 26, 2023, the FTC published a Notice in the Federal Register announcing the latest annual adjustments to the statutory thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (15 U.S.C. § 18a)...more
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed regulation that, if adopted, would essentially abolish employee noncompetes across the United States. A proposed FTC regulation on employee...more
1/9/2023
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Biden Administration ,
Employment Contract ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Restrictive Covenants
As part of the Biden Administration’s ongoing efforts to reinvigorate antitrust enforcement and the promotion of competition, on November 10, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a new “Policy Statement Regarding...more
With steep inflation and seemingly constant disruptions in supply chains for all manner of goods, the Biden Administration has turned increasingly to antitrust authorities to tame price increases and stem future bottlenecks....more
8/4/2022
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Biden Administration ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Executive Orders ,
FBI ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Market Manipulation ,
Price Inflation ,
Request For Information ,
Supply Chain ,
Vertical Mergers
Earlier this month — July 9, 2022 — marked the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy (Executive Order). The Executive Order was notable in its breadth and...more
7/27/2022
/ Beverage Manufacturers ,
Biden Administration ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
FRAND ,
FTC Act ,
Healthcare ,
Manufacturers ,
Memorandum of Understanding ,
Mergers ,
NIST ,
NLRB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
ROI ,
USDA ,
USPTO
On March 1, 2022, a federal judge granted summary judgment in favor of Ford Motor Company (“Ford”), holding that Ford’s Brand Exclusivity Standard, part of Ford’s Lincoln Commitment Program, does not violate the...more
The spring thaw has yet to set in, but Washington this month has been a hotbed of antitrust regulatory activity impacting supply chains. On February 15, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that Lockheed Martin...more
As reported in the last several months, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and other federal agencies continue to carry out the objectives of the Biden Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy...more
Last week saw two notable competition-related developments from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The first relates to the FTC’s approval of eight new compulsory process resolutions in high-priority areas. The second...more
9/27/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Civil Investigation Demand ,
Common Ownership ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Endorsement Guidelines ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Monopolization ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
The Clayton Act ,
Vertical Mergers
It seems that hardly a day passes without an antitrust issue ending up on the front page of the newspaper. In the last several months, politicians, government officials, and enforcers alike continue to focus on their desire...more
On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Biden issued a sweeping Executive Order that could have far-reaching implications for businesses across a broad spectrum of industries. The Executive Order takes a government-wide approach...more
7/15/2021
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Healthcare ,
Joe Biden ,
Manufacturers ,
Mergers ,
No-Poaching ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Wage-Fixing
Amid the national coronavirus emergency, the antitrust enforcement agencies remain open for business. However, like the rest of these country, these agencies—the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission...more
Recent public statements from Makan Delrahim, Assistant United States Attorney General for the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and Joseph Simons, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman, indicate...more
In October 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) jointly issued a guidance statement about the application of antitrust laws to hiring and compensation decisions. Antitrust laws, the...more
4/12/2018
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Criminal Liability ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
New Guidance ,
No-Poaching ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage-Fixing
On November 7, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released an advisory opinion confirming that a non-profit hospital in New York may sell discounted prescription drugs to the employees of an affiliated medical practice...more
11/16/2017
/ 501(c)(3) ,
Advisory Opinions ,
Commodities ,
Competition ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Non-Profit Hospitals ,
Nonprofits ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Price Discrimination ,
Robinson-Patman Act
On August 12, 2016, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced they are seeking public comments on the first update to the Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing...more
On August 12, 2016, the Seventh Circuit reversed the district court decision allowing Woodman’s Food Market, Inc.’s (Woodman’s) price discrimination lawsuit against The Clorox Company and The Clorox Sales Company (Clorox) to...more