Developments in the past year are likely to affect nonmerger antitrust enforcement in the European Union in 2015 and beyond. In addition to merger enforcement, antitrust activity in 2014 provided a number of interesting...more
With improved coordination among agencies and across borders and the threat of dual criminal and civil enforcement, companies facing cartel investigations must navigate an increasingly complex environment. Skadden partners...more
1/28/2015
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Cartels ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Government Investigations ,
International Harmonization ,
Investigations ,
Multinationals ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan
US: Continuation of Aggressive Review and Enforcement -
In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) further embraced their aggressive approach to merger...more
1/28/2015
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
AT&T ,
Berkshire Hathaway ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
DirectTV ,
Divestiture ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Gun-Jumping ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
SierraPine ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan ,
Threshold Requirements
The Electronic Intellectual Property Center of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has released a draft “Template for Intellectual Property Policies in Industry Standardization Organizations” (the...more
On 10 November 2014, the Council of Ministers of the European Union adopted the long-awaited directive on rules governing private antitrust damage actions (Damages Directive or Directive). Although the text still needs to be...more
Last week, Georgetown University Law Center hosted its Eighth Annual Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium, and Fordham University School of Law hosted its 41st Annual International Antitrust Law and Policy Conference. These...more
9/17/2014
On July 9, 2014, the European Commission published its proposal (White Paper) outlining the approach it intends to adopt with respect to the application of the EU Merger Regulation (EUMR) to the acquisition of minority...more
On June 17, 2014, the Anti-Monopoly Bureau of China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) issued just the second prohibition decision in its enforcement history, striking down the proposed P3 Network shipping alliance that would...more
In a long-awaited judgment issued on June 12, 2014, the General Court upheld in its entirety the European Commission’s May 13, 2009, decision imposing a fine of €1.06 billion ($1.5 billion) on Intel for abusing a dominant...more
In a judgment that may expand civil damage liability for cartel participants significantly (Case C-557/12, Kone AG and Others, judgment of June 5, 2014), the European Court of Justice (the ECJ) has ruled that a cartel’s...more
On April 17, 2014, the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved the European Commission’s proposal for a directive on private antitrust damages actions (the Directive). The Directive is intended to facilitate antitrust...more
On March 18, 2014, representatives of the European Commission (the Commission), the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a compromise in relation to key provisions of the proposed EU Directive on...more
U.S. and European antitrust agencies had similar enforcement priorities last year, a trend we expect to continue in 2014. Nonmerger enforcement will continue to focus on intellectual property, financial services and...more
1/30/2014
/ Anticompetitive Agreements ,
Antitrust Conspiracies ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Class Action ,
Comcast v. Behrend ,
Conspiracies ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FRAND ,
FTC v Actavis ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trolls ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
SCOTUS ,
Standard Essential Patents
The European Commission (Commission) has adopted important revisions to its merger control procedures under what it characterizes as a Merger Simplification Package that will enter into force on January 1, 2014. The new rules...more
On June 20, 2013, the European Commission (Commission) launched a public consultation on a number of significant proposed changes to the EU Merger Regulation (EUMR). The proposed amendments relate to (i) the possible review...more
On June 11, 2013, the European Commission (Commission) issued a widely anticipated series of proposals designed to advance private antitrust damage and collective actions in Europe. To accomplish this, the Commission issued...more
On May 14, 2013, the French Autorité de la Concurrence (Autorité) issued a decision imposing a fine of €40.6 million on French company Sanofi-Aventis France (Sanofi) for an abuse of dominance in the market for the...more
The U.K.’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has issued a ‘government response’ or plan for reform indicating that the government will move forward with a number of substantial changes to the U.K.’s...more
If recent events are any indication, U.S. and European antitrust agencies will remain focused this year on the intersection of intellectual property and competition law. In particular, the agencies have concluded that under...more
1/30/2013
/ Acquisitions ,
Apple ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FRAND ,
Google ,
Infringement ,
Injunctions ,
Licenses ,
Microsoft ,
Motorola ,
Non-Practicing Entities ,
Patent Assertion Entities ,
Patent Portfolios ,
Patents ,
Samsung ,
Standard Essential Patents