The Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) recently announced that it will require Synopsys, Inc. (Synopsys) and Ansys, Inc. (Ansys) (together, “the parties”) to divest certain assets to resolve antitrust concerns...more
In a growing trend, states are requiring more premerger filings by enacting “baby-HSR” laws modeled after the federal Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act. These state-level statutes require parties to certain mergers and acquisitions...more
Gail Slater was confirmed last week as Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Antitrust Division; companies should expect a continuation of many Biden-era approaches, with new cases and priorities to advance the Trump...more
Wilson Sonsini is pleased to present The Scramble: Gaming Legal Year in Review 2024. This annual publication offers a retrospective look at the game industry’s legal landscape of the past year, showcases Wilson Sonsini’s...more
Now more than a month into President Trump’s second term, the Administration’s antitrust enforcement priorities have begun to take shape. Recent actions indicate that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Antitrust Division...more
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson has made two significant management decisions that will impact the trajectory of his enforcement agenda. On February 10, 2025, Chairman Ferguson appointed directors for...more
President Trump has chosen Gail Slater to lead the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division and elevated Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to chair the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In this second installment of...more
1/27/2025
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Mergers ,
Monopolization ,
Popular ,
Robinson-Patman Act ,
Sherman Act
In parallel, same-day rulings, a federal and state court blocked The Kroger Company’s $24.6 billion proposed acquisition of the Albertsons Companies, Inc., relying on traditional antitrust analysis and evidence of...more
12/20/2024
/ Albertsons ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Grocery Stores ,
Kroger ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merger Controls ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Popular
On October 24, 2024, to the surprise of many legal observers and fashion industry executives, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) secured a preliminary injunction blocking a proposed $8.5 billion deal between Tapestry and...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) unanimously passed a landmark rulemaking that significantly alters reporting requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended. Though less...more
The Biden administration’s antitrust scrutiny of the life sciences industry continued this week as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an administrative complaint against the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers...more
Information exchanges and integration planning are a vital component of the due diligence process when companies are considering acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, or any other business decision involving another party....more
On August 16, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a motion in limine in its challenge to Kroger’s $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons alleging that Albertsons executives intentionally deleted text...more
Serial acquisitions and roll-up strategies are facing intense scrutiny as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division request public comment on how these types of...more
5/30/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Biden Administration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Threshold Requirements
Wilson Sonsini provides extensive and cutting-edge legal services for innovators, technology pioneers, and disruptors. As part of our focus on emerging technologies, our attorneys are publishing a series on applying and...more
On July 8, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion for an emergency preliminary injunction to abrogate Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation's (Booz Allen's) merger agreement with EverWatch Corp....more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a consent agreement requiring divestitures as a condition of Buckeye Partners, L.P.'s (Buckeye's) $435 million acquisition of 26 petroleum terminals from Magellan Midstream...more
The FTC's case against Facebook will be allowed to proceed now that the district court has held its Amended Complaint plausibly alleged violations of Section 2 of the Sherman Act related to Facebook's acquisition of Instagram...more
1/19/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Big Tech ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Instagram ,
Monopolization ,
Sherman Act ,
Social Media ,
WhatsApp
On September 15, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted its third open meeting in as many months. The commission adopted the four items on its agenda and FTC staff gave a presentation on its study of acquisitions by...more
More than halfway through year one of the Biden administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are flexing their muscles and confirming the early consensus view that antitrust risk would be...more
On October 22, 2016, AT&T announced its $108 billion proposed acquisition of Time Warner. After a year-plus investigation, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit to enjoin the merger, alleging that the transaction would...more
6/20/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
AT&T ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Media ,
Multichannel Video Programming ,
Time Warner
Nearly a year and a half after the deal was announced, on April 6, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) challenged Halliburton's proposed $35 billion acquisition of rival oilfield services provider Baker Hughes. The DOJ...more