After President Trump’s election for a second term, those predicting where federal antitrust enforcement was headed had to contend with internal tensions in the Trump coalition that extend to economic policy more broadly:...more
Since their release, the federal antitrust agencies’ 2023 Merger Guidelines (2023 Guidelines) have faced significant criticism from many. There was speculation that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice...more
The healthcare industry remains a focal point of President Biden’s antitrust agenda. The president’s July 2021 Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy called on federal agencies to focus antitrust...more
Parties contemplating transactions in the defense sector need to know about a new obligation to provide materials to the Department of Defense (DOD) that will substantially affect their obligations for transactions that are...more
2/8/2024
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
GAO ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
NDAA
On January 22, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced revised thresholds for merger notifications under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act. Effective 30 days after the official publication date in the Federal...more
On December 18, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice jointly released their final Merger Guidelines. The Guidelines “identify the procedures and enforcement practices [the agencies] most often use...more
Under their current leadership, the U.S. federal antitrust agencies have shown antipathy to resolving merger investigations through remedy undertaking that are embodied in consent decrees, preferring instead to seek to...more
This marks the second issue of WilmerHale’s The Interplay: Key Decisions at the Intersection of Antitrust & Life Sciences, a monthly bulletin that will highlight developments in the antitrust and life sciences space. We will...more
10/16/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
CVS ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Pricing ,
False Marking ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hatch-Waxman ,
Industry Consolidation ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
Orange Book ,
Partnerships ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Policy Statement ,
Section 340B ,
TPAs
On July 19, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice released a draft update of the Merger Guidelines. The draft Guidelines describe how the agencies “review...mergers and acquisitions to determine...more
7/21/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Comment Period ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Guidance Update ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Vertical Mergers
As described in our Client Alert of July 6, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed on June 27, 2023, a massive overhaul of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR) pre-merger notification...more
7/19/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Notice Requirements ,
NPRM ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Required Forms
For the first time in 45 years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed on June 27, 2023, a massive overhaul of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR) pre-merger...more
Senior officials at the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have made clear that they will not entertain or will sharply limit resolutions of merger investigations...more
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (the Act), which changes the fee structure for transactions that are notified under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust...more
1/9/2023
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
China ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Fees ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Russia ,
Size of Transaction Test ,
Threshold Requirements
On October 31, 2022, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) secured a criminal guilty plea from Nathan Zito, the president of a Montana paving and asphalt contractor, to attempted monopolization under Section 2 of the Sherman...more
On July 9, 2021, the Biden Administration issued an Executive Order on “Promoting Competition in the American Economy.” The Order is notable in its breadth and commitment to a coordinated federal government approach to...more
On February 18, the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court decision ordering a divestiture in a private merger challenge. Although the FTC and DOJ have successfully challenged a few closed transactions, the Jeld-Wen...more
It has long been recognized that patent pools can create licensing efficiencies by establishing “onestop shops” for patents owned by multiple rights owners. There is also broad consensus that patentee collaboration in patent...more
1/26/2021
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Big Data ,
Connected Cars ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Internet of Things ,
IP License ,
Patent Ownership ,
Patent Pools ,
Patents ,
Standard Essential Patents ,
Universities
In recent years, both Republican and Democratic-led antitrust agencies have pursued aggressive merger enforcement programs, litigating many cases and settling many more. However, “populist” and other progressive critics have...more
On September 3, 2020, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) updated its 2004 Merger Remedies Manual (see here). The updated Manual clarifies important aspects of the DOJ’s merger remedy practice about which there...more
The first half of 2020 was a busy time for antitrust in the United States. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) implemented expedited procedures for reviewing collaborations during the...more
8/27/2020
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Technology Sector ,
Vertical Mergers
Since the beginning of the Trump Administration, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) has captured headlines for its aggressive public stance regarding merger enforcement. Actions attracting attention...more
10/8/2018
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
AT&T ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Trump Administration ,
Vertical Mergers
Earlier this week, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit seeking to unwind Parker-Hannifin's $4.3 billion consummated acquisition of Clarcor. This is a notable challenge for two reasons. ...more
More than 21 years ago, the US antitrust agencies issued guidance to the business community on two critical topics of antitrust enforcement: (1) the licensing of intellectual property rights and (2) international enforcement...more
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) issued their Antitrust Guidance for Human Resource Professionals. The HR Guidance reflects the agencies' enhanced scrutiny in a realm that may not...more
On October 14, the US Department of Justice's Antitrust Division announced that Ralph Groen, a former information technology executive of the bus operator Coach USA Inc., had pleaded guilty to criminally obstructing justice...more