Cornerstone Research Connects: The CAT Judgment in Trucks
EU & UK Competition Law & Public Interest: Best Practices & New Challenges ahead
Jones Day Talks: Oversight of Foreign Direct Investment in the UK
EU excessive pricing laws
- What is new: Merger control is becoming increasingly more complex as policy and geopolitical priorities shift across the globe. - Why it matters: These developments increase the unpredictability of multijurisdictional...more
JANUARY – MARCH 2025: KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS - UNITED STATES - FTC Loses Vertical Challenge to Tempur Sealy/Mattress Firm On July 2, 2024, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit in federal court seeking to block...more
In February, the Japan Fair Trade Commission announced that it will hire additional staff to enforce the country's new Act on Promotion of Competition for Specified Smartphone Software. The Act “aim[s] to foster innovation...more
The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) is taking significant steps to evolve its approach to merger control, introducing a new Mergers Charter and launching a review of its merger remedies framework. These initiatives...more
A new strategic steer[1] published by the UK Government for consultation on 13th February 2025 seeks to change the CMA’s direction, focusing on growth and promoting investment in the UK via a series of measures aimed at...more
Searching for ways to achieve its promised ‘growth’ and productivity ambitions, the UK government turned its gaze on the UK regulators around October last year, with the UK prime minister promising to “rip up the bureaucracy...more
Stronger consumer protections demand compliance or face penalties - Why should I read this? Subscription contracts, common in digital markets, have faced criticism as many consumers forget to cancel their free trials and...more
There is new leadership at the European Commission (EC) where Teresa Ribera took over from Margrethe Vestager as the Commissioner for competition in December 2024 as well as at the UK Competition Markets Authority (CMA) where...more
In the first merger challenge of the second Trump Administration, on January 30, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division filed suit seeking to block Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company’s (“HPE’s”) proposed...more
IN THIS JANUARY 2025 ISSUE - In the fourth quarter of 2024, US antitrust regulators continued their rigorous scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions. The US Department of Justice (DOJ), under the leadership of the outgoing...more
The landscape of subscription contracts is changing around the world, with a heavy focus on consumer protection. In the United States, the recently released "Rule Concerning Recurring Subscriptions and Other Negative Option...more
Welcome to the latest edition of M&A Insights, where we bring together partners from across the A&O Shearman network to explore the themes shaping global dealmaking. The election of Donald Trump as President is expected to...more
In our biannual M&A trends report we explore the possible impact of the new U.S. administration on dealmaking, the dynamics of transatlantic M&A, private equity exits, and Mario Draghi’s proposals to reshape the European...more
As further initiatives come in to play and legislation is on the horizon, existing regulators (such as the ICO, CMA, Ofcom and FCA) continue to press on with their approach to AI regulation, including through the Digital...more
The US antitrust regulators continued to aggressively challenge transactions and associated Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) violations during the third quarter of 2024. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) litigated two merger...more
There have been significant changes to the regulations surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) on a global scale. New measures from governments worldwide are coming online, including the United States (U.S.) government’s...more
Last week saw the greatest wipeout in the recorded history of UK governments, which saw the Tories being swept from power and losing over 400 seats in Parliament. Labor took over with a commanding presence, securing around...more
Spotlight on below-threshold merger reviews: doubts over European Commission’s powers while in depth probes launched in Italy - Last month, we reported on the landmark Advocate General (AG) opinion in Illumina/GRAIL. The AG...more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 will introduce groundbreaking new rules to regulate digital markets in the U.K. It aims to boost competition by controlling the conduct of the largest digital firms,...more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 will result in a landmark overhaul of the U.K. consumer protection regime. It will dramatically increase the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA's) enforcement powers...more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has finally been enacted. It introduces significant changes to U.K. merger control and antitrust rules, establishes a new consumer protection regime and introduces a...more
What has changed? The Energy Act 2023 introduces a new UK merger control regime under which all mergers between energy network companies active in the UK can be assessed for their impact on Ofgem’s ability to make comparisons...more
This newsletter is a summary of the antitrust developments we think are most interesting to your business. Thomas Masterman, partner based in London, is our editor this month. He has selected: Out now: our latest global...more
Key Points - - EU competition regulators are increasingly considering “ecosystems” of products and services in their analysis of the competitive impact of mergers — a framework that often does not fit with the historical...more
On 21 November 2023, as part of its inquiry into large language models (LLMs), the UK’s Communications and Digital Lords Committee considered the role of regulators and emerging trends regarding LLMs, including evidence from...more