Sky Blog
BlackRock, the vast asset manager, has been feted for demanding that the boards of its portfolio firms pursue a social purpose, which likely entails spreading corporate profits beyond shareholders to include labor and victims of environmental harm.[1] But despite …
Antitrust merger enforcement historically has focused on horizontal mergers — consolidation of two firms that compete directly in the same space. This is especially true in the U.S., where antitrust authorities have challenged few vertical mergers — those of a …
For the past 40 years, U.S. antitrust law has been understood as a consumer welfare prescription against conduct leading to higher prices, reduced output, and lower quality or innovation. A growing number of commentators argue, however, that this understanding of …
Speaking at an antitrust conference on January 19, 2018, Makan Delrahim, the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division, stated that over the next few months DOJ will be announcing indictments charging criminal antitrust violations relating to no-poach agreements. DOJ’s …
Last month, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and Department of Justice (“DOJ”) each separately challenged recently closed transactions that they claim would harm competition in the US. The DOJ filed suit in relation to TransDigm Group’s recent acquisition of …
The process of determining whether big mergers comply with antitrust laws is careful and intensive. The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice reported that in 2011 they examined in detail 40 percent, and initiated second request investigations in …
Global M&A accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2017, driven in part by tech expansion and strong economies in several key markets, and there are many signals pointing to a continued strong pace of transactions, including in the U.S. Overall …
There is an emerging consensus that antitrust law promotes innovation. According to this theory, a monopolist has little reason to create superior goods and methods unless those efforts would increase the monopolist’s market power. In fact, a monopolist can preserve …
On September 26, 2017, the US Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division (DOJ) sued to unwind Parker-Hannifin Corporation’s (Parker’s) consummated acquisition of CLARCOR Inc. (CLARCOR) on the ground the transaction created a monopoly in the US market for aviation fuel filtration …
Although the Trump administration has announced only one of its selections for top positions at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) or the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the election of President Donald J. Trump sets the …
The Department of Justice (DOJ or Department) released updated guidance on the Antitrust Division’s Leniency Program, on January 17, 2017.1 The Leniency Program allows corporations and individuals who self-report their cartel activity and cooperate in the Antitrust Division’s (Division) …
On January 31, 2017, President Trump announced the nomination of Tenth Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s former seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. This note reviews Judge Gorsuch’s approach to antitrust issues as reflected in his …
On February 3, 2017, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) released the findings of its “Merger Remedy Study” (the FTC Study) which examined the effectiveness of Commission-required remedies in transactions from 2006 to 2012.[1] The FTC Study—its …
China’s antitrust regulators have continued to increase their enforcement of the Anti-Monopoly Law (“AML”) in 2016. Given the high level of scrutiny in this area and the current legal environment in China, compliance with the AML should be a priority …
“Nice merger you’ve got here. It would be a shame if anything was to happen to it.”[1]
In antitrust and related areas of economic regulation, private leveraging is risky business. Large firms that use substantial market power in one …
On January 21, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the latest annual revision to the size thresholds governing premerger notification requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, Section 7A of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. …
On September 24, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio denied the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent the merger of Steris Corporation (“Steris”) and Synergy Health plc (“Synergy”), two providers …
With over 4000 citations in the Westlaw JLR database (most referencing his antitrust scholarship), Hovenkamp is one of the most cited legal scholars. His citations reflect an enormous body of work including the 21-volume Antitrust Law: An Analysis of Antitrust …
This year’s 63rd ABA Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting featured extensive remarks from antitrust regulators forewarning of more vigorous antitrust enforcement in 2015. The Proskauer antitrust team was on the ground and provides a report highlighting four key takeaways …
The development of self-learning and independent computers has long captured our imagination. The HAL 9000 computer, in the 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, for example, assured, “I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all …