Sky Blog
Prediction markets allow participants to trade contracts on whether or not real-world events will occur. These platforms have grown rapidly, and contracts tied to specific company activity are now actively trading, including contracts on IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, earnings call …
For the last decade, the legal effort to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its climate denialism has been advanced through tort and consumer protection law. Plaintiffs asserted claims of public nuisance and consumer fraud, alleging that “Big Oil” …
In late 2025, when Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) was actively considering sale of the company, Netflix and Paramount emerged as likely purchasers. Knowing that a merger with either itself or Netflix would raise antitrust concerns, Paramount included in its offer …
A federal district court in Texas has vacated FTC rules that went into effect last year revising the information parties must submit to the antitrust agencies in merger filings submitted under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act. The vacatur will be stayed …
On December 11, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Protecting American Investors from Foreign‑Owned and Politically‑Motivated Proxy Advisors” (the “Order”). The Order focuses on the “enormous influence” of proxy advisory firms, particularly Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (“ISS”) …
Summary
In the market for corporate control, regulation has long been viewed as a tax on activity, a hurdle to overcome, or a cost to be priced in. The conventional wisdom is straightforward: More regulation equals less activity. However, in a …
The Federal Trade Commission dropped its attempt to ban almost all employer-worker non-compete agreements by rule. It will instead focus on bringing case-by-case enforcement actions.
On September 5, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a statement “acced[ing] to the …
As predicted, antitrust merger enforcement under the second Trump Administration exhibits a return to a more restrained approach at both the Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. Most refreshingly, the agencies appear committed …
In recent years, the failure of high-profile startups has drawn renewed attention to a persistent question in the venture capital (VC) world: How much diligence is enough when speed of investment is at a premium? Collapses at the likes of …
The Federal Trade Commission and the DOJ’s Antitrust Division recently announced two settlement agreements, signaling that this Administration is willing to resolve merger competition concerns — in appropriate cases — through negotiated divestiture remedies. These actions herald a return to …
The FTC and DOJ recently announced the first settlements of merger enforcement actions reached under the second Trump administration. These actions follow comments from leadership at the antitrust agencies expressing an openness to structural merger remedies, an important contrast to …
On January 7, 2025, XCL Resources Holdings, LLC (“XCL”), XCL subsidiary Verdun Oil Company II, LLC (“Verdun”), and EP Energy LLC (“EP,” and with XCL and Verdun, the “Defendants”) agreed to a record-setting civil penalty of $5,684,377 (and related behavioral …
On January 7, 2025, the U.S. FTC announced a settlement with three crude oil producers for violations of the gun jumping provisions of the HSR Act. XCL Resources Holdings, LLC (XCL), Verdun Oil Company II LLC (Verdun), and EP Energy …
In 2024, two federal agencies saw challenges to their regulations restricting non-compete agreements, while several states enhanced restrictions or proposed amendments expanding existing non-compete laws. The scope and impact of these developments are likely to be further clarified as legislation …
The administration’s antitrust picks are in. President Donald Trump has nominated Gail Slater to be the assistant attorney general for antitrust and Andrew Ferguson – currently a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission – to become the FTC chair. Upon
On January 10, 2025, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, American Investment Council and a local chamber of commerce filed a complaint challenging the new Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) rules governing premerger notification. Plaintiffs allege that the new rules violate the …
On November 12, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) published updated guidance on how the DOJ’s Antitrust Division will evaluate corporate compliance programs when making charging decisions and sentencing recommendations relating to criminal antitrust violations, such as bid-rigging, price-fixing, …
With the change of administrations in January 2025, antitrust enforcement priorities are likely to shift next year. We expect the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the Trump Administration to continue to …
Evidence of a rise in corporate market power has drawn the attention of U.S. policymakers, prompting antitrust regulators to more closely scrutinize mergers and acquisitions (M&A) that consolidate product markets. Such consolidations are believed to be behind the increased market …