Sky Blog
The third quarter of 2023 was eventful for both domestic and international cartel enforcers.
In the United States, the Department of Justice (DOJ) continues to revamp policies to sharpen its enforcement efforts. On October 4, 2023, the Deputy Attorney General …
On October 11, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a proposed rule to prohibit so-called junk fees, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an advisory opinion to large banks and credit unions on charging fees for financial …
The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released a draft overhaul of their merger guidelines. The merger guidelines are intended to describe how the agencies evaluate mergers and reach decisions on …
On August 16, 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it had simultaneously sued and approved a settlement (a consent order) related to the proposed acquisition of EQT Corporation by funds managed by Quantum Energy Partners (Quantum). The …
Corporate governance can play an important role in a company’s approach to machine learning technologies such as artificial intelligence (“AI”) and in the mitigation of risks associated with their use.
A thoughtfully developed governance structure for AI will reflect oversight, …
The Department of Justice Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission issued new draft Merger Guidelines on July 19 that aim to significantly increase scrutiny of merger activity. The new Merger Guidelines would replace prior pronouncements of antitrust policy from the …
On June 27, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR) Form and Instructions.1 According to FTC Chair Lina Khan’s accompanying statement, the NPRM is the result of …
Today [June 27], the Federal Trade Commission, with the collaboration and concurrence of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, is issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) to amend the Hart-Scott-Rodino (“HSR”) Form and Instructions.1 This marks the first time
As part of its declared focus on fostering competition in the labor market, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed to ban most noncompetition agreements, or noncompetes, restricting the activities of former employees. Noncompetes can be a useful tool for …
The Supreme Court has made it easier to challenge the constitutionality of administrative tribunals housed at federal agencies. On April 14, 2023, the Court unanimously held in Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission that parties subject to enforcement actions …
We previously reported on the Supreme Court’s grants of certiorari in SEC v. Cochran and Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC, in which the Court agreed to consider whether federal district courts have jurisdiction to hear constitutional challenges to the …
In a lengthy opinion made public two weeks ago, the FTC, by a vote of 4-0, determined that Illumina’s acquisition of GRAIL may substantially lessen competition in a market for the “research, development, and commercialization of MCED [multi-cancer early detection] …
On March 27, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Federal Trade Commission (together, the “Agencies”) hosted international and state antitrust enforcers for panel discussions on current and emerging enforcement trends.Agency leaders Assistant Attorney General (“AAG”) Jonathan Kanter and …
Companies, banks, insurers and asset managers are increasingly working together within their industries on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) initiatives to achieve shared goals on climate change, labor rights and other social issues. In the eyes of many, collective action …
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced revised Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR) reporting thresholds and filing fee amounts, up to a $2.25 million fee for the largest deals. Under the new thresholds, a transaction is reportable if, due to the transaction, …
2022 was an active year for the U.S. federal antitrust enforcement agencies. There were important developments in all key areas of the agencies’ remit, from merger enforcement to civil conduct cases to criminal prosecutions. 2023 may prove to be one …
As boards continue to evaluate how environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) considerations factor into corporate operations, some lawmakers and regulators have raised potential antitrust concerns about coordinated efforts. For example, several U.S. Senators sent letters to law firms admonishing them …
The U.S. is the largest market for merger and acquisition (“M&A”) activity, with nearly 7,900 transactions accounting for a record $2.6 trillion in value in 2021.[1] The primary M&A enforcement agencies in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) …
The FTC recently announced the first use of its “Penalty Offense Authority” in many years. The agency dusted off this statutory tool as part of its multifaceted effort to continue to obtain monetary relief in its consumer protection enforcement actions …
In the U.S., some members of Congress and state AGs have advocated for greater antitrust scrutiny of industry-wide ESG initiatives, while other state AGs have argued that such initiatives are procompetitive. In the EU and the U.K., competition authorities have …