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How to Break Up Amazon
The Federal Trade Commission has accused Amazon of illegally maintaining its monopoly, extracting supra-competitive fees on merchants that use Amazon’s platform. If and when the fact-finder determines that Amazon violated the antitrust laws, we propose structural remedies to address the …
Sullivan & Cromwell Discusses FTC Rules on Non-Bank Financial Institutions and Data Breaches
On October 27, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) voted to approve supplemental amendments to the Safeguards Rule (the “Final Rule”) that will require non-bank financial institutions to notify the FTC electronically as soon as possible, and no later than …
Morrison & Foerster Discusses Antitrust Actions for Third Quarter 2023
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 …
Morrison & Foerster Discusses Agency Actions on “Junk Fees”
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 …
Paul Weiss Discusses Proposed Merger Guidelines and Private Equity
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 …
Davis Polk Discusses FTC Challenge to Director Interlock at Non-Corporate Entity
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 …
The Argument for Strong Board Oversight of Artificial Intelligence
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, …
Paul Hastings Discusses New Draft Antitrust Merger Guidelines
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 …
Davis Polk Discusses Antitrust Agencies’ Proposed Overhaul of HSR Filing Requirements
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 …
FTC Chair Lina Khan on Proposed Amendments to Premerger Notification Form and Hart-Scott-Rodino Rules
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
Skadden Discusses the FTC’s Plan To Limit Noncompetes
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 …
Skadden Discusses Scotus Endorsement of Early Challenge to Agency Proceedings
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 …
Wachtell Lipton Discusses Constitutional Challenges to Ongoing SEC and FTC Administrative Proceedings
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 …
Paul Weiss Discusses FTC Divestiture Order in Vertical Merger Case
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] …
Gibson Dunn Discusses DOJ, FTC Antitrust Summit
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 …
Debevoise & Plimpton Discusses ESG and Antitrust
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 …
Davis Polk Discusses Revised Thresholds and Filing Fees under Hart-Scott-Rodino Act
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, …
Paul Weiss Discusses the State of Antitrust Enforcement at the Beginning of 2023
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 …
Wachtell Lipton Discusses Antitrust and ESG
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 …