On 6 April 2025, the unfair commercial practices provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act) entered into force, ushering in a new enhanced consumer enforcement regime administered by the...more
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is taking significant steps to update its approach to merger control following both the coming into force of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act on 1...more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), which became law on 24 May 2024, represents a major shift in UK digital, competition and consumer protection regulation....more
Shortly before the UK Parliament was prorogued on 30 May 2024, the long-awaited Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC) received Royal Assent on 24 May 2024....more
The heightened scrutiny M&A deals are encountering from various regulatory agencies in the US represents only part of the global regulatory regimes that cross-border dealmakers must navigate. European regulators have enacted...more
Following introduction into the UK Parliament in 2023, the long-awaited Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC) received Royal Assent on 24 May 2024. The legislation passed as part of the parliamentary ‘wash-up’...more
On 18 April 2024, the UK government published the response to its call for evidence consultation on the functioning, scope and performance of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act. Please refer to our November...more
Following an almost yearlong review into artificial intelligence (AI) foundation models, and the publication of its initial report in October 2023, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published an updated...more
Cross-border M&A activity in 2023 was impacted by heightened geopolitical conflicts, high inflation and interest rates, and increased regulatory pressures as the global economy remained clouded by looming recession fears....more
The transition towards a net zero economy remains an important focus of the UK government’s internal and foreign policy. With the conclusion of COP28 (the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference), this client alert...more
Just shy of two years since the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act entered into force, on 13 November 2023, the UK government published a Call for Evidence on the functioning, scope and performance of the regime....more
Like many regulators across the globe, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been hypervigilant in watching the development of the artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model market.
Following a five-month...more
On 11 July 2023, the UK government published its second annual report on the operation of the UK’s National Security and Investment (NSI) regime. The report covers the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, making it the...more
On 4 May 2023, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced the launch of an initial review of the market for artificial intelligence foundation models. Through this initial review, the CMA aims to...more
The UK government recently published its second edition of Market Guidance Notes on the National Security and Investment (NSI) regime, which includes new additions and amendments to the previously published guidance of 19...more
We finally have sight of the long-awaited Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill. Warning: It is a sizeable and ambitious piece of legislation, but the following is our summary take on the key competition and...more
The European Union’s top court recently confirmed that an M&A transaction that does not require mandatory pre-merger authorization may be investigated post-merger on suspicion that the transaction involved an ‘abuse’ of the...more
Following the US Department of Justice’s first criminal conviction for labor market antitrust violations in October 2022, and with scrutiny of labor agreements increasing internationally, the UK Competition and Markets...more
More than 11 months have passed since the UK’s National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSI Act) came into force, creating a stand-alone foreign direct investment review system in the UK for transactions in specified...more
On 8 August 2022, the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) unanimously set aside a £17.9 million fine imposed on the Compare The Market website (CTM) by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CAT held that the CMA...more
On July 19, 2022, the UK government published its long-awaited Market Guidance Notes on the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act, based on an analysis of notifications received to date and feedback from stakeholders....more
On June 16, 2022, the UK government published its first annual report on the operation of the UK’s National Security and Investment (NSI) regime, covering the first three months since the regime came into force on January 4,...more
On April 20, 2022, the UK government announced wide-ranging reforms to UK competition and consumer law policy, including significant threshold changes to the UK merger control regime. In particular, while the government aims...more