Looking back at 2023 mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, antitrust-related breakup fees continued to be an important tool in allocating antitrust risk between deal parties. These typically take the form of a “reverse”...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced 2024 adjustments to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) thresholds. These thresholds determine which mergers and acquisitions may be required to be reported to United States federal...more
1/24/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Fees ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Size of Persons Test ,
Size of Transaction Test ,
Threshold Requirements
In the coming year, Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) Chair Lina Khan and Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division Jonathan Kanter are expected to continue to advance a more aggressive...more
1/23/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cross-Border ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Section 5 ,
Vertical Mergers
Recent trends in antitrust merger enforcement have brought into sharp focus the acquisition of nascent or potential competitors in the technology and life sciences sectors. These deals include so-called “killer acquisitions”...more
On December 18, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) (together, the “agencies”) jointly released their final revised 2023 Merger Guidelines, reflecting modest adjustments...more
12/22/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Draft Guidance ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Vertical Mergers
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced 2023 adjustments to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) thresholds. These thresholds determine which mergers and acquisitions must be reported to United States federal antitrust agencies...more
On December 23, 2022, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (the “Act”) with bipartisan support. In addition to numerous spending provisions totaling $1.7 trillion, the Act includes antitrust-related...more
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week that directors at several technology companies have resigned as a consequence of the agency’s renewed focus on overlapping board membership between...more
10/26/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Big Tech ,
Board of Directors ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Internal Investigations ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Section 8 ,
Startups ,
Technology Sector ,
The Clayton Act
FTC Suit Aspires to Chill M&A-Based Growth by Larger Tech Firms -
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan has consistently criticized past FTC leadership for being too lenient with Big Tech M&A activity, and for not...more
After months of partisan deadlock, this week Georgetown law professor and privacy scholar Alvaro M. Bedoya was confirmed by the Senate to serve as a member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Bedoya’s confirmation gives...more
In a departure from past enforcement priorities, the Federal Trade Commission has challenged three vertical mergers over the past year, leading the parties to abandon two of the three deals...more
The Federal Trade Commission announced its 2022 adjustments to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) thresholds. These thresholds determine which mergers and acquisitions must be reported to United States federal antitrust agencies for...more
Earlier this week, the Federal Trade Commission officially reinstated the practice of including “prior approval” requirements in consent orders settling merger investigation cases by the Commission (the 2021 Statement), the...more
On September 28, 2021, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a blog post outlining the agency’s plans to expand and purportedly strengthen its process for in-depth investigations of transactions (known as “Second...more
The annual adjustment of the dollar thresholds for pre-acquisition filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act will take effect on March 4, 2021. All transactions closing on or after the effective date will be governed by the new...more
2/4/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Fees ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Size of Persons Test ,
Threshold Requirements
The annual adjustment of the dollar thresholds for pre-acquisition filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act will take effect February 27. All transactions closing on or after the effective date will be governed by the new...more
1/29/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Fees ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Size of Persons Test ,
Threshold Requirements
The annual adjustment of the dollar thresholds for pre-acquisition filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act will take effect late March. All transactions closing on or after the effective date will be governed by the new...more
2/20/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Fees ,
Filing Requirements ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Size of Persons Test ,
Size of Transaction Test ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Voting Securities
The annual adjustment of the dollar thresholds for pre-acquisition filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act will take effect the end of February. All transactions closing on or after the effective date will be governed by the...more