2024 saw a significant increase in the total fines imposed in abuse of dominance cases compared to 2023, reversing a trend of decline in recent years. The rise in fine volumes was spread across all regions of the world, with...more
The level of fines imposed for infringements relating to vertical and other non-cartel conduct increased ten-fold in 2024, reversing a trend of decline in recent years. This rise can be attributed in part to the overall...more
Overall, the number of immunity/leniency cases decided in 2024 (21) was broadly in line with 2023 (19) and 2022 (18). While certain antitrust authorities anecdotally continue to highlight the impact of leniency programs on...more
Digital regulation continues to be at the forefront of regulator concerns, as authorities focus on technology companies through traditional antitrust tools and new digital markets regimes. Further legislation and guidance is...more
In 2024, regulators across the globe increasingly acknowledged the need for a nuanced enforcement approach to balancing support for sustainability initiatives against traditional antitrust enforcement and countering the risk...more
3/21/2025
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Greenwashing ,
Popular ,
Sustainability ,
UK
Overall, global fines for cartel activity in 2024 (USD602.5 million) were the lowest recorded for several years, and significantly lower than the 2023 total (USD1.9billion). Unlike in previous years, 2024 saw relatively few...more
In the EU, the surge in private damages actions following the transposition of the Private Damages Directive (PDD) at member state level has brought to the fore several novel legal questions, prompting national courts to...more
2024 saw a significant increase in overall global fines for antitrust enforcement, with total penalties for the jurisdictions surveyed in our report at USD6.7 billion, over double that of 2023 (USD2.9bn) and substantially...more
3/20/2025
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Cartels ,
Competition ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Fines ,
Popular ,
Unfair Competition
Continuing the trend from 2023, 2024 saw an increase by regulators across the globe in activity in relation to labor markets, with new investigations being opened in all sectors of the economy, enforcement action, and updates...more
Hot on the heels of the UK government’s February 2025 draft "strategic steer", the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published a new Mergers Charter. The Charter details principles the CMA will apply when engaging...more
2024 saw a continued trend of heightened dawn raid activity by antitrust authorities across the globe. Of the 31 jurisdictions surveyed, 24 (77%) confirmed that the regulator had carried out dawn raids during the course of...more
3/19/2025
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Bid Rigging ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Dawn Raids ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Regulatory Authority ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
A visual breakdown of the geographical trends in antitrust enforcement fines around the world.
Europe -
At the country level, antitrust enforcement fines in Europe were USD2.3 billion, a significant increase from...more
3/19/2025
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Asia Pacific ,
Cartels ,
Competition ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Fines ,
Mergers ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
United States
2024 saw a significant increase in overall global fines for antitrust enforcement, with total penalties for the jurisdictions surveyed in our report at USD6.7 billion, over double that of 2023 (USD2.9bn) and substantially...more
3/19/2025
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Asia Pacific ,
Big Tech ,
Cartels ,
Competition ,
Damages ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Fines ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
South Africa ,
Sustainability ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
United States
Chief executive of the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Sarah Cardell, has announced that the authority will launch a review of its approach to merger remedies in early 2025.
Most notably, this will include a...more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 will introduce groundbreaking new rules to regulate digital markets in the U.K. It aims to boost competition by controlling the conduct of the largest digital firms,...more
6/3/2024
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
EU ,
Merger Controls ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 will result in a landmark overhaul of the U.K. consumer protection regime. It will dramatically increase the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA's) enforcement powers...more
6/3/2024
/ Competition ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 will in the main start to take effect in stages later in 2024 and will bolster the powers of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to enforce U.K. antitrust rules....more
6/3/2024
/ Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Compliance ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
EU ,
Investigations ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Remedies ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has finally been enacted. It introduces significant changes to U.K. merger control and antitrust rules, establishes a new consumer protection regime and introduces a...more
6/3/2024
/ Antitrust Division ,
Competition Act ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
EU ,
Investigations ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
New Rules ,
Online Platforms ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
This newsletter is a summary of the antitrust developments we think are most interesting to your business. Thomas Masterman, partner based in London, is our editor this month. He has selected:
Out now: our latest global...more
4/2/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Capital Markets ,
Cartels ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Global Market ,
Investment ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
2023 saw another muted picture in terms of overall global fines for antitrust enforcement, with total penalties for the jurisdictions surveyed in our report down at USD2.9 billion, a moderate decrease from the 2022 totals...more
The European Commission (EC) has published its latest report on competition enforcement in medicines and medical products.
Key takeaways are that:
EU and Member State authorities imposed multiple material antitrust...more
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has taken the unusual step of issuing a prioritisation statement on cooperation between competitors to make combination therapies available to the NHS.
The CMA worked closely...more
The European Commission (EC) has fined five pharmaceutical companies a total of EUR13.4 million for participating in a cartel concerning N-Butylbromide Scopolamine/Hyoscine (SNBB) – an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)...more
10/23/2023
/ Cartels ,
Cephalon ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Generic Drugs ,
Life Sciences ,
Patents ,
Pay-For-Delay ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Teva Pharmaceuticals
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its final Green Agreements Guidance on how UK antitrust rules apply to green cooperation agreements between competitors (UK Green Guidance).
The UK Green Guidance...more
10/19/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Climate Change ,
Competition ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
New Guidance ,
Popular ,
Sustainability ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The EU is concerned about subsidies granted by non-EU countries to businesses active in the EU that could distort competition in EU markets.
The Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) establishes a new suspensory notification...more