Q&A: Getting candid with Noah Phillips

Federal Trade Commission member Noah Phillips spoke with FTCWatch reporters June 7 on a balcony outside his office overlooking 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Inside his office, a picture hangs on the wall of conservatives’ bête noire, Louis...

What changes are coming with the merger guidelines?

The antitrust agencies are busy considering possible revisions to the horizontal merger guidelines. Recent speeches and writings by some key players give us hints of what the final product might look like.

Current Issue: 785

Next Issue: Jul 12, 2022

ACOs and antitrust guidance: burdensome, unclear, and expensive?

The government’s proposed guidance on antitrust scrutiny for Accountable Care Organizations may have generated more questions than answers.

Senate dials up scrutiny: Cell phone merger questioned

Cell phone executives appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights to answer questions related to AT&T’s plan to acquire T-Mobile, a deal rumored to...

Privacy on the go: Mobile technology hearing

The Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law met for the first time on May 10, hearing testimony from the FTC, Justice Department, Apple, Google, and privacy experts related to...

Commissioner Brill to industry: Be like a superhero

At a recent conference, FTC Commissioner Julie Brill challenged attendees to “be a little like Spider Man.”

Changing the supermarket landscape?

Four government agencies seek public comments on proposed nutrition guidelines that aim to change the foods companies market to American children, a proposal that the government hopes will...

Global drug deal announced

Two global drug companies have plans to “become a leader in specialty pharma” through a transaction valued at $6.8 billion.

$3.4 Billion coal acquisition

Two U.S. coal companies have announced a deal to combine and form “the second largest U.S. metallurgical coal supplier and a top-five overall global coal producer and marketer.”

Congress targets doping in horseracing

The House and Senate may soon give the Commission authority to regulate the American horseracing industry with Section 5 of the FTC Act.

Closed investigation: NY hospital merger

The Commission has closed a non-public investigation of possible anticompetitive effects of the proposed merger of New York’s St. Peter’s Healthcare Services, Northeast Health, and Seton Health...

Closed case: acquisition dropped

The FTC staff has closed an investigation of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Oil Price Information Service, LLC (“OPIS”) from United Communications Group, citing the parties’...

European antitrust

The European Commission has opened two investigations into the Credit Default Swaps (“CDS”) market.

Indian merger rules

The Competition Commission of India (“CCI”) has issued a “notification” that its new rules on mergers and acquisitions will go into effect on June 1.

Proposed acquisition: Microsoft Corp.'s intention to acquire Skype

Microsoft Corp. has announced its intention to acquire Skype Global S.a.r.l. in a deal valued at $8.5 billion.

Shampoo deal conditioned

A global personal care products company has agreed to divest shampoo and hairspray businesses as part of a stipulated order with the Justice Department, clearing the path for a $3.7 billion deal to...

Healthcare management deal dropped

One party has withdrawn from a planned merger that would have combined two healthcare time and attendance systems companies after the Justice Department “expressed concerns that the acquisition...

Chicken deal processed

The Justice Department has approved an agreement to join two chicken processing companies, finding that the deal would not have anticompetitive effects in the U.S. chicken market.

$160 million settlement: Global bank resolves charges

Swiss financial company UBS AG has settled Justice Department allegations of “bid rigging and other conduct constituting violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Act” in connection with the municipal...

FTC closes inquiry: offers guidance on filing

Though the FTC concluded that Sanofi-Aventis violated filing requirements of the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (“MMA”), the agency has closed the investigation...

Privacy breaches, vulnerable consumers: FTC imposes security programs

The Commission has settled with a national provider of payroll services and a web-based employer services company, resolving charges that both companies used false and misleading privacy statements...

Appliance retailer faces FTC

The Commission has charged Universal Computers and Electronics, Inc. with violating the Appliance Labeling Rule, which “requires manufacturers of most major home appliances to attach labels” to...