Antitrust Group

FTC Approval of Staples-Essendant Merger Exposes Fault Lines on Merger Enforcement

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) recent approval of Staples, Inc.’s acquisition of office supply wholesaler Essendant, Inc.—on a party-line three-to-two vote—reveals the agency’s divergent political views on merger enforcement and vertical transactions. On January 28, 2019, Republican Commissioners Simons (FTC Chair), Phillips and Wilson issued a joint statement in support of their votes to...

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following. House panel passes bill targeting OPEC oil supply cuts. A U.S. House of Representatives committee approved a bill on Thursday that would open up the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to antitrust lawsuits, but it was uncertain if the measure would be considered by the full chamber. A U.S....

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following. Democratic lawmaker re-introduces bills to strengthen antitrust.  Senator Amy Klobuchar, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel, said on Friday that she had re-introduced two bills aimed at strengthening enforcement of U.S. antitrust law. One of the bills would adjust fees...

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following. E.U. Fines Mastercard $650 Million Over Fees Merchants Were Forced to Pay.  The European Commission has fined Mastercard 571 million euros, or around $650 million, for breaching antitrust rules by raising payment-processing fees artificially, leading to higher prices for retailers and consumers. The...

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following. F.T.C. Is Said to Be Considering Large Facebook Fines.  The Federal Trade Commission is in the advanced stages of its investigation into whether Facebook violated privacy rules and is expected to seek large fines from the company, according to two people familiar with the inquiry.  The five members of...

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following. HSBC to pay $30 million to settle bond rigging lawsuit in U.S.  HSBC Holdings Plc has agreed to pay $30 million to settle litigation by investors who accused 11 big banks of rigging the roughly $9 trillion government agency bond market from 2009 to 2015. The settlement with the British bank was made...

Constantine Cannon Attorneys Nominated for Antitrust Writing Award

Constantine Cannon attorneys Richard Pike and Athanasios Kalliris have been nominated by the Editorial Committee of Concurrences for one of the annual Antitrust Writing Awards that will be presented the night before this year’s ABA Spring Meeting in Washington D.C.  The article – The Role of the European Commission as an Intervener in the Private Enforcement of Competition Law – is an in-depth analysis of the...