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Event Description

The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) solicited public comments and held joint public workshops to explore the possibility of updating the Horizontal Merger Guidelines that are used by both agencies to evaluate the potential competitive effects of mergers and acquistions.  The goal of the workshops was to determine whether the Horizontal Merger Guidelines accurately reflect the current practice of merger review at the Department and the FTC as well as to take into account legal and economic developments that have occurred since the last significant Guidelines revision in 1992.

Merger Guidelines Workshops
Presented at the Third Annual Georgetown Law Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium by Assistant Attorney General Christine A. Varney (September 22, 2009)

Workshop Series:

  1. December 3, 2009
  2. December 8, 2009
  3. December 10, 2009
  4. January 14, 2010
  5. January 26, 2010
  • Request for Comments

    In connection with the workshops, interested parties are invited to submit written comments or original research. A list of specific questions to inform the first workshop discussions is set forth below;  the agencies may post additional questions relevant to subsequent workshops discussions at a later date. Initial comments should be submitted by November 9, 2009, to ensure ample time for consideration prior to the first workshop. Comments should refer to “HMG Review Project – Comment, Project No. P092900.” To file electronically, follow the instructions and fill out the form at https://public.commentworks.com/ftc/hmgworkshop1. Paper comments should include the above reference both in the text and on the envelope, and should be mailed or delivered to:

    Federal Trade Commission
    Office of the Secretary, Room H-135 (Annex P)
    600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
    Washington, DC 20580

    Comments containing confidential material, however, must be filed in paper form, must be clearly labeled “Confidential,” and must comply with Commission Rule 4.9(c). The FTC requests that any paper comments be sent by courier or overnight service, if possible, because postal mail in the Washington area and at the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security precautions.

FTC Privacy Policy

Under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) or other laws, we may be required to disclose to outside organizations the information you provide when you pre-register. The Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments, whether filed in paper or electronic form, and as a matter of discretion, we make every effort to remove home contact information for individuals from the public comments before posting them on the FTC website.

The FTC Act and other laws we administer permit the collection of your pre-registration contact information and the comments you file to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate.  Under the Freedom of Information Act or other laws, we may be required to disclose to outside organizations the information you provide when you pre-register.  For additional information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, see the Commission’s Privacy Act system for public records and comprehensive privacy policy.

This event will be open to the public and may be photographed, videotaped, webcast, or otherwise recorded.  By participating in this event, you are agreeing that your image — and anything you say or submit — may be posted indefinitely at ftc.gov or on one of the Commission's publicly available social media sites.