Competition Matters

When preparing an HSR filing for a proposed acquisition, some practitioners counsel their clients not to submit binding agreements or side letters negotiated between the merging parties that reflect the parties’ antitrust review obligations, risk-sharing commitments, and potential remedial measures. Some claim that these “side agreements” are ancillary to the main agreement, while others withhold such side agreements believing they are protected by a common interest privilege or as part of a joint defense agreement.

On Monday, November 27, 2017, the Premerger and Division Statistics Unit of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice is relocating to the Liberty Square Building at 450 Fifth Street, N.W.

As of November 27, 2017, all mail and overnight deliveries related to HSR filings should be addressed to:

Department of Justice
Antitrust Division
Premerger and Division Statistics Unit
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Recently, the Bureau of Economics published "Conditional Pricing Practices -- A Short Primer" as part of its Economic Issues series.

In order to reduce the burden associated with submitting detailed information for every document withheld on a claim of privilege, the Bureau has established an optional two-step privilege log process. Rather than submitting a complete privilege log for all withheld documents and custodians, parties may opt to initially submit an abbreviated log of documents withheld on a claim of privilege. This is called a Partial Log.

Moving to a new state can be daunting—packing, finding a new place to live, looking into options for schools, and finding the best local pizzeria. But if you’re one of the millions of Americans who need a license in order to work, the biggest hurdle could be getting a license in your new state. And it’s likely to involve more than just paperwork and fees. Because licensing requirements often vary from state to state, you might have to take additional courses or obtain specialized on-the-job experience—even if you’ve been working in the same profession for years.

Should the government spend its time protecting consumers from ugly throw pillows or droopy floral arrangements? Should the government force an African hair-braiding expert to also study makeup application or nail art in order to work? Should a job-seeking military spouse be expected to comply with a whole new set of licensing requirements—and pay a hefty fee—every single time the family relocates to a different state?

On January 18, 2017, the Commission settled its recent challenge to the 2013 acquisition by Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (subsequently acquired by Mallinckrodt plc) of rights to the drug Synacthen from Novartis AG.

When Congress passed the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, it created minimum dollar thresholds to limit the burden of premerger reporting. In 2000, it amended the HSR statute to require the annual adjustment of these thresholds based on the change in gross national product. As a result, reportability under the Act changes from year to year as the statutory thresholds adjust. The PNO fields many questions about the upcoming adjustments to the HSR thresholds from parties whose transactions may take place around the time of the revisions.

With some exceptions, Section 8 of the Clayton Act prohibits the same individual from serving as an officer or director of two competing corporations. Like other portions of the forward-looking Clayton Act (including Section 7 with its proscription on mergers that are likely to harm competition), Section 8 was designed to “nip in the bud incipient violations of the antitrust laws by removing the opportunity or temptation to such violations through interlocking directorates.” U.S. v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 111 F. Supp. 614, 616 (S.D.N.Y. 1953).