FTC/DOJ to Host Joint Workshop on Merger Enforcement

The Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced topics, times, and locations, along with a tentative list of participants for their joint workshop on merger enforcement. The workshop, which will be held on February 17-19, 2004, at the FTC’s new conference center at 601 New Jersey Ave., NW, Washington, DC, are open to the public. Seating at the workshop will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Written comments may be submitted to the FTC prior to the event. A tentative agenda for the workshop is presented below. Updated versions of this agenda will be available up to the time of the workshop at: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/02/mergerworkshopagenda.pdf.

9:00–9:45
Opening Remarks
Timothy J. Muris, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
R. Hewitt Pate, Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division,
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

10:00–12:00
Hypothetical Monopolist Test
Moderator: Gregory J. Werden (DOJ)
Panel: William Blumenthal (King & Spalding), John D. Harkrider (Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider), Barry C. Harris (Economists, Inc.), Willard K. Tom (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius).

1:30–3:30
Concentration & Market Shares
Moderator: David S. Sibley (DOJ)
Panel: John E. Kwoka, Jr. (Northeastern University), Janet L. McDavid (Hogan & Hartson), Steven A. Newborn (Weil, Gotshal & Manges), Craig M. Newmark (North Carolina State University), Charles F. “Rick” Rule (Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson), Vincent Verouden (European Commission, DG Comp.).

3:45–5:00
Monopsony
Moderator: Kenneth Heyer (DOJ)
Panel: Peter Carstensen (University of Wisconsin), Marius Schwartz (Georgetown University), C. Robert Taylor (Auburn University).

9:00–10:15
Non-Price Competition/Innovation
Moderator: Mark W. Frankena (FTC)
Panel: Ann Malester (Weil, Gotshal & Manges), Richard T. Rapp (NERA), Steven C. Sunshine (Shearman & Sterling), Ronald W. Davis.

10:30–12:30
Unilateral Effects
Moderator: Luke M. Froeb (FTC)
Panel: Joseph Kattan (Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher), Gregory K. Leonard (NERA), Abbott B. “Tad” Lipsky, Jr. (Latham & Watkins), Ariel Pakes (Harvard University), Gregory J. Werden (Justice Department), Valerie Rabassa (EC/DG Comp.).

1:45–3:45
Coordinated Effects
Moderator: Michael H. Knight (FTC)
Panel: Jonathan B. Baker (American Unversity), Andrew R. Dick (Charles River Associates), Deborah A. Garza (Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson), Deborah P. Majoras (Jones Day Reavis & Pogue), Steven C. Salop (Georgetown University), David T. Scheffman (LECG).

4:00–5:15
Uncommitted Entry
Moderator: Theodore Gebhard (FTC)
Panel: Timothy Daniel (NERA), A. Douglas Melamed (Wilmer Cutler Pickering), Frederick R. Warren-Boulton (MiCRA), Mark D. Whitener (General Elec. Co.).

9:00–12:00
Efficiencies/Dynamic Analysis/Integrated Analysis
Moderators: Alden F. Abbott & Mary T. Coleman (FTC)
Panel: J. Mark Gidley (White & Case), Ilene Knable Gotts (Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz), William J. Kolasky (Wilmer Cutler Pickering), Robert Pitofsky (Georgetown University), David T. Scheffman (LECG), Joseph J. Simons (Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison), Vincent Verouden (EC/DG Comp.).

1:30–4:30
Economists and Lawyers’ Roundtable
Moderator: R. Hewitt Pate (DOJ)
Panel: William Baer (Arnold & Porter), Jonathan B. Baker (American University), Wayne D. “Dale” Collins (Shearman & Sterling), James Loftis (Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher), James F. Rill (Howrey & Simon), Daniel L. Rubinfeld (University of California, Berkeley), Robert D. Willig (Princeton University), Dennis W. Carlton (University of Chicago).

Reporters and others unable to attend the workshop may call in at the following toll-free numbers. Please note, there is a different call-in number and confirmation number for each day of the workshop: Tuesday – 800-473-8493, confirmation number 21829088; Wednesday – 800-473-8492, confirmation number 21829092; and
Thursday – 800-659-8296, confirmation number 21829097. The lines will open at 7:45 am on each day of the conference. The chairperson of each conference call is Bruce Jennings.