For Release
FTC Closes Investigation of Joint Venture Between Bertelsmann AG and Sony Corporation of America
The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it has closed its investigation into whether the proposed joint venture between Bertelsmann AG and Sony Corporation of America may substantially lessen competition in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act or Section 5 of the FTC Act.
The European Commission (EC) also reviewed this proposed merger. Throughout the course of their respective investigations, the FTC and the EC Competition Directorate’s staff consulted and cooperated with each other under the terms of their 1991 cooperation agreement and 2002 Best Practices on Cooperation in Merger Investigations.
The Commission closed the investigation without taking any enforcement action. Both companies have been notified of the Commission’s action. The closing letters sent by the FTC to the parties and a statement by Commissioner Mozelle W. Thompson have been posted on the Commission's Web site, and are the only publicly available documents regarding this action.
(FTC File No. 041-0054)
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