Articles Posted in FTC Antitrust Highlights

On June 5, the FTC authorized the staff to seek a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in federal district court to halt Whole Foods Market, Inc.’s approximately $670 million acquisition of its chief rival, Wild Oats Markets, Inc., pending an administrative trial on the merits. According to the complaint, the transaction would violate federal…

On June 4, the FTC entered into a settlement to resolve its concerns relating to Rite Aid Corporation’s proposed $3.5 billion acquisition of the Brooks and Eckerd pharmacies from Canada’s Jean Coutu Group (PJC), Inc. Rite Aid and Jean Coutu were required to sell 23 pharmacies to FTC-approved buyers in order to remedy the alleged…

On May 24, FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras participated in the sixth annual International Competition Network (“ICN”) Conference in Moscow, Russia, from May 30-June 1, 2007. Senior government antitrust officials, private sector antitrust experts from around the world, and representatives from intergovernmental organizations met to discuss competition issues. The ICN conference focused on the recent…

On May 23, Bureau of Economics Director Michael A. Salinger described the FTC’s initiatives to protect competitive markets in the production, distribution, and sale of gasoline through the agency’s comprehensive merger program on behalf of the FTC before the U.S. Congress’ Joint Economic Committee. Although the FTC does not regulate energy market sectors, the agency…

On May 22, Commissioner William E. Kovacic detailed the FTC’s varied initiatives to protect competitive markets in the production, distribution, and sale of gasoline and other petroleum products before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.The petroleum industry plays a crucial role in our economy.…

On May 8, the DOJ and the FTC issued a joint report, “Competition in the Real Estate Brokerage Industry,” to inform consumers and others involved in the industry about important competition issues involving residential real estate, including the impact of the Internet, the competitive structure of the real estate brokerage industry, and obstacles to a…

On May 2, FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz testified on behalf of the FTC before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce regarding anticompetitive patent settlements in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Leibowitz alleged that recent court cases have made it more difficult to bring antitrust cases…

On April 17, the DOJ and the FTC issued a joint report, “Antitrust Enforcement and Intellectual Property Rights: Promoting Innovation and Competition,” to inform consumers, businesses, and intellectual property rights holders about the agencies’ competition views with respect to a wide range of activities involving intellectual property.The report discusses issues including: refusals to license patents,…

On April 16, the FTC requested Actavis Group’s (“Actavis”) and Abrika Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Abrika”) divest all rights and assets needed to make and market generic isradipine capsules to Cobalt Laboratories, Inc. (“Cobalt”) within 10 days of the proposed acquisition. The FTC challenged the terms of the acquisition alleging that the transaction would create a monopoly…

On April 13, the FTC filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court of Western Pennsylvania, to stop Equitable Resources, Inc.’s (“Equitable”) proposed acquisition of The Peoples Natural Gas Company (“Dominion Peoples”), a subsidiary of Dominion Resources, Inc. The FTC alleged that the acquisition would lead to higher prices…