Antitrust Lawyer Blog

On July 17, the Commission published its second Interim Report in relation to the retail banking part of its sectoral inquiry into the financial services sector in the Community. The first Interim Report dealt with the payment cards and the second Report covers Current Accounts and Related Services.The purpose of the investigation was to uncover…

Also on July 14, several parties asked the FCC to deny license transfers related to the proposed sale of Verizon Communications, Inc.’s (“Verizon”) Puerto Rico telecom assets – including the incumbent local exchange carrier and its second largest wireless service operator – to America Movil S.A. de C.V. (“American Movil”). Competitors are concerned that the…

On July 14, a federal judge said he wants to examine internal FCC documents regarding two large recent telephone company mergers to see if the Justice Department protected market competition in approving the buyouts. U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan’s review concerns the now-completed mergers of SBC Communications Inc. (“SBC”) with AT&T Corp. (“AT&T”)…

On July 13, the FCC approved the sale of substantially all of the cable systems and assets of Adelphia Communications Corporation (“Adelphia”) to Time Warner Inc. (“Time Warner”) and Comcast Corporation (“Comcast”), the exchange of certain cable systems and assets between affiliates or subsidiaries of Time Warner and Comcast, and the redemption of Comcast’s interests…

On July 13, 2006, the European Court of First Instance (“CFI”) reversed a July 18, 2004 decision by the European Commission allowing a merger between music groups Sony and BMG. This decision was reached in the wake of an application made by the Independent Music Publishers and Labels Association (“Impala”), an international association representing the…

On July 12, 2006 the European Commission (EC) imposed a fine of

On July 11, Smith & Nephew’s Endoscopy division acquired San Antonio-based OsteoBiologics Inc. Smith & Nephew officials say they will pay $72.3 million in cash for OBI, which is a private company. OBI sells bioabsorbable bone graft substitutes in Europe to repair cartilage defects in the knee, and offers the substances in the United States…

On July 10, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division announced that the third in a series of planned joint public hearings designed to examine the antitrust implications of single-firm conduct under the antitrust laws will take place on July 18, 2006, in Washington, DC. As previously announced, these public hearings…

On July 7, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) challenged Hologic Inc.’s 2005 purchase of Fischer Imaging Corporation’s breast cancer screening and diagnosis business. Hologic closed its $32 million transaction without reporting it to the FTC because Hologic’s acquisition of Fischer’s assets was not reportable under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Premerger Notification Act (“HSR Act”), as it was…

On July 7, the Federal Trade Commission announced its decision to challenge Hologic Inc.’s 2005 purchase of the breast cancer screening and diagnosis business of Fischer Imaging Corporation. In its complaint, the FTC alleged that Hologic’s acquisition of Fischer’s prone stereotactic breast biopsy systems (“SBBSs”) business harmed American consumers by eliminating its only significant competitor…