Antitrust Lawyer Blog

On March 14th, the FTC announced that Valassis Communications, Inc., a leading producer of free-standing newspaper inserts (“FSIs”) in the United States, has settled charges that it attempted to collude with News America Marketing, its only FSI rival, to eliminate competition between the two companies. Under the consent order settling the FTC’s complaint, Valassis is…

On March 8th, Botox marketer Allergan, Inc., and Inamed Corporation agreed to divest the rights to develop and distribute Reloxin, a potential Botox rival, in order to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that Allergan’s $3.2 billion purchase of Inamed would violate federal antitrust laws. The FTC alleges that Allergan’s purchase of the expected first serious…

On March 5, AT&T announced its intention to merge with Bellsouth. While the Antitrust Division is conducting its investigation of the proposed merger, very little with regards to conditions or divestitures are expected because there is little overlap between the companies’ two networks. One area of concern is the area of wholesale dedicated access and…

On December 20, 2005, the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division entered into a settlement agreement with UnitedHealth to resolve the DOJ’s antitrust concerns related to UnitedHealth’s acquisition of PacifiCare.  The settlement agreement covered three geographic markets:  Tucson, Arizona; Boulder, Colorado; and California. Tucson, Arizona The DOJ was concerned that UnitedHealth and PacifiCare were among…

On January 6, 2005, the Commission ruled that Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (“CB&I”) illegally acquired Pitt-Des Moines, Inc.’s (“PDM”) Engineered Construction and Water Divisions. The FTC did not initially investigate the deal when the parties filed their Hart Scott Rodino notification forms. Eight months after the HSR waiting period expired, the FTC challenged the…