Helmut Bergmann has been a partner of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer since 1996 and is based in the Berlin office. He is co-head of the firm’s antitrust, competition and trade (ACT) practice group. From 1998 to July 2006 Helmut was managing partner of the firm?s Berlin office. Helmut specialises in German and European competition and antitrust law with a special focus on mergers and acquisitions and cartels. He has particular experience in the healthcare, chemicals, consumer products, automotive, media, telecommunications, software, financial services and energy sectors. Helmut was born in Nürnberg in 1961. He received his legal education at the universities of Würzburg, Geneva and Tübingen. In 1987, he joined the Cologne office as a trainee and in 1991 as German lawyer (Rechtsanwalt). In 1996 he relocated to the firms Berlin office. His international experience includes working as a ’stagiaire’ with the European Commissions Directorate General Competition (1990) and spending one year with White & Case in New York (1992/1993). Helmut is author and co-author of several books and articles on antitrust law and he frequently lectures on competition law topics. He acts as non-governmental advisor to the ICN’s cartel working group.
6376
1. Introduction In the past few years, the German hospital sector has undergone a process of consolidation due to the privatisation of a large number of hospitals held by local communities or the regional federal states (Länder). The German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) cleared the vast (...)
2972
German Federal Cartel Office finds Soda Club guilty of Article 82 Abuse In a decision of 9 February 2006, the German Federal Cartel Office (“FCO”) found that Soda Club (“SC”), a producer of water carbonating systems, had violated Article 82 EC and section 19 of the Act against Restraints of (...)
6486
In its ongoing efforts to open the German wholesale market to new gas suppliers, the German Federal Cartel Office (“FCO”) issued a statement of objections against E.ON Ruhrgas (“E.ON”), Germany’s largest gas supplier, in December 2005. According to this statement of objections and the (...)
4684
On 1 July 2005, major changes to German competition law entered into force. The seventh amendment of the German Act against Restraints of Competition (“ARC”) aims to bring Germany into line with the modernised EU competition law rules. Damages actions The amended section 33 ARC deals with (...)
4349
On 11 February 2005, the German Federal Cartel Office (“FCO”) prohibited Deutsche Post AG’s (“DPAG”) practice of granting rebates for mail preparation services for letters below 100gr exclusively to its large direct customers. Mail preparation includes the collection of letters, sorting them (...)
