Jacques Buhart

On 20 January 2021, the EC fined Valve Corporation and five publishers, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax, a total of EUR 7.9 million for breaching antitrust rules by partitioning the EEA market. Background Valve, together with the five publishers, restricted (...)

This article has been nominated for the 2020 Antitrust Writing Awards. Click here to learn more about the Antitrust Writing Awards. INTERIM MEASURES IMPOSED ON BROADCOM : THE RE-AWAKENING OF A ONCE-DORMANT TOOL ?* The European Commission (EC) has found, on a prima facie basis, that Broadcom (...)

BIGGER IS BETTER . . . OR MAYBE NOT : THE SIEMENS/ALSTOM RAILWAY ME* The European Commission recently reaffirmed that industrial policy objectives have no role to play when it comes to applying the EU merger control rules. Despite unusually intense industrial and political pressure to get the (...)

On 17 December 2018, the EC announced its decision to fine the clothing and accessories company Guess EUR 39.821 million for restricting retailers from online advertising and selling cross-border to consumers in other Member States. By doing so the company was able to maintain artificially high (...)

On 4 December 2018, the Council adopted the Directive 2019/1 to enable Member State competition authorities to be more effective enforcers (ECN+). This adoption followed an agreement reached with the European Parliament at first reading. In March 2017, the EC published a proposal for a new (...)

The application of the GDPR from 5 May 2018 has had a significant impact on the way companies manage their data in various areas. In the field of competition, the GDPR might well cause companies that face competition investigations to wonder whether they should provide personal data in (...)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, COUNCIL AND EC PROPOSE EU FRAMEWORK FOR FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT SCREENING On 20 November 2018, the European Parliament, the Council and the EC agreed on a framework for the screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) on grounds of security or public order. This new (...)

Application of Jurisdiction Clauses to Competition Damages Actions Depends on Cause of Action* Summary The European Court of Justice (ECJ) recently ruled that a jurisdiction clause does not need to refer expressly to disputes arising from a breach of competition law where damages are claimed (...)

CJEU REFERS SMART CARD CHIPS CARTEL CASE BACK TO GCEU, DISMISSES PHILIPS APPEAL On 26 September 2018, the CJEU considered that the GCEU had not taken into account certain possibly mitigating circumstances—namely the relatively small number of Infineon’s unlawful contacts with other cartel (...)

A recent settlement shows that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will use its enforcement authority to target employer collusion in the labor market. What Happened The FTC brought a complaint against a medical staffing agency, Your Therapy Source, LLC, and the owner of a competing (...)

Non-EU inward investors in Germany should be aware of recent developments in German Government policy towards foreign investment in strategic infrastructure and security sensitive areas. Electricity infrastructure is an area that is particularly sensitive for strategic and security (...)

On 27 July 2018 the French Competition Authority (FCA) imposed a EUR 20 million fine on Fnac Darty for failing to comply with its divestment commitments following Fnac’s acquisition of the Darty group. This is the first time the FCA has imposed a fine on a company for failing to comply with a (...)

All State Aid decisions taken by the EC can be subject to an action for annulment. In practice, however, it has been very difficult for complainants to successfully bring admissible actions for annulment of EC decisions approving aid because of EU courts’ strict interpretation of the locus (...)

On 25 July 2018 the CJEU dismissed an appeal by Orange Polska SA against a GCEU judgment upholding an EC decision that imposed a fine of more than EUR 127 million on Orange for abusing its dominant position. The CJEU confirmed that, as in the case of a cartel, the EC does not have to take (...)

Vertical restrictions, including resale price maintenance (RPM), have not generally been an EC enforcement priority over the last 10 years, but a series of rulings in July 2018 signalled a potential change in that trend. Although the EC considers RPM to be a “hardcore restriction” of (...)

Article L. 430-7-1, II of the French Commercial Code provides that the French Minister of Economy and Finance has the power to re-examine a merger within 25 working days after receiving the French Competition Authority (FCA) decision, for reasons of public interest other than safeguarding (...)

In this difficult case, the EC had to reduce the fines calculated for each of the cartel participants so as to remain within the unalterable limit of 10 per cent of total worldwide group turnover. The EC claimed that it had sought to treat the various cartel participants equally in making the (...)

This judgment of the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt/Main of 12 July 2018 applying the preliminary ruling of the CJEU of 6 December 2017 in the case Coty Germany GmbH v Parfümerie Akzente GmbH will reassure manufacturers of luxury products that they can protect such products from unauthorised (...)

On 12 July 2018, by its judgment in Case T-419/14 The Goldman Sachs Group v Commission, the GCEU entirely dismissed the appeal brought by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., against an EC decision in Case AT. 39610 Power Cables, fining Goldman Sachs EUR 37.303 million for its parental liability (...)

On 5 July 2018, the CJEU handed down a judgment in response to a request for a preliminary ruling from the Lithuanian Court of Appeal in which it provided welcome clarifications of the interpretation of Articles 5(3) and 5(5) of Regulation No 44/2001 (Brussels I Regulation). These articles (...)

By order of 12 June 2018, the Vice President of the CJEU dismissed the appeal lodged by Nexans France SAS and Nexans SA (collectively, Nexans) against the order of the President of the GCEU of 12 July 2017. The latter rejected Nexans’s application for an interim injunction to prevent the EC from (...)

This landmark judgment of the German Federal Court of Justice concerns an action for damages relating to the German cement cartel. However, the judgment has much wider implications and is relevant for damage claims relating to other cartel infringements. The Federal Court extended the temporal (...)

Deutsche Lufthansa AG is a joint founder member of Star Alliance, the largest global airline alliance. In addition to the Star Alliance Agreement, Lufthansa concluded with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) a bilateral alliance agreement, a marketing and sales agreement, and a bilateral joint (...)

When drawing up an acquisition agreement in a transaction that will be notifiable to the EC for clearance under the EUMR, the acquirer must ensure that any veto or similar rights that it has prior to implementation of the transaction are strictly limited to that which is necessary to preserve (...)

The CJEU held that a finding of a “competitive disadvantage” as the result of discriminatory pricing by a dominant undertaking on a downstream market does not require demonstration of an actual and quantifiable deterioration of a customer’s competitive situation on that market. This notion (...)

In its judgment of 10 April 2018, the CJEU decided that Germany did not infringe EU law by extraditing an Italian national to the United States. An EU Member State is not required to extend a prohibition on the extradition of its own nationals to all EU citizens, but before proceeding to (...)

The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg had the opportunity to establish a position regarding potential restrictions of competition in selective distribution arising out of bans on selling products through eBay and similar platforms. The Higher Regional Court referred to recent case law of the (...)

The Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf decided that neither online nor offline sellers can invoke exhaustion of rights under Article 15(1) of the EU trademark regulation if they sell high-quality, prestigious cosmetic products without appropriate presentation to avoid impairment of reputation. (...)

When considering whether a measure constitutes State aid for the purposes of Article 107(1) TFEU and applying the well-established private operator principle, one should take into account both the private creditor test and that of the private investor depending on the nature of the transaction. (...)

The so-called Geo-Blocking Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2018/302, became directly applicable throughout the European Union on 3 December 2018. The Regulation is part of the European Union’s single market strategy to enable consumers and businesses to benefit fully from the opportunities offered (...)

This judgment arises out of an application by Edeka- Handelsgesellschaft Hessenring mbH (Edeka) for access to the EC’s decision and table of contents of the file in settlement proceedings concerning four banks involved in the Euro Interest Rate Derivatives (EIRD) cartel. The judgment illustrates (...)

This State aid case gives interesting indications regarding the definition of an undertaking and the economic or non-economic nature of its activities. The GCEU pointed out that merely being in a position of competition on a given market does not determine the economic nature of an activity, (...)

In four separate judgments of 1 February 2018, the CJEU upheld fines imposed by the EC on freight forwarders for participating in cartels in the international air freight forwarding services sector. The case is interesting for its consideration of (i) the fact that the EC relied on evidence (...)

On 24 January 2018 the EC fined Qualcomm EUR 997 million for hindering competition on the market for Long-Term Evolution (LTE) basebands chips, in breach of Article 102 TFEU. Baseband chipsets, which enable smartphones and tablets to connect to cellular networks, are used both for voice and (...)

On 23 January 2018, the CJEU rendered its judgment in the case Hoffman-La Roche and Others v AGCM, providing clarification on important aspects of competition law in the pharmaceutical sector. The CJEU rendered its judgment pursuant to a request for a preliminary ruling by the Italian Council (...)

THE FRENCH COMPETITION AUTHORITY FINES A PHARMACEUTICAL LABORATORY EUR 25 MILLION FOR ANTI-GENERIC PRACTICES* On 20 December 2017, the French Competition Authority (the FCA) imposed a EUR 25 million fine on a pharmaceutical laboratory, for delaying entry onto the market of the generic version (...)

This article has been nominated for the 2018 Antitrust Writing Awards. Click here to learn more about the Antitrust Writing Awards. BEWARE OF "GUN JUMPING" : EU COURT UPHOLDS EUR 20 MILLION FINE IMPOSED ON NORWEGIAN SEAFOOD COMPANY* Between 2012 and 2013, Marine Harvest ASA (“Marine (...)

SIGNIFICANT FINE IMPOSED BY THE FRENCH COMPETITION AUTHORITY IN FLOOR COVERINGS CARTEL* On October 18, 2017, the French Competition Authority (the “FCA”) imposed a EUR 302 million fine on the three leading companies in the PVC and linoleum floor coverings sector ; Forbo, Gerflor and Tarkett, as (...)

GERMAN ANTITRUST AUTHORITY ISSUES GUIDELINES ON RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE* On 12 July 2017, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) published a guidance paper (Guidance Paper) on the prohibition of resale price maintenance (RPM). The Guidance Paper has a particular focus on the food retail (...)

On 4 March 2017, the European Commission (Commission) published a notice concerning the notification of the proposed acquisition of the Spanish aircraft company Industria de Turbo Propulsores SA (Spain, ITP), by Rolls-Royce Holdings plc. (UK, Rolls-Royce). Interested third parties, such as (...)

UNFAIR COMMERCIAL PRACTICES : THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE SPECIFIES CRITERIA FOR COMPARATIVE ADVERTISING* On 8 February 2017, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) handed down a judgment on a reference for a preliminary ruling stating that comparative advertising can be misleading if consumers (...)

Finally Implemented ! The Italian Council of Ministers Approves a Legislative Decree Implementing the EU Antitrust Damages Directive* On 14 January 2017, the Italian Council of Ministers approved the Legislative Decree implementing Directive 2014/104/EU on certain rules governing actions for (...)

Compliance Programs – The Italian Competition Authority Highlights the Importance of an Effective Implementation and Update* On 19 January 2017, the Italian Competition Authority (the Authority) issued a decision concerning alleged anticompetitive agreements in the home ventilotherapy and home (...)

Unfair Commercial Practices – The Italian Competition Authority and The Italian Communication Authority Sign a Memorandum of Understanding* On 13 January 2017, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) and the Italian Communication Authority (AGCOM) signed a memorandum of understanding (...)

SALE OF SERIE A BROADCASTING RIGHTS, THE REGIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE COURT OF LAZIO ANNULS THE DECISION OF THE ITALIAN COMPETITION AUTHORITY* On 23 December 2016, the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio (the TAR) annulled the decision of the Italian Competition Authority (the Authority), (...)

OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED REFORMS OF THE EU MERGER CONTROL REGIME* In October 2016, the European Commission launched a public consultation to continue the process of identifying possible areas of the EU Merger Regulation suitable for refinement, improvement and simplification. In the past (...)

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently reversed its position on how to calculate the size-of-transaction for HSR purposes in connection with leveraged buyouts (LBOs). This change in position may result in more reportable transactions. As detailed here, the FTC’s position, effective (...)

EU COURT CONFIRMS EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S DECISION ON PAY-FOR-DELAY AGREEMENTS* On 8 September 2016, the General Court of the European Union upheld the European Commission’s decision in which the antitrust regulator imposed fines of approximately EUR 150 million on Lundbeck and a number of generic (...)

UK CMA IMPOSES BEHAVIOURAL COMMITMENTS AKIN TO A STRUCTURAL DIVESTMENT : THE SCI-FI MAGAZINES CASE* Divestments often constitute the most appropriate remedy to resolve antitrust concerns in the context of merger control. However, behavioural commitments may also have the same commercial (...)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION CHALLENGES PUBLIC PRICE ANNOUNCEMENTS BY SHIPPING LINER COMPANIES* On 7 July 2016, the European Commission adopted a decision accepting commitments by 14 shipping liner companies to change their practices concerning announcements of intended price increases for (...)

EU COURT RULES THAT ROYALTIES FOR UNPATENTED TECHNOLOGY ARE NOT NECESSARILY ANTICOMPETITIVE* On 7 July 2016, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) handed down a judgment on whether Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) must be interpreted as (...)

ONLINE SALES RESTRICTIONS REMAIN A HOT TOPIC : UK CMA ISSUES STATEMENT OF OBJECTIONS* On 9 June 2016, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued a statement of objections (SO) to Ping Europe Limited (Ping), a golf equipment manufacturer, alleging that Ping had breached EU and UK (...)

THE EU COURT OF JUSTICE BRINGS TO AN END ODILE JACOB’S FIGHT AGAINST LAGARDÈRE’S PURCHASE OF VIVENDI UNIVERSAL PUBLISHING* By its judgment of 28 January 2016 (C-514/14 P, Editions Odile Jacob SAS v Commission), the European Court of Justice (Court) upheld the General Court of the European Union’s (...)

EU COURT OF JUSTICE REDUCES CARTEL FINE : GENERAL COURT OF THE EU EXCEEDED ITS JURISDICTION* The Court of Justice of the European Union (Court),the EU’s highest court, recently issued a judgment in case C-603/13 P, Galp Energía España SA and others v Commission, reducing the fine imposed on (...)

On Thursday, April 9, 2015, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment for AT&T Mobility LLC, Verizon Wireless LLC, T-Mobile USA Inc. and Sprint Corp., in a text messaging price-fixing litigation. In re Text Messaging Antitrust Litigation, case number (...)

On Wednesday, April 8, 2015, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a district court’s order certifying a class of direct purchasers of blood reagents in a price-fixing suit against Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics Inc. In re Blood Reagents, case number 12-4067. Plaintiffs allege that (...)

On March 18, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ordered Par Petroleum Corporation to terminate its storage and throughput rights at a key gasoline terminal in Hawaii. This action will settle FTC charges seeking to prevent Par’s acquisition of Koko’oha Investments, Inc. Notably, the market (...)

On January 12, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals refused Motorola Mobility LLC’s petition for a rehearing en banc of its price-fixing claims against foreign manufacturers of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels. Motorola Mobility LLC v. AU Optronics Corp., et al., case number 14-8003. Motorola (...)

On November 13, 2014, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of price-fixing claims against two home brokerage service firms in Kentucky, McMahon Co. and HomeService of America, Inc. Hyland, et al. v. HomeServices of America Inc., et al., case number 12-5947. The plaintiffs, (...)

On Friday, August 15, 2014, Judge Gerald McHugh of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania let stand several counterclaims that IMS Health Inc. (IMS) made against Symphony Health Solutions Corp. (Symphony) in connection with related to allegations that Symphony had poached IMS employees to steal (...)

On Friday, August 8, 2014, the Southern District of New York denied motions for summary judgment filed by the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, Comcast Corp. and DirecTV LLC in suits alleging that these organizations and television providers conspired to hinder competition in (...)

Addressing whether the “sham” exception to Noerr-Pennington immunity is limited to sham litigation in courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated a lower court’s summary judgment of no antitrust liability, finding that antitrust liability can attach to sham administrative (...)

COMMISSION PUBLISHES WHITE PAPER ON MINORITY SHAREHOLDINGS* On 9 July 2014, the EU Commission (Commission) published a White Paper (White Paper) entitled Towards more effective EU merger control. The White Paper sets out the Commission’s current thinking on the application of merger control (...)

Addressing for the first time whether a patent holder under a contractual duty to deal is also subject to an antitrust duty to deal, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld dismissal of a putative antitrust class action challenge to a drug manufacturer’s refusal to fully supply (...)

On May 2, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit requesting that the court reverse the district court’s decision in Lamictal Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, finding that a “no authorized generic” agreement between (...)

ANTITRUST CLASS ACTION AGAINST GRACO INC. DISMISSED * On March 11, 2014, Judge Ann Montgomery of the District of Minnesota dismissed a putative antitrust class action against Graco Inc. and its distributors that accused Graco of buying two of its closest competitors in the spray foam equipment (...)

On January 17, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced revised, higher Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) pre-merger notification filing thresholds. The FTC adjusts the HSR thresholds annually to represent the increase or decrease in GNP. These revised thresholds will become effective 30 days (...)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION INVESTIGATES EXEMPTION FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY SURCHARGE FOR ENERGY-INTENSIVE COMPANIES IN GERMANY* The European Commission today opened a State aid investigation into the German Renewable Energy Source Act (the EEG), claiming that the EEG may have given unlawful advantages (...)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION TARGETS SPANISH FOOTBALL CLUBS INCLUDING REAL MADRID AND BARCELONA FOR STATE AID INVESTIGATION* The European Commission (Commission), on 18 December 2013, opened three formal State aid investigations into public support measures for major Spanish football clubs. The (...)

On December 10, 2013, Judge Edmond Chang of the Northern District of Illinois certified a class of plaintiffs who filed a proposed class action against NorthShore University Health System (formerly Evanston Northwestern Healthcare) on behalf of all end-payors who purchased inpatient and (...)

EU NATIONAL COURTS MAY HAVE TO ORDER RECOVERY OF STATE AID BEFORE EUROPEAN COMMISSION MAKES FINALE DECISION* The European Court of Justice decided on 21 November 2013 that EU national courts must assume that a measure qualifies as State aid, if the European Commission has opened an in-depth (...)

On Friday, November 1, 2013 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ended a seven-month investigation of the proposed merger between Office Depot Inc. and OfficeMax Inc., allowing the transaction to move forward. The merger between the second and third largest office supply superstores (OSS) is not (...)

ITALIAN COMPETITION AUTHORITY RELEASES NEW GUIDELINES ON COMPETITIVE BIDS* On October 26, 2013, the Italian Competition Authority (the Authority) published its new guidelines on competitive bids. The guidelines are intended to help contracting entities to recognize and inform the Authority of (...)

GERMANY : NEW FINING GUIDELINES* The German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) has recently published new Guidelines for the Setting of Fines. These guidelines implement the recent decision by the German Federal Supreme Court (BGH, judgment of 26.02.2013), according to which the 10 percent maximum (...)

RELEASE OF CONFIDENTIAL CARTEL INFORMATION BY EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO ENGLISH HIGH COURT SUSPENDED* On 29 November 2012, the EU General Court (GC) issued a provisional order suspending the European Commission’s decision to communicate to the High Court of England and Wales a copy of Alstom’s (...)

PRIVATE ACTIONS IN COMPETITION LAW : UK GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION* On April 24, 2012, the UK government took a significant step towards private antitrust actions by publishing a consultation document on how best to encourage private sector challenges to anticompetitive behavior. This (...)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION ADOPTS NEW STATE AID RULES ON SERVICES OF GENERAL ECONOMIC INTEREST * On December 20, 2011, the European Commission adopted a new legislative package on the application of State aid rules on services to public services – known as Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI). (...)

HEALTH CARE INSURANCE COMPANIES IN ITALY FINED OVER €13 MILLION FOR ANTI-COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOUR* The Italian Competition Authority has found that four health care insurance providers—HDI-Gerling Industrie Versicherung AG, Faro Compagnia di Assicurazioni e riassicurazioni S.p.a., Navale (...)

GERMAN COMPETITION AUTHORITY STARTS SECTOR INQUIRY INTO FOOD RETAIL* The German Competition Authority has started a sector inquiry in the food retail sector yesterday and has sent questionnaires to 21 retailers and over 200 producers in the food and beverages industry. According to the press (...)

ITALIAN COMPETITION AUTHORITY FINES SUPPLIERS OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE EQUIPMENT €5.5 MILLION * On 5 August 2011, the Italian Competition Authority levied fines totalling €5,538,750 on Alliance Medical S.r.l., Toshiba Medical Systems Italia S.r.l., Philips S.p.A. and Siemens S.p.A. Each firm (...)

ITALIAN COMPETITION AUTHORITY BLOCK PROPOSED ACQUISITION* On 8 August 2011, the Italian Competition Authority blocked the proposed acquisition by Compagnia Valdostana delle Acque (CVA) of Deval and Vallenergia, both active in the retail sale of electricity in Valle d’Aosta, a mountain region in (...)

GERMAN FEDERAL CARTEL OFFICE CONSULTS ON SUBSTANTIVE MERGER CONTROL – DRAFT GUIDANCE FOCUSES ON MARKET DOMINANCE* On 21 July 2011, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) published a consultation paper on substantive merger control called “Draft Guidance on Substantive Merger Control” (Draft (...)

SUPREME COURT ALLOWS THE PASSING-ON DEFENSE IN ANTITRUST DAMAGES ACTIONS * The German Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling handed down on 28 June 2011, has held that members of a cartel are able to defend themselves against a claim for damages by raising the defense that the relevant applicants (...)

ITALIAN COMPETITION AUTHORITY’S INVESTIGATION INTO LARGE-SCALE DISTRIBUTION IN THE FOOD SECTOR* On 6 November 2010, the Italian Competition Authority launched an investigation into the role of large-scale retail distribution in Italy’s food sector. The investigation aims at assessing potential (...)

ITALIAN COMPETITION AUTHORITY CONFIRMS 1.2 PER CENT MERGER CONTROL FILING FEE FOR 2010* The Italian Competition Authority announced today that the amount of its merger control filing fee will remain unchanged in 2010. The amount of the fee will therefore continue to be 1.2 per cent of the (...)