The US DoJ rescinds three longstanding pieces of guidance on the exchange of competitively sensitive information through third parties

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division is withdrawing three enforcement policy statements that provided important guidance on the exchange of competitively sensitive information through third parties. The guidance previously created a safe harbor for market benchmarking surveys that were (1) administered through a third party, (2) historical, and (3) anonymous. The withdrawal of this guidance creates uncertainty regarding how companies should approach market research and benchmarking activities and may signal increased scrutiny from federal enforcers going forward. Principal Deputy Attorney General Doha Mekki announced the recission at a February 2 conference in Miami. She stated that the Antitrust Division does not have current plans to replace the policy statements. KEY