News

08 | 12 | 2010

CRA to hold Annual Brussels Conference on 8th December 2010

CRA will hold its annual conference "Economic Developments in European Competition Policy" at the Conrad Hotel, Brussels, on 8 December 2010. Information on confirmed speakers and how to register is available here

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09 | 08 | 2010

Novartis/Alcon cleared at Phase I subject to conditions

On 9 August 2010 the European Commission approved Novartis' proposed acquisition of a majority interest in Alcon, subject to conditions, following a Phase I investigation.

Novartis and Alcon are global pharmaceutical companies, both of which are active in ocular pharmaceuticals and consume... More

26 | 07 | 2010

European Commission clears Schlumberger's acquisition of Smith International at Phase I

On 26 July 2010 the European Commission approved the acquisition of Smith International by Schlumberger without conditions, after a Phase I investigation. Both companies provide oilfield services.

The Commission examined the effects of the acquisition in the markets for directional drillin... More

06 | 07 | 2010

General Court upholds prohibition of acquisition of Aer Lingus by Ryanair

On 6 July 2010, the General Court of the European Union upheld European Commission's prohibition of the acquisition of Aer Lingus by Ryanair.

The Commission had prohibited the takeover in 2007 on the grounds that the acquisition would have created a quasi-monopolist on a large number of sh... More

25 | 06 | 2010

OFT clears acquisition of Inovis by GXS

On 25 June 2010, the OFT unconditionally cleared the acquisition of Inovis by GXS.

Both companies are global providers of business-to-business e-commerce services, enabling the electronic exchange of business documents such as purchase orders and invoices between companies using EDI (Elect... More

17 | 06 | 2010

EC clears Procter & Gamble's acquisition of Sara Lee Air Care in Phase I

On 17 June 2010 the European Commission approved at Phase I the acquisition by Procter & Gamble (P&G) of Sara Lee's air care business, without conditions. Both companies manufacture air fresheners under the Febreze brand (P&G) and the Ambi Pur brand (Sara Lee Air Care).

The ... More

20 | 04 | 2010

US unveils proposed new Horizontal Merger Guidelines

On 20th April 2010 the FTC and DOJ published proposed revisions to the US Horizontal Merger Guidelines for public consultation. The publication comes a year after the appointment of new senior staff to both agencies, including Professor Carl Shapiro at the DOJ and Professor Joseph Farrel at the ... More

29 | 03 | 2010

Cisco / Tandberg video-conferencing merger cleared by the European Commission at Phase I

On 29 March 2010 the European Commission approved, subject to remedies, the acquisition of Tandberg, one of the leading players in the market for video-conferencing solutions, by Cisco. The Commission's investigation focused on whether the transaction would give rise to horizontal concerns in the... More

10 | 02 | 2010

OFT clears Ambassador/Live Nation theatre deal

On 10 February 2010, the OFT gave unconditional clearance to the acquisition by Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) of the theatres formerly owned by Live Nation (LN). ATG and LN owned large portfolios of theatres in the UK, with venues in 22 locations including London's West End.

A number of ... More

20 | 10 | 2008

UK OFT clears Co-Op acquisition of Somerfield

The OFT has cleared the acquisition by Co-Operative Group Limited (Co-Op) of Somerfield, subject to the divestment of stores in 126 local areas. The OFT accepted that the merger would not give rise to any competition concerns in the grocery sector at the national level. However, the OFT was con... More