The new Subsidy Control Bill (the Bill) recently had its first reading in the House of Commons. Once passed into law, this Bill will introduce a new UK regime regulating the distribution of subsidies from government bodies to businesses in
Antitrust and Competition Report
Analysis & insights from Reed Smith's Global Antitrust and Competition Team on the latest antitrust developments across the world
Latest from Antitrust and Competition Report - Page 2
Greenwashing: what is a misleading environmental claim and how can companies avoid getting into trouble?
The practice of making misleading environmental claims (so-called “greenwashing”) carries increasing risk in Europe. The European Commission and national consumer protection and/or competition authorities are more committed than ever to fight it, and a new EU initiative will require companies…
Supreme Court blocks NCAA’s ability to restrict education-related compensation and benefits for student athletes
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on the fierce debate over student-athlete compensation, with the justices unanimously affirming an injunction that struck down National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) restrictions on education-related compensation and benefits for student athletes in…
As a multi-agency pharmaceutical task force emerges now is the time for pharmaceutical companies to shape merger control policy
Following a period of relative leniency for pharmaceutical companies, a Multilateral Pharmaceutical Merger Task Force formed by key antitrust enforcement agencies has been established to review and update merger analysis.
The task force includes representatives from the Federal Trade Commission…
The European Commission increases intervention in M&A deals in the EU
The European Commission (EC) recently revealed a major change in merger policy affecting cross-border M&A deals in Europe. The new referral practice creates significant uncertainty for deals that would not have previously triggered scrutiny in the EU. In our latest…
Supreme Court decision weakens FTC’s enforcement authority
On April 22, 2021, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that § 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act does not permit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to seek, or a court to award, equitable monetary relief (e.g., restitution…
Cooperation projects during the COVID-19 pandemic – a useful reminder that competition compliance rules still apply
Ahead of a recent matchmaking event created with the aim of supporting the acceleration and upscale of COVID-19 vaccine production, the European Commission stipulated certain safeguards in a comfort letter issued to the organisers. Our latest client alert serves as…
When does sustainable collaboration become an anticompetitive agreement?
On 4 February 2021, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition held a discussion about how EU competition policy can contribute to the Commission’s sustainability goals, embodied in the European Green Deal. In that context, it discussed, amongst others, how to…
Personal liability and competition law: a global view
Becoming a theme of increasing concern, competition regimes from across the globe have started to take new measures to sanction natural persons. To address these latest developments, we have provided a global analysis of the issue in our latest client…
What will post-Brexit competition law enforcement look like?
The EU and UK have very similar systems of competition law enforcement however Brexit has given the UK a degree of autonomy and the opportunity to apply its own rules and regulations independent of the European Commission. We consider the likely…