Mergers - US regulator has issued updated guidelines for its processing of merger cases

[usdoj] The Department of Justice released an updated version of the Antitrust Division’s Policy Guide to Merger Remedies. The policy guide is a tool for Antitrust Division staff to use in analyzing proposed remedies in its merger matters. It also provides transparency into the division’s approach to merger remedies for the business community, the antitrust bar and the broader public.

Although the updated policy guide reflects changes in the merger landscape, the goal of the Antitrust Division remains the same – to provide an effective remedy to eliminate the anticompetitive effects of a proposed transaction, the department said.

“In every case, the Antitrust Division focuses on the specific facts of the proposed transaction. We are prepared to clear a merger, block a merger or accept a remedy that maintains efficiencies as long as the result eliminates any competitive harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “In the current environment of increasing transnational mergers and complex vertical transactions, the Antitrust Division must be ever nimble in its efforts to ensure that any remedies effectively preserve competition, promote innovation and protect consumers. The updated policy guide takes into account these changes.”

Updated Guide Recognizes Change in Merger Landscape