Ahead of the coming into force of the new Egyptian merger control regime on 1st of June 2024, the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) today published its new notification form as well as questions and answers providing clarifications to merger parties. The ECA had received feedback that its proposed jurisdictional thresholds were too broad leading to transactions with no impact on the Egyptian market needing to be notified. To address these concerns, the ECA has narrowed down its jurisdictional thresholds, clearly requiring a local nexus for transactions. The ECA has also created a simplified procedure and fast track process for certain transactions.
The National Council of Provinces in South Africa has passed the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill, which aims to provide for increased electricity generation capacity and additional infrastructure in South Africa. It also establishes the duties, powers and functions of the Transmission System Operator and introduces an open-market platform for the competitive trading of electricity.
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division (“Division”) has launched the Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion. This new Task Force, made up of lawyers, economists, industry experts, data scientists, and technologists from across the Division, will work on investigations and policies across the healthcare space. In particular, the Task Force will focus on consolidated markets, particularly where business operations affect customer care, the use of healthcare data, labor issues, and technology services in the healthcare space.
The Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) recently issued its first vertical restraints case prohibiting the vertical agreement between eight manufacturers and suppliers, along with their distributors (organized/hypermarkets and independent merchants). The ECA stated that were they found to have agreed on setting the minimum fixed resale price maintenance (RPM) and adopted Most Favored Nation clauses (MFN) in distribution contracts of household electrical appliances. This conduct was deemed a violation of Article 7 of the Egyptian Competition Law No. 3 for 2005.
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division has launched the Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion. This new Task Force, made up of lawyers, economists, industry experts, data scientists, and technologists from across the Division, will work on investigations and policies across the healthcare space. In particular, the Task Force will focus on consolidated markets, particularly where business operations affect customer care, the use of healthcare data, labor issues, and technology services in the healthcare space.
With effect from 26 April 2024, the State Administration of Market Regulation’s Amended Anti-monopoly Compliance Guidelines for Business Operators notably features the provision of credit for antitrust programs verified by the authority.
The Guidelines set out for the first time the conditions and process for such credit to be granted. The specific prerequisites for granting credit and the type of credit granted varies, depending on the stage of enforcement. Compared with the original 2020 Guidelines, the amended version is more detailed and includes helpful guidance on key antirust risks alongside case studies.
The latest edition of our Field Guide to Going Global helps you examine foreign law issues for taking business models, products and technology international. Our guidance should be helpful whether you are working for a start-up company or a large multinational enterprise that is broaching new frontiers.
The Superintendence of Industry and Commerce through Resolution No. 17526 of 2024 established the new fees for merger control procedures applicable during 2024. The parties must pay the applicable fee depending on the type of procedure: fast track notification, pre-assessment request phase I or pre-assessment request phase II. These new fees will be effective as of the date of publication of the resolution and the amount must be paid prior to the filing of the application before the SIC.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued its highly anticipated final rule on noncompetes, imposing a near-total ban on worker noncompetes in the United States. Barring injunctive relief from legal challenges (which have already started), the rule will take effect 120 days from publication in the federal register.
On April 10, 2024, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division announced that it had secured a guilty plea from a fuel truck company owner for conspiracy to monopolize trade in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. This policy shift has expanded the scope of the DOJ’s criminal antitrust enforcement agenda. Accordingly, companies should ensure that their employees are properly complying with antitrust regulations and continue to monitor as this revived area of antitrust law develops.