Corporate Practice Series Portfolio No. 35-3rd, Antitrust Guide for International Business Activities, analyzes the antitrust and trade regulation laws of the United States, the European Union, Japan, Canada, and the principal nations of Western Europe as they apply to international marketing and distribution. Several types of business practices may have antitrust consequences affecting whether certain business activities should take place, and if so, how they should be structured. Accordingly, the portfolio includes discussions of horizontal and vertical restraints; single-firm pricing policies, including price discrimination; and distribution restraints, such as exclusive selling and buying arrangements, tying arrangements, selective distribution, refusals to sell, and licensing agreements.

 

Portfolio 35-3rd: Antitrust Guide for International Business Activities

I. Introduction

II. Antitrust and Competition Law Applicable to U.S. Foreign Trade
    A. Relevant Antitrust and Competition Law
         1. United States
         2. European Union and European Economic Area
         3. National laws of European Union and European Economic Area member states
         4. Canada
         5. Japan
         6. Mexico
         7. China
         8. Evolution of laws prohibiting international cartels
              a. Growth of antitrust law
              b. Enforcement Techniques
                   (1). Pressure for corporate antitrust compliance programs
                   (2). Leniency and/or amnesty programs
                   (3). International cooperation agreements and practice
    B. Enforcement Limitations
         1. Jurisdictional reach
         2. Forum non conveniens and comity
         3. Special defenses
              a. United States
                   (1). Act of state
                   (2). Foreign compulsion
                   (3). Sovereign immunity
                   (4). Noerr-Pennington
              b. European Union
                   (1). Act of state
                   (2). Foreign compulsion
    C. Registration Requirements and Related Procedural Features
         1. Exemptions
         2. Opposition procedure
         3. Negative clearance
         4. Comfort letters

III. Concerted Pricing Practices
    A. Horizontal Restraints
    B. Vertical Restraints—Resale Price Maintenance

IV. Single-Firm Pricing Practices
    A. Low Pricing
    B. High Pricing
    C. Price Discrimination
    D. Other Abuses of a Dominant Position
    E. Differing Substantive and Remedial Approaches to Abuse of a Dominant Position: U.S. and EU

V. Distribution Restraints
    A. Agreements Concerning Goods and Services
         1. Exclusive selling
         2. Exclusive dealing
         3. Tying arrangements
         4. Selective distribution
    B. Refusal to Sell
    C. Licensing Agreements
         1. United States
         2. European Union
         3. Germany
         4. Japan
         5. GATT/WTO and technology licensing

VI. Merger Control
    . Introductory Material
    A. Merger Control Laws and Their Scope
         1. Governing statutes in the United States
         2. Governing statutes in the EU
         3. Jurisdictional tests
    B. Merger Analysis
         1. Types of mergers
         2. Merits analysis
              a. Horizontal mergers
              b. Vertical mergers
              c. Conglomerate mergers
         3. Special defenses
    C. Conflicts Arising from Merger Review in Multiple Markets
    D. Harmonization and Coordination
 

Portfolio 35-3rd: Antitrust Guide for International Business Activities 

 
Wks. 1 Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. §§1 and 2

Wks. 2 Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. §45(a)(1)

Wks. 2A Clayton Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. §18

Wks. 2B Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act, 15 U.S.C. §18a

Wks. 3 Webb-Pomerene Act, 15 U.S.C. §§61–65

Wks. 4 Export Trading Company Act of 1982, 15 U.S.C. §§4011–4021

Wks. 5 Foreign Trade Antitrust Improvements Act of 1982, 15 U.S.C. §§6a and 45(a)(3)

Wks. 6 Department of Justice, Business Review Procedure, 28 C.F.R. §50.6

Wks. 7 Federal Trade Commission, Advisory Opinion Procedure, 16 C.F.R. §§1.1–1.4

Wks. 8 U.S. Department of Justice & Federal Trade Commission, Antitrust Enforcement Guidelines for International Operations (1995)

Wks. 9 U.S. Department of Justice, Corporate Leniency Policy (Aug. 10, 1993) *

Wks. 10 U.S. Department of Commerce, Guidelines for the Issuance of Export Trade Certificates of Review, 50 Fed. Reg. 1786 et seq. (Jan. 11, 1985)

Wks. 11 Competition and Intellectual Property In the U.S.: Licensing Freedom and the Limits of Antitrust

Wks. 11A U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission Horizontal Merger Guidelines Issued: August 19, 2010

Wks. 12 The Treaty of Amsterdam, Articles 81, 82, 85, 86, 87, and 232 *

Wks. 13 Commission Notice on Agreements of Minor Importance *

Wks. 14 Council Regulation 19/65 Delegating Powers to Exempt Categories of Vertical and License Agreements, as amended by Regulation 1215/99 *

Wks. 15 Commission Regulation 2790/1999 on Vertical Agreements and Concerted Practices *

Wks. 16 Commission Regulation 772/2004 on Technology Transfer Agreements *

Wks. 17 Council Regulation 4064/89 on Merger Control as amended by Council Regulation 1310/97 *

Wks. 11A Guidelines on the Assessment of Horizontal Mergers Under the Council Regulation on the Control of Concentrations Between Undertakings

Wks. 19 Commission Regulation No 139/2004 on the Control of Concentrations Between Undertakings *

Wks. 20 Merger Versus Co-operation Agreements Commission Notice on the Concept of Full-Function Joint Ventures *

Wks. 21 Council Regulation 17/62, Articles 2, 4, and 6 *

Wks. 22 Commission Regulation 3385/94 on the Formalities of Notifications and Complaints *

Wks. 22A Council Regulation (EC) No. 1/2003 of 16 December 2002 on the Implementation of the Rules on Competition Laid Down in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty

Wks. 23 FORM A/B *

Wks. 24 Form C Application for Initiation of Procedure to Establish the Existence of an Infringement of Articles 81 or 82 of the Treaty

Wks. 25 Form CO *

Wks. 26 Commission Notice on Restrictions Directly Related and Necessary to Concentrations *

Wks. 27 Commission Notice on Immunity from Fines and Reduction of Fines in Cartel Cases *

Wks. 28 Agreement Between the European Communities and the United States Regarding the Application of Their Competition Laws *

Wks. 28A COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 9.2.2009 C(2009) 864 final

Wks. 28B COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 2.4.2008 COM(2008) 165 final

Wks. 28C DRAFT COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No .../... on the application of Article 81(3) of the Treaty to categories of vertical agreements and concerted practices. (Text with EEA relevance)

Wks. 28D Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the Control of Concentrations Between Undertakings (the EC Merger Regulation) (Text with EEA Relevance)

Wks. 29 Act Against Restraints on Competition (Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschraenkungen—GWB), §§1, 18, 20, 22, 26

Wks. 30 Act Against Unfair Competition (Gesetz gegen unlauteren Wettbewerb—UWG), §§1, 3

Wks. 31 Antimonopoly and Fair Trade Maintenance Act, Law No. 54 (1947), Articles 2 (excerpts), 3, 19, as amended

Wks. 32 Japanese Fair Trade Commission, Notification No. 15 of 1982, §§1–4, 6, 7, 9–14

Wks. 33 Japanese Federal Trade Commission, Guidelines for Patent and Know-how Licensing Agreements Under the Antimonopoly Act (July 30, 1999)

Wks. 34 Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Japan Concerning Cooperation on Anticompetitive Activities (Oct. 1999)

Wks. 35 Adopted at the 29th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress of the People’s Republic of China on August 30, 2007

Joel Davidow
Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP
Washington, D.C.