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ARTICLE · 14 JULY 2011

Focus Antitrust Competition Weekly Email Alert - 07 July 2011

Charles Russell Speechlys LLP
Charles Russell Speechlys LLP
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Charles Russell Speechlys LLP

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The CAT has delivered a ruling on a request by Interclass for permission to appeal against the revised penalty that the CAT imposed in its judgment on Interclass's appeal against the OFT’s construction cover pricing decision.

United KingdomAntitrust/Competition Law
Paul Stone
Paul Stone

IN THE NEWS

The CAT has delivered a ruling on a request by Interclass for permission to appeal against the revised penalty that the CAT imposed in its judgment on Interclass's appeal against the OFT's construction cover pricing decision. The total penalty imposed on Interclass has been reduced from £464,406 to £324,000. Click here.

Details of an appeal by World Wide Tobacco Espana (WWTE) against the General Court's judgment on WWTE's appeal against the European Commission's decision to fine it for participation in a cartel on the Spanish raw tobacco market have been published. Click here.

EU

Articles 101 and 102

  • The European Commission has sent a statement of objections to 12 companies that it suspects have participated in a cartel for submarine and underground power cables. Click here.
  • The European Commission has published a summary of its April 2011 decision to impose fines on producers of washing powder for participation in an illegal cartel. Click here.
  • The European Commission has decided to repeal its November 2009 decision on the heat stabilisers cartel in so far as it concerns Ciba/BASF and Elementis. Click here.
  • The European Commission has closed an investigation into the suspected misuse of the patent system by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Click here.
  • Details of appeals by Areva and Alstom against the judgment of the General Court on their appeals against the European Commission's decision fining them for participation in the gas insulated switchgear cartel. Click here and here.

European Commission

  • Following its findings in the pharmaceuticals sector inquiry report about the potentially anti-competitive effect of certain patent settlement agreements, the European Commission has published a report on its second monitoring exercise into patent settlements in the pharmaceuticals sector. Click here.
  • The European Commission has announced a proposal to revise the existing Roaming Regulation. Click here.
  • The European Commission has published a summary of its decision to waive certain commitments imposed as a condition of its approval of the acquisition by Hoffman-La Roche of Boheringer Mannheim. Click here.

Mergers – Cleared

Mergers – Invitation to Comment

Public Procurement

  • The Opinions of the Committee of the Regions and the Court of Auditors on the European Commission's Green Paper on the modernisation of EU public procurement policy have been published in the Official Journal. Click here and here.

Speeches

  • Alexander Italianer: "The new economic climate: driving competition in key sectors". Click here.

Other

  • The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications and the Radio Spectrum Policy Group have published a report on infrastructure and spectrum sharing in mobile/wireless networks. Click here.

UK

UK Courts

  • The High Court has delivered a ruling on disclosure in a follow-on damages action brought by National Grid Electricity Transmission plc against certain addressees of the European Commission's decision on the gas insulated switchgear cartel. Click here.

Competition Commission

  • The Competition Commission has published its final report on the acquisition by Stena AB of two Irish Sea ferry services operated by DFDS AS. Click here.

CAT

  • The CAT has published an order referring to the Competition Commission specified price control matters in the appeals by British Telecommunications plc, Vodafone Ltd, Hutchison 3G UK Limited and Everything Everywhere Ltd against Ofcom's 2011 decision on the wholesale mobile voice call termination price control. Click here.

OFT

  • Mergers cleared: Atlas Copco Limited/the Medical Gas Division/Penlon Limited; Google Inc./BeatThatQuote.com. Click here.
  • Mergers – invitation to comment: Amazon.com, Inc./The Book Depository International Limited; Sports Universal Process S.A.S./ Prozone Group Limited: Click here.
  • Mergers – full text decisions: Peel Acquisitions (Pegasus) Limited/Pinewood Shepperton plc: Click here; Guoco/Rank: Click here; Capital Shopping Centres/ the Trafford Centre: Click here; Pearson/Educational Development International: Click here.
  • Mergers – undertakings in lieu: Integrated Dental Holdings/Associated Dental Practices. Click here.
  • The OFT has published a revised note setting out details of how to pay merger fees. Click here.

Other

  • The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, announced the results of the March 2011 consultation on the undertakings in lieu offered by News Corporation (News Corp) in relation to its proposed acquisition of BSkyB. Click here.
  • Ofcom has published a report on data relating to broadband services delivered over fixed telecoms networks. Click here.
  • Ofcom has published a statement setting out its conclusions on simplifying spectrum trading. Click here.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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