The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)1 and Department of
Justice (DOJ)2 have extended the deadline for public
comments on the draft vertical merger guidelines (the Guidelines),
which were published jointly by the agencies on 10 January 2020.
The new deadline for public comments is 26 February
20203. The Guidelines provide a roadmap for how
regulators review vertical mergers to determine whether the deals
violate the antitrust laws. 3
The agencies also announced two half-day public workshops to
solicit public dialogue on the Guidelines. The workshops, to be
held on 11 March 2020 and 18 March 2020 in Washington, D.C., are
intended to "allow for a dynamic discussion about the proposed
guidelines to complement any written public comments about the
draft guidelines that are submitted to the agencies."5
Panelists for the workshops will be selected from among interested
parties who submit public comments. The agencies will consider both
the public comments and workshop
