Our Curious Amalgam

Vertical mergers present unique doctrinal and economic issues and are rarely challenged in court, so when two vertical merger opinions are issued in a short period of time, it is a great opportunity to check in on this area of antitrust law. What are the facts and legal arguments that led to defense victories in the recently litigated UnitedHealth Group – Change Healthcare and Illumina – Grail mer...

In November 2022, the FTC issued a policy statement concerning the scope and meaning of unfair methods of competition under Section 5 of the FTC Act. So what has changed under Section 5 and where are we headed? Angela Landry, counsel at Freshfields, joins Christina Ma and Jaclyn Phillips to discuss Section 5, how the FTC's approach has changed with its 2022 statement, and what we might see as it g...

In the American political system, the judiciary serves as an impartial, independent branch of government responsible for interpreting our laws and deciding cases and controversies. Even with these foundational principles, how do we ensure public trust in the institution? Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bernice Donald joins Kayla Odom and Alicia Downey to reflect on the public perception of th...

Latin America is an increasingly important region for antitrust enforcement. Are there similarities across the region and with other parts of the world? Julián Peña, partner at Allende & Brea, joins Anant Raut and Matthew Hall to discuss LATAM antitrust history and trends. Listen to this episode to learn more about antitrust in Latin America, how it developed and how to approach it. With special g...

The world of antitrust and consumer protection law is made up of fascinating people, including Rahul Rao, the newest Deputy Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition. How did he go from Big Law associate, to stay-at-home dad, to the Washington state AG's office, and now the FTC? Hosts Alicia Downey and Jeny Maier talk with Deputy Director Rao about his unique career path fro...

Web3 is being touted as the future of the internet. The vision for this new version of the web revolves around the notion of decentralization, driven by blockchain-based technologies including cryptocurrencies and NFTs. User privacy is central to these advances, but what does all of this mean for decentralized finance compliance and identity verification? How does a small tech company navigate the...

The U.S. health care industry is complex and dynamic, resulting in antitrust issues that are just as complex. So what does the past decade of the intersection of antitrust and health care signal about the future? John Carroll and Amy Ritchie speak with Christina Ma and Jaclyn Phillips about these issues and the comprehensive update to the ABA's Health Care Handbook. Listen to this episode to learn...

In recent congressional testimony, FTC Chair Lina Khan definitively declared that there is no ESG antitrust exemption. How can companies avoid violating the antitrust laws while still complying with demands from their shareholders and other constituents to conduct business consistent with policies that are environmentally and socially sensitive, and promote good public policy? David Shaw, a partne...

Mexico's Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE) is an autonomous agency responsible for competition law enforcement, policy and advocacy nationwide. At the same time, an entirely separate agency—the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT)—has jurisdiction to enforce the competition laws in the telecommunication and broadcasting sectors. How do the two agencies determine where one agen...

To keep a level playing field among EU member countries, subsidies granted by those countries to companies engaged in competition in the EU are subject to the EU's state aid rules. But what about subsidies granted by non-EU countries which may impact the EU single market? Andreas Reindl, a partner at Van Bael & Bellis in Brussels, joins Alicia Downey and Matthew Hall to discuss the EU's new Regula...

Compared to other proposals to reform the U.S. antitrust regime, the State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act has shown greater potential of being passed. What is at stake here? Yee Wah Chin, Counsel at Ingram Yuzek, speaks with Anora Wang and Alicia Downey about the arguments for and against exempting antitrust cases brought by state attorneys general from transfer and consolidation in a single venu...

The 2010 FTC/DOJ Horizontal Merger Guidelines indicate that merger review should consider whether a proposed merger may lessen competition by eliminating a "maverick" firm that plays a disruptive role in the market to the benefit of consumers. But how do we know when a proposed merger involves such a maverick? In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and Matt Reynolds talk with Baker Botts LLP partner...

The Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) is China's principal antitrust statute, as recently amended in August 2022, exactly 14 years after its inception. What has changed about China's antitrust regime over the years? Steve Harris, respected practitioner and thought leader on Asian antitrust laws, speaks with Anora Wang and Christina Ma about his experiences with and perspectives of the AML, enforcement, and...

John Roberti, one of the founders of Our Curious Amalgam and a longtime leader in the ABA Antitrust Law Section, just wrapped up his term as co-chair of the committee that produces our weekly podcasts. Looking back, what does John think about the evolution of OCA and what does he hope will be his legacy? To find out, Christina Ma and Alicia Downey interviewed John for a special farewell episode. L...

Tom Zych of Cleveland, Ohio has taken on the big job of chairing the Antitrust Law Section for the 2022-23 ABA year. Who is the Section's new chair and what makes him tick? In this episode Alicia Downey and Matt Reynolds talk to Tom about what he'll focus on during his term and the legacy he hopes to leave behind. Listen to this episode to get to know Tom and, as a bonus, meet Mark Butscha, who wi...

A Denver jury recently acquitted defendants in the highly publicized third criminal trial involving allegations of price fixing in the chicken industry. What led to that not guilty verdict? Defense attorneys Rick Kornfeld and David Beller join Jaclyn Phillips and Christina Ma in a two-part series discussing the trials, strategy, and lessons learned. Listen to Part II today and hear Rick & David's...

A Denver jury recently acquitted defendants in the highly publicized third criminal trial involving allegations of price fixing in the chicken industry. What led to that not guilty verdict? Defense attorneys Rick Kornfeld and David Beller join Jaclyn Phillips and Christina Ma in a two-part series discussing the trials, strategy, and lessons learned. Listen to Part I today and hear all about the al...

In a time of increased uncertainty surrounding antitrust issues, Section 8 of the Clayton Act and private equity firms have recently become two topics of interest. What are the implications of recent comments from enforcers on these issues? Ken Schwartz, antitrust partner at Skadden, joins Christina Ma and Jaclyn Phillips to discuss the current landscape around Section 8 as an enforcement tool and...

The bases for the enhanced antitrust enforcement programs at the Antitrust Division have been discussed often but understood rarely. What are the key assumptions that are being challenged as part of the new antitrust regime? David Lawrence, Policy Director at the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, joins John Roberti, Anant Raut and Aaron Yeater to discuss four key assumptions that new enfor...

The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) may have been a familiar forum to parties in international trade to address disputes over intellectual property rights. But can the ITC also be an alternative adjudication body for private antitrust litigation? The Honorable F. Scott Kieff, Professor of Law at the George Washington Law School and former USITC commissioner speaks with Anora Wan...

There is a growing interest in understanding the "ownership interests hypothesis," i.e., whether investors holding interests in competing firms will soften firms' incentives to compete and generate anticompetitive effects. But what do the data show? Isabel Tecu, principal at Charles River Associates and co-author of a leading study on common ownership focusing on the airlines industry, discusses h...

The FTC's General Counsel (GC) is the agency's chief legal officer and adviser that provides counsel on various issues of law and policy and represents the agency in court. What are some of the most regular and important issues at the FTC's GC office? Prof. Alden Abbott, former FTC GC and current Senior Research Fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, speaks with John Roberti and Anor...

The Section Lunch at the Antitrust Law Section's Annual Spring Meeting in March 2022 featured a panel discussion with four trailblazing women leaders who have served as current or former competition agency chiefs in their countries. By popular demand, we are dedicating an episode of Our Curious Amalgam to each of these inspiring panelists. In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and Jaclyn Phillips a...

Amidst the current momentum for antitrust reform, are U.S. lawmakers and enforcers thinking about the role of innovation in the right way? Aurelien Portuese, Director of the Schumpeter Project on Competition Policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, joins Sergei Zaslavsky and Sarah Zhang to discuss the concept of dynamic efficiency and how antitrust should feature innovation...

The Section Lunch at the Antitrust Law Section's Annual Spring Meeting in March 2022 featured a panel discussion with four trailblazing women leaders who have served as current or former competition agency chiefs in their countries. By popular demand, we are dedicating an episode of Our Curious Amalgam to each of these inspiring panelists. In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and Elyse Dorsey ask...