IN process: New Materials will be posted as they are finalized
Dale Collins
Georgetown University Law Center
NB: "±" indicates that the hyperlink will take you to another site.
This page contains the memorandum introducing the course, class schedule, reading materials, and class notes for the Merger Antitrust Law course taught during the 2023 fall semester at Georgetown. It also contains links to related supplemental materials on the Applied Antitrust web site. There is no textbook for this course. Everything you need will be linked to this page.
Introduction and "Rules of the Road" Memorandum (revised Aug. 8, 2024)
Class schedule 1.1 (revised Oct. 12, 2024)
Cumulative class slides deck
Formulas and Other Reference Material
DOJ/FTC Merger Guidelines (rev. Dec. 18, 2023)
DOJ/FTC Horizontal Merger Guidelines (rev. Aug. 19, 2010; superseded Dec. 18, 2023
Required Reading
Comments and Optional Reading
Unit 1
Merger Antitrust Law: TransDigm/Takata
Class 1
Tuesday, August 27
Introduction to course
TransDigm/Takata
Introduction and "Rules of the Road" Memorandum (revised Aug. 8, 2024)
Merger Antitrust Law: Introduction to Substance and Process (class notes)
Class 1 homework assignment (optional in the first week)
TransDigm/Takata case study (complete)
Note on Antitrust Hornbooks and Other Study Aids
Demand curves and consumer surplus (YouTube videos):
Marginal Revolution University, The Demand Curve
Marginal Revolution University, A Deeper Look at the Demand Curve
Marginal Revolution University, What Is Consumer Surplus?
Marginal Revolution University, What Is Producer Surplus?
Marginal Revolution University, What Is Deadweight Loss?
Deadweight Loss- Key Graphs of Microeconomics
Consumer welfare
± Stigler Center, Defining the Consumer Welfare Standard (Apr. 20, 2023)
± Douglas H. Ginsburg, Wither the Consumer Welfare Standard?, 46 Harv. JL & Pub. Pol'y 69 (2023)
± ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Is Consumer Welfare In Hot Water? (Sep't 9, 2022) (YouTube) (transcript)
Alternative goals of antitrust law
± Eric A. Posner, Market Power, Not Consumer Welfare: A Return to the Foundations of Merger Law (February 18, 2023).
The 2023 Merger Guidelines
± Herbert Hovenkamp, The 2023 Merger Guidelines: Law, Fact, and Method, 65 Rev. Indus. Org. 39 (2024)
± Steven C. Salop, The 2023 Merger Guidelines: A Post-Chicago and Neo-Brandeisian Integration, 65 Rev. Indus. Org. 79 (2024)
± Dennis W. Carlton, The 2023 Merger Guidelines: A Critical Assessment, 65 Rev. Indus. Org. 129 (2024)
± Carl Shapiro, Evolution of the Merger Guidelines: Is This Fox Too Clever by Half?, 65 Rev. Indus. Org. 147 (2024)
± Michael Salinger, The 2023 Merger Guidelines and The Role of Economics, 65 Rev. Indus. Org. 243 (2024)
Twombly/Iqbal
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544 (2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009)
Unit 2
Predicting Merger Antitrust Enforcement Challenges
Class 2
Thursday, August 29
Predicting merger antitrust enforcement challenges
Advising clients at the first client meeting
DOJ/FTC 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines
Predicting Merger Antitrust Enforcement Challenges (class notes)
Class 2 homework assignment (optional in the first week)
Changes in antitrust enforcement policy
± Susan Athey & Aviv Nevo, DOJ and FTC Chief Economists Explain the Changes to the 2023 Merger Guidelines, ProMarket.org (Dec. 19, 2023)
Lina M. Khan, Chair. Fed. Trade Comm'n, Remarks As Prepared for Delivery Economic Club of New York, New York, NY (July 24, 2023),
± Oversight of Federal Enforcement of the Antitrust Laws, Hearing before the Subcomm. on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights of the S. Comm. on the Judiciary (Sept. 20, 2022) (video)
Jonathan Kanter. Ass't Att'y Gen., Antitrust Div., U.S. Dep't of Justice (prepared statement)
Lina Khan, Chair, Fed. Trade Comm'n (prepared statement)
Lina M. Khan, Chair. Fed. Trade Comm'n, Remarks Prepared for Delivery at the Fordham Annual Conference on International Antitrust Law & Policy, New York, NY (Sept. 16, 2022)
Jonathan Kanter, Ass't Att'y Gen. Antitrust Div., U.S. Dep't of Justice, Respecting the Antitrust Laws and Reflecting Market Realities, Prepared Remarks Before the Georgetown Antitrust Law Symposium, Washington, DC (Sept. 13, 2022)
Noah Joshua Phillips, Comm'nr, Fed. Trade Comm'n, Disparate Impact: Winners And Losers From The New M&A Policy, Prepared Remarks Before the Eighth Annual Berkeley Spring Forum on M&A and the Boardroom, San Francisco, CA (Apr. 27, 2022)
± Jeffrey T. Macher, John W. Mayo, David Sappington & Mark Whitener, The Evolution of Judicial Standards: Evidence from Litigated Merger Trials (Georgetown McDonough School of Business Research Paper No. 3809174, June 5, 2022).
Logan Billman & Steven C. Salop, Merger Enforcement Statistics: 2001-2020 (Nov. 4, 2022)
The 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines
Evolution of the Merger Guidelines (not yet updated to include the 2023 Draft DOJ/FTC Draft Merger Guidelines)
± Carl Shapiro & Howard Shelanski, Judicial Response to the 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines, 58 Rev. Indus. Org. 51 (2021)
± Joseph Farrell & Carl Shapiro, The 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines After 10 Years, 58 Rev. Indus. Org. 1 (2021)
± Carl Shapiro, The 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines: From Hedgehog to Fox in Forty Years, 77 Antitrust 701 (2010).
2022-23 Merger Guidelines revision project
Press Release, U.S. Dept. of Justice & Fed. Trade Comm'n, Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission Seek to Strengthen Enforcement Against Illegal Mergers (Jan. 18, 2022)
Press Release, Fed. Trade Comm'n, FTC and DOJ Seek Comment on Draft Merger Guidelines (July 19, 2023)
Press Release, U.S. Dep't of Justice, Justice Department and FTC Seek Comment on Draft Merger Guidelines (July 19, 2023)
U.S. Dep’t of Justice & Fed. Trade Comm’n, Draft Merger Guidelines (July 19, 2023)
U.S. Dep’t of Justice & Fed. Trade Comm’n, Fact Sheet–2023 Draft Merger Guidelines for Public Comment (July 19, 2023)
Unit 3
First Client Meeting/Some Antitrust History
Unit 3A class slides (First Client Meeting)
Unit 3B class slides (Some Antitrust History)
Class 3
Tuesday, September 3
First client meeting (first half)
Some antitrust history (second half)
First half of class
Review class notes for Class 2
Second half of class
A Brief History of Antitrust Law (class notes)
There is no homework assignment for this class
Commentary
± Herbert Hovenkamp, Will Antitrust Become Progressive? (Apr. 22, 2024)
± Herbert Hovenkamp, The Slogans and Goals of Antitrust Law (June 14, 2022).
Dale Collins, Antitrust on the Brink: The Calls for Radical Reform, Presentation to the Antitrust Law Association (Sept. 16, 2021) (slides)
Christine S. Wilson, Comm'r, Fed. Trade Comm'n, The Neo-Brandeisian Revolution: Unforced Errors and the Diminution of the FTC, Prepared Remarks for the ABA Antitrust Law Section’s 2021 Fall Forum (Nov. 9, 2021)
± Herbert Hovenkamp & Fiona Scott Morton, Framing the Chicago School of Antitrust Analysis, 168 U. Pa. L. Rev. 1843 (2020)
± Carl Shapiro, Antitrust in a Time of Populism, 61 Int'l J. Indus. Org. 714 (2018).
Withdrawal of FTC 2015 Section 5 Policy Statement
Fed. Trade Comm'n, Statement of Enforcement Principles Regarding “Unfair Methods of Competition” Under Section 5 of the FTC Act (2015)
FTC video of July 1, 2021, open meeting (excerpts of Section 5 Policy Statement discussion)
NB: This is a very large file that needs to be downloaded before it can be played. Alternatively, go to the complete streaming version on the FTC web page, listen to the introduction up to the first issue and then skip to around 43:20
Congressional testimony
Oversight of Federal Enforcement of the Antitrust Laws: Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Competition Policy, Antitrust & Consumer Rights of the S. Comm. on the Judiciary, 117th Cong. (Sept. 20, 2022) (statement of the Federal Trade Commission)
Dissenting Statement of Commissioners Noah Joshua Phillips and Christine S. Wilson, Federal Trade Commission (Sept. 20, 2022)
2022 FTC Section 5 Policy Statement
Policy Statement Regarding the Scope of Unfair Methods of Competition Under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (Nov. 10, 2022) (3-1 vote)
Press Release, Fed. Trade Comm'n, FTC Restores Rigorous Enforcement of Law Banning Unfair Methods of Competition (Nov. 10, 2022)
Statement of Chair Lina M. Khan Joined by Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Commissioner Alvaro M. Bedoya (Nov. 10, 2022)
Statement of Commissioner Alvaro M. Bedoya, Joined by Chair Lina M. Khan and Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter (Nov. 10, 2022)
Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Christine S. Wilson (Nov. 10, 2022)
Unit 4
The DOJ/FTC Merger Review Process
Class 4
Thursday, September 5
Merger review process
Kroger/Albertsons
The DOJ/FTC Merger Review Process (class notes)
Class 4 homework assignment #1
Optional: Albertsons/Safeway case study (complete)
NB: There is no need for you to look at this case study in order to do the homework. It is here only if you have some interest in learning more about the transaction.
± Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, Clayton Act § 7A, 18 U.S.C. § 18a (Premerger notification and waiting period)
± HSR Form (ver. 1.0.2) (updated Aug. 4, 2017)
± HSR form instructions (Sept. 25, 2019)
Note: These forms may not display on some browsers. If you do not get the proper forms, please hit the "download" button on your browser and view the download for Adobe Acrobat Viewer (or just search for the forms using your favorite search engine).
Revised Jurisdictional Thresholds for Section 7A of the Clayton Act, 89 Fed. Reg. 7708 (Feb. 5, 2024) (effective Mar. 6, 2024)
Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022 (contained in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, Pub. L. No. 117-328, Div. GG, 136 Stat. 4459, ____ (Dec. 29, 2022)).
Press Release, Fed. Trade Comm'n, FTC Finalizes Changes to Premerger Notification Form (Oct. 10, 2024)
Press Releasde, U.S. Dep't of Justice, Justice Department Concurs with Federal Trade Commission’s Changes to Premerger Notification Form Used in Merger Review (Oct. 10, 2024)
Final rule (Oct. 10, 2024) (effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register)
Statement of Commissioner Melissa Holyoak Regarding Final Premerger Notification Form and the Hart-Scott-Rodino Rules (Oct. 10, 2024)
± See Gibson Dunn, FTC Announces Significant Revisions to HSR Premerger Notification Rules and Form (Oct. 11, 2024)
Sidley Austin LLP, U.S. FTC Announces Long-Awaited Changes to Hart-Scott-Rodino Filing Rules (Oct. 11, 2024)
Latham & Watkins LLP, FTC Adopts Major Changes to HSR Merger Notification Form (Oct. 11, 2024)
"Clearance"
U.S. Gov't Accountability Office, DOJ and FTC Jurisdictions Overlap, but Conflicts Are Infrequent (Jan. 2023)
Preliminary investigations
± John W. Mayo, Robert Press & Mark Whitener, Understanding Early-Stage Merger Investigations: What Drives the Antitrust Agencies? (Sept. 2023)
Second request investigations
DOJ Model Second Request (Apr. 2022)
Note: This document does not appear on the ATD's website. It was obtained through a FOIA request.
FTC Model Second Request (Oct. 2021)
Model timing agreements
DOJ Model Timing Agreement (July 2022)
Note: This document does not appear on the ATD's website. It was obtained through a FOIA request.
FTC Model Timing Agreement (Feb. 2019)
Privilege
Order re Petition to Limit or Quash Subpoenas Ad Testificandum Dated April 24, 2009, File No. 091-0064 (F.T.C. July 21, 2009) (in the FTC’s investigation of Thoratec Corp.’s pending acquisition of HeartWare International)
Blockbuster "substantial compliance" second request litigation
Complaint for Injunctive Relief Pursuant to Section 7A(g)(2) of the Clayton Act and Section 13(b} of the Federal Trade Commission Act, FTC v. Blockbuster. Inc., No. 1:05-cv-00463-ESH (D.D.C. filed Mar. 4, 2005)
Docket sheet (downloaded Aug. 5, 2023)
Motion for Order Pursuant to Section 7A(g)(2) of the Clayton Act and Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act--Mar. 4, 2005
Supporting memorandum filed under seal
FTC's reply filed under seal
Notice of Settlement (Mar. 9, 2005)
Agreed Order Regarding Extension of Hart-Scott-Rodino Waiting Period (Mar. 9, 2005)
Dismissed with prejudice (Mar 9, 2005)
Withdrawal of FTC 1995 Policy Statement on Prior Approvals
Press Release, Fed. Trade Comm’n, FTC Acts To Reduce Prior-Approval Burden on Companies in Merger Cases (June 22, 1995)
Fed. Trade Comm'n, Notice and Request for Comment Regarding Statement of Policy Concerning Prior Approval and Prior Notice Provisions in Merger Cases, 60 Fed. Reg. 39745 (Aug. 3, 1995).
Press Release, Fed. Trade Comm’n, FTC Rescinds 1995 Policy Statement that Limited the Agency’s Ability to Deter Problematic Mergers (July 21, 2021).
Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Noah Joshua Phillips (July 21, 2021)
Other supplemental materials
± FTC Competition Enforcement Database: Merger Enforcement Actions (since 1996)
± FTC Enforcement: Cases and Proceedings
± DOJ Merger Enforcement web page
± DOJ and FTC, Hart-Scott-Rodino Annual Report: Fiscal Year 2021 (Feb. 2023) (latest published report)
Makan Delrahim, It Takes Two: Modernizing the Merger Review Process, Prepared Remarks Before the 2018 Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium, Washington, DC (Sept. 25, 2018)
Unit 5
Merger Antitrust Settlements
For additional supplemental materials, see 13. DOJ/FTC Merger Review and Settlement Procedures in AppliedAntitrust.com
Class 5
Tuesday, September 10
Settlements
Kroger/Albertsons
Class 5 reading guidance (rev. Aug. 31, 2024)
Unit 5 reading materials (rev. Aug. 31, 2024)
Added new page 45
Press Release, The Kroger Co., Kroger and Albertsons Companies Announce Comprehensive Divestiture Plan with C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC in Connection with Proposed Merger (September 8, 2023)
Unit 5. Merger Antitrust Settlements (class notes)
There is no homework assignment for this class
Case studies
Albertsons/Safeway case study (complete)
TransDigm/Takata case study (complete)
DaVita/University of Utah case study (complete)
Kroger/Albertsons (investigation only; currently in litigation)
Agency materials: DOJ
Makan Delrahim,Ass't Att'y Gen., U.S. Dep't of Justice, Antitrust Div., Improving the Antitrust Consensus, Prepared Remarks Before the New York State Bar Association Antitrust Section, New York, NY (Jan. 25, 2018)
U.S. Dep't of Justice, Antitrust Div., Antitrust Division Manual Ch. 4 D: Negotiating and Entering Consent Decrees (5th ed. updated Mar. 2014)
U.S. Dep't of Justice, Antitrust Div., Antitrust Division Policy Guide to Merger Remedies (rev. June 2011) (news release)
Agency materials: FTC
Fed. Trade Comm’n, Bureau of Competition, Negotiating Merger Remedies (Jan. 2012)
Fed. Trade Comm'n, The FTC’s Merger Remedies 2006-2012: A Report of the Bureaus of Competition and Economics (Jan. 2017) (FTC news release)
Dan Ducore & Naomi Licker, Bureau of Competition, Fed. Trade Comm'n, Looking Back (Again) at FTC Merger Remedies (Feb. 3, 2017)
Fed. Trade Comm'n, Bureau of Competition, Frequently Asked Questions About Merger Consent Order Provisions (downloaded August 8, 2019)
Deborah L. Feinstein, Dir., Bureau of Competition, Fed. Trade Comm'n, The Significance of Consent Orders in the Federal Trade Commission’s Competition Enforcement Efforts (Sept. 17, 2013)
Other materials
Jonathan M. Jacobson, Issues in Antitrust Consent Decrees, Presented to the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (Apr. 26, 2018)
William J. Donovan & Breck P. McAllister, Consent Decrees in the Enforcement of Federal Anti-Trust Laws, 46 Harv. L. Rev. 885 (1933) (for some early history of the use of consent decrees in antitrust cases)
Unit 6
Merger Antitrust Litigation
For additional supplemental materials, see 14. Merger Antitrust Litigation in AppliedAntitrust.com
Class 6
Thursday, September 12
Litigating merger antitrust cases
ABI/Grupo Modelo
Unit 6. Merger Antitrust Litigation (class notes)
For some background slides, see Unit 6: Homework—Kroger/Albertsons
Case study
The Course of Litigation: EnergySolutions’ Acquisition of Waste Control Specialists (Nov. 16, 2016)
ABI/Grupo Modelo
± Planet Money, Episode 438: Mavericks, Monopolies and Beer (Feb. 23, 2013) (ABI/Grupo Modelo)
± WSJ Explains, The Antitrust Lawsuit That Helped Make Modelo America’s Top Beer, WSJ.coml (Sept. 20, 2023) (video)
± Morning Brew, How Mexican Beer Conquered The American Beer Market (YouTube undated)
Unit 7
Hertz/Avis Budget/Dollar Thrifty
Unit 7 class slides (Classes 7-8)
For additional supplemental materials, see 13. DOJ/FTC Merger Review and Settlement Procedures in AppliedAntitrust.com
Class 7
Tuesday, September 17
The 2010 Hertz/Dollar Thrifty deal
There are no class notes for this class
Class 7 homework assignment
I encourage you to work in groups on this assignment
Instructor's answer (Part A) (link corrected)
See the Unit 7 class slides for Part B
YouTube videos
Present value of a perpetuity (perpetual annuity)
Class 8
Thursday, September 19
Antitrust risk-shifting in the merger agreement
The bidding war with Avis
FTC review and settlement
Aftermath
Allocating Antitrust Risk in Merger Agreements (class notes)
Risk-shifting in Hertz/Dollar Thrifty
Risk-shifting in Hertz/Dollar Thrifty (optional class notes)
Risk-shifting generally
For a collection of now somewhat datedd antitrust-related provisions appearing in merger agreements, see Dale Collins, Sample Antitrust-Related Provisions in M&A Agreements, AntitrustUnpacked.com (July 2, 2018)
± Scott Sher, Brendan Coffman & Alexandra Keck, Risk Allocation in Merger Agreements in an Era of Increased Enforcement (Oct. 23, 2020)
± Gail F. Levine, Martha E. McGarry, Andrew J. Noreuil, Camila Panama & William H. Stallings, Mayer Brown, M&A Lawyers Adapt to New Era of Antitrust Enforcement: How Contractual Provisions Are Evolving(Jan. 2023).
± Richard Hall & Maurio A. Fiore, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, U.S. Regulatory Merger Control Regimes Negotiating with Deal Delays in Mind (2023).
± Stephen Fraidin, Joel Mitnick, & Ross Steinberg, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, Hell or High Water Provisions in Merger Agreements: A Practical Approach (May 25, 2022)
± Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, “Hell Or High Water” Clauses in Merger & Acquisition Agreements (Aug. 19, 2022)
+ Dale Collins, Shearman & Sterling LLP, Antitrust Reverse Termination Fees—2020 Q3 Update (Dec. 28, 2020) (data set).
Anthem/Cigna contract litigation
In re Anthem-Cigna Merger Litig., No. CV 2017-0114-JTL, 2020 WL 5106556 (Del. Ch. Aug. 31, 2020) (unpublished), judgment entered, (Del. Ch. 2020), summarily aff'd sub nom. Cigna Corp. v. Anthem, Inc., 251 A.3d 1015 (Del. 2021) (unpublished)
The Hertz/Avis Budget/Dollar Thifty bidding war
Hertz/Avis Budget/Dollar Thrifty: The Bidding War for a collection on SEC materials and press releases on the bidding war for Dollar Thrifty between Hertz and Avis Budget.
Unit 8
Competition Economics
Unit 8A class slides (Class 9)
Unit 8B class slides (Class 10)
Class 9
Tuesday, September 24
Part 1. Demand, Costs, and
Profit-Maximization
Competition Economics Part 1 (class notes)
There are no reading materials for this class
Studies
± The Merger Working Group, International Competition Network, The Role of Economics and Economic Evidence in Merger Analysis (Apr. 2013).
YouTube videos
Revenue, Costs and Profit Part 1
Revenue, Costs and Profit Part 2
Revenue, Costs and Profit Part 3
Marginal Revolution University, The Demand Curve
Marginal Revolution University, A Deeper Look at the Demand Curve
Marginal Revolution University, The Demand Curve Shifts
Marginal Revenue for a Monopolist Facing Linear Demand
Finding a Revenue Function from a Linear Demand Function
Marginal Revolution University, The Supply Curve
Marginal Revolution University, A Deeper Look at the Supply Curve
Marginal Revolution University, The Supply Curve Shifts
Marginal Revolution University, The Equilibrium Price and Quantity
Marginal Revolution University, Exploring Equilibrium
Marginal Revolution University. Maximizing Profit Under Competition
Commentary
Dennis W. Carlton & Jeffrey M. Perloff, Modern Industrial Organization (4th ed. 2005).
A Marginal Revenue Problem Step-by-Step (by Step)
A Profit-Maximization Problem Step-by-Step (by Step)
± See also Dave Berry, Up in the Air on the Question of Gravity, Baltimore Sun, Mar. 16, 1997, at 3J
Really, really optional: If you want to understand derivatives and would like a quick introduction, see the following YouTube videos:
Derivatives... What? (on the theory of derivatives)
Derivatives... How? (on calculating the derivative--first 6.5 minutes is sufficient)
Class 10
Thursday, September 26
Part 2. Markets and Market Equilibrium
Substitutes, complements, and elasticities
Perfectly competitive markets
Perfectly monopolized markets
Imperfectly competitive markets
Basic Competition Economics Part 2 (class notes)
There are no reading materials for this class
Commentary
± Kenneth G. Elzinga & David E. Mills, The Lerner Index of Monopoly Power: Origins and Uses (working paper Jan. 18, 2011), final version at 101 Am. Econ. Rev. 558 (2011).
YouTube videos
How Substitutes and Complements Affect Demand
Marginal Revolution University, Elasticity of Demand
Marginal Revolution University, Calculating Elasticity of Demand
Marginal Revolution University, Elasticity and its Applications
Marginal Revolution University, Calculating the Elasticity of Demand
Intuition for Monopoly and Elasticity
Marginal Revolution University, The Equilibrium Price and Quantity
Marginal Revolution University, Exploring Equilibrium
Marginal Revolution University, Introduction to the Competitive Firm
Marginal Revolution University, Maximizing Profit Under Competition
How to Solve Cournot Problem: Algebra-Based Solution
Liam Malloy, Cournot Asymmetric Costs and n Firms
Bertrand Oligopoly (solving a Bertrand oligopoly problem)
OPTIONAL
REVIEW
Friday, September 27
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
McD 156
Optional economics review session
Unit 9
H&R Block/TaxACT
Unit 9A class slides (Classes 11-13)
Unit 9B class slides (Classes 14-15)
Class 11
Tuesday, October 1
Analysis of the district court opinion
Institutional setting
Market definition: (Brown Shoe factors)
Introduction to the hypothetical monopolist test
Unit 9 reading materials (for classes 11-13)
Market Definition (class notes)
Supplemental (but you may find useful): Introduction to Formal Horizontal Merger Analysis. We will cover all the material in this deck over the next several weeks.
Case commentary
Marc Remer & Frederick R. Warren-Boulton, United States v. H&R Block: Market Definition in Court since the 2010 Merger Guidelines, 59 Antitrust Bull. 599 (2014).
Generally
AppliedAntitrust.com, Market Definition
1 ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Antitrust Law Developments ch. 6 (9th ed. 2022) (market definition). This is the best complication of the current law on market definition. It is the first source to which you should turn if you have questions about how the courts apply the law.
± Herbert Hovenkamp, Antimonopoly Antitrust Metrics (2024)
± Herbert Hovenkamp, Antitrust Market Definition: The Hypothetical Monopolist and Brown Shoe (June 10, 2024)
± Christine Wilson & Keith Klovers, Same Rule, Different Result: How the Narrowing of Product Markets Has Altered Substantive Antitrust Rules, 84 Antitrust L.J. 55 (2021)
± Serge Moresi, Steven C. Salop & John Woodbury, Market Definition in Merger Analysis (Feb. 9, 2017)
± Malcolm Coate & Jeffrey Fischer, Why Markets Matter for Evidence-Based Merger Analysis (Jan. 2010)
± Jonathan B. Baker, Market Definition: An Analytical Overview, 74 Antitrust L.J. 129 (2007).
± Jonathan B. Baker & Timothy F. Bresnahan, Economic Evidence in Antitrust: Defining Markets and Measuring Market Power in Handbook of Antitrust Economics 1 (Paolo Buccirossi ed., 2008).
± Gregory J. Werden, The History of Antitrust Market Delineation, 76 Marquette L. Rev. 123 (1992).
Criticism
Louis Kaplow, The 2023 Merger Guidelines and Market Definition: Doubling Down or Folding?, 65 Rev. Ind. Organ. 7 (2024)
± Louis Kaplow, Why (Ever) Define Markets?, 124 Harv. L. Rev. 437 (2010)
± Louis Kaplow, Market Definition Alchemy May 2013), published at 57 Antitrust Bull. 915 (2012)
± Malcolm B. Coate, Market Definition is Not Alchemy (Jan. 22, 2014).
Louis Kaplow, Market Definition: Impossible and Counterproductive, 79 Antitrust L.J. 361 (2013)
YouTube
The Global Antitrust Institute, Market Definition (general introduction)
H&R Block/TaxACT commentary
Marc Remer & Frederick R. Warren-Boulton, United States v. H&R Block: Market Definition in Court since the 2010 Merger Guidelines, 59 Antitrust Bull. 599 (2014).
± Malcolm B. Coate, Market Definition in Differentiated Goods When the Final Consumer Buys the Good: Insights from the H&R Block Case (Feb. 12, 2014).
± Joseph J. Simons & Malcolm B. Coate, Should DOJ’s Controversial Approach to Market Definition Control Merger Litigation, the Case of US v. H&R Block (Oct. 24, 2013).
± James A. Keyte, United States v. H&R Block: The DOJ Invokes Brown Shoe to Shed the Oracle Albatross, Antitrust, Spring 2012, at 32.
± Deborah Feinstein, The Significance of H&R Block: Brown Shoe Meets Merger Simulation, Antitrust, Spring 2012, at 5.
Structure-Conduct-Performance paradigm
Matthew T. Panhans, The Rise, Fall, and Legacy of the Structure-Conduct-Performance Paradigm (Jan. 2023).
William E. Kovacic & Carl Shapiro, Antitrust Policy: A Century of Economic and Legal Thinking, 14 J. Econ. Perspectives 43 (2000).
Class 12
Thursday, October 3
Analysis of the district court opinion
Market definition (critical loss tests)
Market Definition (class notes)
See generally AppliedAntitrust.com, Market Definition
Critical loss analysis
± Joseph Farrell & Carl Shapiro, Improving Critical Loss Analysis, Antitrust Source, Feb. 2008.
± Michael Katz & Carl Shapiro, Further Thoughts on Critical Loss, Antitrust Source, Mar. 2004
± Michael Katz & Carl Shapiro, Critical Loss: Let’s Tell the Whole Story, Antitrust, Spring 2003
Daniel P. O’Brien & Abraham L. Wickelgren, A Critical Analysis of Critical Loss Analysis, 71 Antitrust L.J. 161 (2003)
± David T. Scheffman & Joseph J. Simons, The State of Critical Loss Analysis: Let’s Make Sure We Understand the Whole Story, Antitrust Source, Nov. 2003
± Daniel O’Brien & Abraham Wickelgren, The State of Critical Loss Analysis: Reply to Scheffman and Simons, Antitrust Source, Mar. 2004.
± Carl Shapiro, Mergers with Differentiated Products, Antitrust, Spring 1996, at 23.
± Oxera, "Could: or Would"? The Difference between Two Hypothetical Monopolists (Nov. 2008)
± Serge Moresi & Hans Zenger, Recapture Ratios In Merger Analysis (Oct. 29, 2017).
Øystein Daljord & Lars Sørgard, Single-Product Versus Uniform SSNIPs, 31 Int'l Rev. L. & Econ. 142 (2011) (± working paper version)
Expert economic witnesses
± Brian Rafkin & Blair Kuykendall, Antitrust Cancel Culture: Do Economic Experts Really Cancel Each Other Out in Merger Litigation?, Anitrust, Spring 2021, at 55.
Office of the Inspector General, Fed. Trade Comm'n, OIG Report No. A-20-03, Audit of Federal Trade Commission Expert Witness Services (Nov. 14, 2019)
Class 13
Tuesday, October 8
Analysis of the district court opinion
Market definition (diversion ratio recapture tests)
Market Definition (class notes)
Commentary
± Serge Moresi & Hans Zenger, Recapture Ratios In Merger Analysis (Oct. 29, 2017).
± Oliver Budzinski & Isabel Ruhmer, Merger Simulation in Competition Policy: A Survey (working paper Jan. 2009), final version at 6 J. Competition L. & Econ. 277 (2010).
± Oxera, Diversion Ratios: Why Does It Matter Where Customers Go If a Shop Is Closed? (Feb. 2009)
± Howard Chang, Diversion Ratios (2012) (YouTube)
Y. Jeff Qiu, Masayuki Sawada & Gloria Sheu, Win/Loss Data and Consumer Switching Costs: Measuring Diversion Ratios and the Impact of Mergers, 72 J. Indus. Econ. 327 (2024)
Adriaan ten Kate Sr. & Gunnar Niels, The Diversion Story: Resolving the Ambiguities Surrounding the Concept of Diversion Ratio, 10 J. Competition L. & Econ. 361 (2014).
± Christopher Conlon & Julie Holland Mortimer, The Role of Diversion Ratios and Surveys in Horizontal Mergers (2022).
Christopher Conlon & Julie Holland Mortimer, Empirical Properties of Diversion Ratios, 52 RAND J. Econ. 693 (2021).
Jeff Qiu, Masayuki Sawada & Gloria Sheu, Win/Loss Data and Consumer Switching Costs: Measuring Diversion Ratios and the Impact of Mergers, 72 J. Indus. Econ. 327 (2024).
Lars Mathiesen, Øivind Anti Nilsen & Lars Sørgard, Merger Simulations with Observed Diversion Ratios, 31 Int'l Rev. L. & Econ. 83 (2011) (± working paper)
Class 14
Thursday, October 10
Analysis of the district court opinion
PNB presumption
Ease of entry defense
Coordinated effects
Elimination of a "maverick"
Anticompetitive Effects in Horizontal Mergers
Downward-Pricing Pressure Defenses (class notes--complete)
Instructor's answer (rev. Oct. 11, 2023--corrected solution to Problem A3)
Model HHI spreadsheet and examples
Identifying market participants; determining market share and concentration
1 ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Antitrust Law Developments 361-71 (9th ed. 2022)
Concentration thresholds
+ Volker Nocke & Michael D. Whinston, Concentration Thresholds for Horizontal Mergers, 112 Am. Econ. Rev. 1915 (2022).
Coordinated effects
1 ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Antitrust Law Developments 375-77 (9th ed. 2022) (coordinated effects).
Janusz A. Ordover, Coordinated Effects, in 2 Issues In Competition Law and Policy 1359 (ABA Section of Antitrust Law 2008).
Miguel de la Mano, Coordinated Effects (undated)
+ John Asker & Volker Nocke, Collusion, Mergers, and Related Antitrust Issues (NBER Working Paper 29175, Aug. 2021), final version, 5 Handbook of Industrial Organization 177 (Kate Ho, Ali Hortacsu & Alessandro Lizzeri eds., 2021)
+ D. Daniel Sokol & Sean Sullivan, The Decline of Coordinated Effects and How to Reverse It (Mar. 35, 2023).
± Simon Loertscher & Leslie M. Marx, Coordinated Effects in Merger Review, 64 J.L. & Econ. 705 (2021) (± Appendix)
Robert H. Porter, Mergers and Coordinated Effects, 73 Int'l J. Indus. Org. ___ (2020) (± slide deck)
± Natalia II Fabra & Massimo Motta, Assessing Coordinated Effcts in Merger Cases (Nov. 30, 2016), final version at Handbook of Game Theory and Industrial Organization ch. 5 (Luis C. Corchón & Marco A. Marini eds. 2018)
± Jonathan B. Baker, Mavericks, Mergers and Exclusion: Proving Coordinated Competitive Effects Under the Antitrust Laws, 77 N.Y.U.L. Rev. 135 (2002).
± William E. Kovacic Robert C. Marshall, Leslie M. Marx & Steven P. Schulenberg, Quantitative Analysis of Coordinated Effects, 76 Antitrust L.J. 397 (2009).
± Oxera, The Ties that Bind: When Is Retaliation Effective and Credible for Tacit Collusion? (May 2008)
William J. Kolasky, Coordinated Effects in Merger Review: From Dead Frenchmen to Beautiful Minds and Mavericks, Prepared Remarks Before the ABA Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting Washington, DC (Apr. 24, 2002).
Price leadership
± Ryan Mansley, Nathan H. Miller, Gloria Sheu & Matthew C. Weinberg, A Price Leadership Model for Merger Analysis (May 2023), final version at 89 Int'l J. Indus. Org. 102975 (2023)
Applications
Nathan H. Miller, & Matthew C. Weinberg, Understanding the Price Effects of the MillerCoors Joint Venture, 85 Econometrica 1763 (2017)
Nathan H. Miller, Gloria Sheu & Matthew C. Weinberg, Oligopolistic Price Leadership and Mergers: The United States Beer Industry, 111 Am. Econ. Rev. 3123 (2021) .
± Daniel Greenfeld, Bruce Kobayashi, Jeremy Sandford, Christopher Taylor & Nathan Wilson. Economics at the FTC: Quantitative Analyses of Two Chemical Manufacturing Mergers. 55 Rev. Indus. Org. 607 (2019)
± Thomas W. Hazlett & Robert Crandall, Competitive Effects of T-Mobile/Sprint: Analysis of a '4-to-3' Merger (Feb. 20, 2024).
Criticisms
Louis Kaplow, Horizontal Merger Analysis, 79 Int'l J. Indus. Org. 102714 (2021)
U.S. Dept. of Justice & Fed. Trade Comm'n, Request for Information on Merger Enforcement 4 (Jan. 18. 2022) (specific requests re coordinated effects)
Entry
Peter Caradonna, Nathan Miller & Gloria Sheu, Mergers, Entry, and Consumer Welfare (Georgetown McDonough School of Business Research Paper 3537135, 2023).
See generally AppliedAntitrust.com, Coordinated Effects
—
Tuesday, October 15
LEGISLATIVE MONDAY
NO CLASS
Class 15
Thursday, October 17
Analysis of the district court opinion
Recapture unilateral effects
Efficiencies defense
Unit 9 reading materials (rev. Oct. 12, 2024)
(additional case excerpts on unilateral effects and ease of entry defense)
Anticompetitive Effects in Horizontal Mergers (class notes)
Downward-Pricing Pressure Defenses (class notes--complete)
Unilateral effects
1 ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Antitrust Law Developments 377-80 (9th ed. 2022) (unilateral effects).
YouTube videos:
± The Global Antitrust Institute, Introduction to Unilateral Effects
± Howard Chang, Diversion Ratios
± Richard Schmalensee, Upward Pricing Pressure Test
± Herbert Hovenkamp, Analyzing Horizontal Mergers: Unilateral Effects in Product-Differentiated Markets (2009)
Gregory J. Werden & Luke M. Froeb, Choosing Among Tools for Assessing Unilateral Merger Effects, 7 Eur. Competition J. 155 (2011) (± working paper)
Joseph J. Simons & Malcolm B. Coate, A Comment on Choosing Among Tools for Assessing Unilateral Effects Analysis, 8 Eur. Competition J. 429 (2012)
Gregory J. Werden, Unilateral Competitive Effects of Horizontal Mergers I: Basic Concepts and Models, in 2 Issues In Competition Law and Policy 1319 (ABA Section of Antitrust Law 2008).
Gregory J. Werden & Luke M. Froeb, Unilateral Competitive Effects of Horizontal Mergers II: Auctions and Bargaining, in 2 Issues In Competition Law and Policy 1343 (ABA Section of Antitrust Law 2008).
± Carl Shapiro, Unilateral Effects Calculations (rev. Oct. 2010)
± Oxera, Unilateral Effects Analysis and Market Definition: Substitutes in Merger Cases? (June 2011)
± Serge Moresi & Hans Zenger, Aggregate Diversion and Market Elasticity (June 17, 2017)
± LEAR, Merger Screen and the Use of Price Pressure Tests (Feb. 2013)
± Steven C. Salop & Serge Moresi, Updating the Merger Guidelines: Comments (Nov. 9, 2009)
± László Bokor, Strictness and Accuracy of Simple Price Tests of Merger Control (Oct. 2019)
± Charles Taragin & Margaret Loudermilk, Using Measures of Competitive Harm for Optimal Screening of Horizontal Mergers (Oct. 2, 2019)
± Nathan Miller & Gloria Sheu, Quantitative Methods for Evaluating the Unilateral Effects of Mergers (July 20, 2020), final version at 58 Rev. Indus. Org. 143 (2021)
± Jéssica Dutra & Tarun Sabarwal, Antitrust Analysis with Upward Pricing Pressure and Cost Efficiencies, 15 PloS one 1 (2020)
± Gregory J. Werden & Luke M. Froeb, Choosing among Tools for Assessing Unilateral Merger Effects (working paper), final version at 7 Eur. Competition J. 155 (2011).
± Nathan H. Miller, Marc Remer, Conor Ryan & Gloria Sheu, Upward Pricing Pressure as a Predictor of Merger Price Effects (EAG Discussion Paper, No. 16-2, Mar. 2016), final version at 52 Int'l J. Indus. Org. 216 (2017).
For a more detailed treatment of the use of diversion ratios in unilateral effects analysis than found in U.S. cases, see ± UK Office of Fair Trading, Anticipated Acquisition of the Online DVD Rental Subscription Business of Amazon Inc. by LOVEFiLM International Limited, No. ME/3534/08 (2008)
See also ± Marc Ivaldi, Bruno Jullien, Patrick Rey, Paul Seabright & Jean Tirole, The Economics of Unilateral Effects (Interim Report for DG Competition, European Commission (Nov. 2003))
Criticisms
U.S. Dept. of Justice & Fed. Trade Comm'n, Request for Information on Merger Enforcement 4 (Jan. 18. 2022) (specific requests re unilateral effects)
Efficiencies defense
± Orley C. Ashenfelter, Daniel S. Hosken & Matthew C. Weinberg, Efficiencies Brewed: Pricing and Consolidation in the US Beer Industry (working paper Aug. 14, 2013), final version at 46 RAND J. Econ. 328 (2015).
Compensating marginal cost reductions (CMCR)
± Tommaso Valletti & Hans Zenger, Mergers with Differentiated Products: Where Do We Stand?, 58 Rev. Indus. Org. 179 (2021)
Luke Froeb, Steven Tschantz & Gregory J. Werden, Pass-through Rates and the Price Effects of Mergers, 23 Int'l J. Indus. Org. 703 (2005) (± working paper)
Opportunity costs
± Jason Fernando, Opportunity Cost Formula, Calculation, and What It Can Tell You, Investopedia.com (undated)
± Marginal Revolution University, What Is Opportunity Cost? (YouTube)
± Econclips, Opportunity Cost: The Road Not Taken (YouTube)
Unit 10
U.S. Sugar/Imperial Sugar
Class 16
Tuesday, October 22
Analysis of the district court opinion
Product markets
Geographic markets
Class slides (background only--will not be covered in class)
Market Definition (class notes--especially on supply-side switching (slides 37-47) and geographic markets (slides 87-105))
Review Anticompetitive Effects and Downward-Pricing Pressure Defenses class notes if needed
THERE IS NO HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR THIS CLASS
Advance copy of Class 18 homework assignment (ungraded practice exam problem to be posted after class)
Advance copy of the Class 20 homework assignment.
NB: There will be no instructor's answer for this assignment
Selected case materials
± Trial Exhibit [Testimony of Dr. Dov Rothman] (April 20, 2022)
± Trial Exhibit [DOJ Closing Statement] (April 21, 2022)
± Plaintiff United States of America’s Post-Trial Brief (May 6, 2022)
± Defendants' Post-Trial Brief (filed May 20, 2022; redacted version filed May 26, 2022)
For other case materials (including trial transcripts), see here
Unit 11
Sysco/U.S. Foods
Class 17
Thursday, October 24
Analysis of the district court opinion
Cluster markets
Targeted customer markets
Auction theory of unilateral effects
Power buyer defense
Class slides 1-19 (review before class)
Sysco/US Foods (class notes)
Downward-Pricing Pressure Defenses (class notes--complete)
Also work on the Class 18 homework assignment (ungraded practice exam problem)
Commentary
± Gregory J. Werden, The Hypothetical Monopolist Test in Sysco: A Litigation Muddle Needing Analytic Clarity, 12 J. Competition L. & Econ. 341 (2016)
Unit 12
Case Study Problem: Ice Cream Merger
Unit 12 slides
New slides (added Nov. 7, 2024)
Class 18
Tuesday, October 29
Review of the Class 18 homework assignment
Class 18 homework assignment (ungraded practice exam problem)
Submit by email by 5:00 pm on Monday, October 28
NOTE THAT THE RETURN DATE IS THE DAY BEFORE CLASS!
For recent past exam questions, see here
NB: There are no reading guidance, reading materials, or class notes for this unit. Spend all of your time on the homework assignment. This is also a good time to work on your "boilerplate" of merger antitrust concepts and tests that you can copy into the exam answers.
Class 19
Thursday, October 31
Continue analysis of Class 18 homework assignment
Address some "loose ends"
Class 19 reading guidance ("Loose ends")
Downward-Pricing Pressure Defenses (class notes-complete)
There are no class notes or homework assignment for this class. This would be a good time to work on your Class 20 homework assignment.
Unit 13
Staples/Office Depot
Class 20
Tuesday, November 5
Analysis of the district court opinion
There are no separate class notes for this unit. Review Market Definition, Anticompetitive Effects, and Downward-Pricing Pressure Defenses class notes as needed
Class 20 homework assignment
NB: There will be no instructor's answer for this assignment.
Commentary on the 2015 Staples/Office Depot attempted merger
+ Chris Sagers, Ill-Fated Strategy in Staples-Office Depot Deal, N.Y. Times, May 18, 2016.
Commentary on the 1996 Staples/Office Depot attempted merger
± Orley Ashenfelter, David Ashmore, Jonathon B. Baker, Suzanne Gleason & Daniel S. Hosken, Econometric Methods in Staples (working paper Apr. 9, 2004), revised final version at Empirical Methods in Merger Analysis: Econometric Analysis of Pricing in FTC v. Staples, 13 Int'l J. Econ. Bus. 265 (2006).
± Serdar Dalkir & Frederick R. Warren-Boulton, Prices, Market Definition, and the Effects of Merger: Staples-Office Depot (1997), in The Antitrust Revolution: Economics, Competition, and Policy (John E. Kwoka, J. & Lawrence J. White eds., 7th ed. 2018).
± Jerry A. Hausman & Gregory K. Leonard, Documents Versus Econometrics in Staples (working paper Sept. 5, 1997).
± Mark D. Manuszak & Charles C. Moul, Prices and Endogenous Market Structure in Office Supply Superstores, 56 J. Indus. Org. 94 (2008).
± Jonathan B. Baker, Econometric Analysis in FTC v. Staples, 18 J. Pub. Pol'y & Marketing 11 (1999).
± Jonathan B. Baker & Robert Pitofsky, A Turning Point in Merger Enforcement: Federal Trade Commission v. Staples (working paper Oct. 2006), final version in Antitrust Stories 311 (Eleanor M. Fox & Daniel A. Crane eds., 2007)
Unit 14
Potential Competition Mergers
Class 21
Thursday, November 7
Milan/Perrigo
Medtronic/Covidien
Mallinckrodt (Questcor)/Novartis)
Steris/Synergy Health
Meta/Within
Potential competition mergers (class notes)
Additional case materials
Commentary
ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Antitrust Law Developments (Ninth) ch. 3(c)(1) (2022) (mergers between potential competitors)
± Herbert Hovenkamp, Potential Competition (U. of Penn. Inst for Law & Econ Research Paper No. 23-36, Aug. 16, 2023).
± Richard J. Gilbert & A. Douglas Melamed, Potential Competition and the 2023 Merger Guidelines, 65 Rev. Indus. Org. 269 (2024)
± C. Scott Hemphill & Tim Wu, Nascent Competitors, 168 U. Penn. L. Rev. 1879 (2020)
± John M. Yun, Are We Dropping the Crystal Ball? Understanding Nascent & Potential Competition in Antitrust, 104 Marq. L. Rev. 613 (2021).
± John M. Yun, Bruce H. Kobayashi, Abbott B. Lipsky, Alexander Raskovich, and , Joshua D. Wright, Potential and Nascent Competition in Merger Review: Global Antitrust Institute Comment on the DOJ-FTC Request for Information on Merger Enforcement (George Mason Law & Economics Research Paper No. 22-16, April 21, 2022).
± A. Douglas Melamed, Mergers Involving Nascent Competition (2022)
± Disruptive Competition Project, U.S. Merger Enfrocement Experiments Could Significantly Harm Innovation and the Start-Up Ecosystem, Project DisCo.com (Nov. 15, 2022)
"Killer acquisitions"
± Colleen Cunningham, Florian Ederer & Song Ma, Killer Acquisitions, 129 J. Pol. Econ. 649 (2021)
± Jonathan Barnett, “Killer Acquisitions” Reexamined: Economic Hyperbole in the Age of Populist Antitrust. (March 28, 2023).
± Kristen C. Limarzi & Harry R.S. Phillips, "Killer Acquisitions,"Big Tech, and Section 2: A Solution In Search of a Problem, Competition Pol'y Int'l (May 2020).
OPTIONAL
REVIEW
Friday, November 8
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
McD 156
Optional review session for horizontal and potential competition mergers
Reference slides decks
Formulas and Other Reference Material
Recent graded homework assignments and final exams
Jarred Baby Food Merger and instructor's outline (2023 graded homework assignment)
Engineered Wood Product Mergers and instructor's outline (2023 final exam)
Shampoo Merger and class slides (2022 graded homework assignment)
(no instructor's answer other than the class slides)
Labelstock Merger and instructor's answer (2022 final exam Question 1)
Providence Hospital/Mid Montana Clinic Merger and instructor's outline (2022 final exam Question 2)
Fountain Pen Merger and instructor's answer (2021 graded homework assignment) (class slides)
Hydrogen Peroxide Merger and instructor's outline (2021 final exam Question 1)
Chicken Feed Merger and instructor's outline (2021 final exam Question 2)
Beer Bottle Merger and instructor's answer (2020 graded homework assignment)
Unit 15
Vertical Mergers
Class 22
Tuesday, November 12
General Electric/Avio
Comcast/NBCUniversal
AT&T/Time Warner
Vertical mergers (class notes)
NB: Revised to include an appendix on vertical arithmetic
THERE IS NO HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR THIS CLASS
Work on the graded homework assignment
Additional case materials
2020 DOJ/FTC Vertical Merger Guidelines
U.S. Dep't of Justice & Fed. Trade Comm'n, Vertical Merger Guidelines (June 30, 2020)
Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Rohit Chopra (June 30, 2020)
Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter (June 30, 2020)
Fed. Trade Comm'n, Commentary on Vertical Merger Enforcement (Dec. 2020)
2021 FTC withdrawal
News Release, Fed. Trade Comm'n, Federal Trade Commission Withdraws Vertical Merger Guidelines and Commentary (Sept. 15, 2021)
Statement of Chair Lina M. Khan, Commissioner Rohit Chopra, and Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter on the Withdrawal of the Vertical Merger Guidelines (Sept. 15, 2021)
Prepared Remarks of Commissioner Rohit Chopra (Sept. 15, 2021)
Dissenting Statement of Commissioners Noah Joshua Phillips and Christine S. Wilson (Sept. 15, 2021)
Oral Remarks of Commissioner Christine S. Wilson (Sept. 15, 2021)
2021 DOJ response
News Release, U.S. Dep't of Justice, Justice Department Issues Statement on the Vertical Merger Guidelines (Sept. 15, 2021)
NB: The statement does not withdraw the DOJ from the 2020 Vertical Merger Guidelines
Double marginalization
Marginal Revolution University, Double Marginalization Problem (YouTube)
Luke Bessey, Managerial Economics - Double Marginalization (YouTube)
Makan Delrahim, Ass't Att'y Gen', Antitrust Div., U.S. Dep't of Justice, “Harder Better Faster Stronger”: Evaluating EDM as a Defense in Vertical Mergers, Prepared Remarks Before the George Mason Law Review 22nd Annual Antitrust Symposium, Arlington, VA (Feb. 15, 2019)
± John Kwoka & Margaret Slade, Second Thoughts on Double Marginalization (Jan. 2020)
± Ugur Akgün, Cristina Caffarra, Federico Etro & Robert Stillman, On the Welfare Impact of Mergers of Complements: Raising Rivals’ Costs Versus Elimination of Double Marginalization, Economics Letters, 195, 109429 (2020)
± Philippe Choné, Laurent Linnemer & Thibaud Vergé, Double Marginalization, Market foreclosure, and Vertical Iintegration (Feb. 16, 2023)
± Laurent Linnemer, Doubling Back on Double Marginalization (Sept. 8, 2021), final version at 61 Rev. Indus. Org. 1 (2022)
± Fernando Luco & Guillermo Marshall, Vertical Integration with Multiproduct Firms: When Eliminating Double Marginalization May Hurt Consumers (Dec. 7, 2018) (slides)
Vertical consent decrees
± Steven C. Salop, Modifying Merger Consent Decrees to Improve Merger Enforcement Policy, Antitrust, Fall 2016, at 15-20
Commentary
ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Antitrust Law Developments (Ninth) ch. 3(c)(2) (2022) (vertical mergers)
± Herbert Hovenkamp, Mergers of Complements (Apr. 23, 2024)
Jeffrey Church, Vertical Mergers, in 2 Issues in Competition Law and Policy 1455 (ABA Section of Antitrust Law 2008)
Mark Israel & Dan O'Brien, Lessons from Foreclosure Parables: The Need to Tether Vertical Merger Analysis (Jan. 2024)
± Carl Shapiro & Herbert Hovenkamp, How Will the FTC Evaluate Vertical Mergers?, ProMarket.org (Sept. 23, 2021)
± Steven C. Salop, A Suggested Revision of the 2020 Vertical Merger Guidelines (May 2, 2021)
± Marissa Beck & Fiona Scott Morton, Evaluating the Evidence on Vertical Mergers (Dec. 31, 2020), final version at 59 Rev. Indus. Org. 273 (2021)
± Jonathan B. Baker, Nancy L. Rose, Steven C. Salop & Fiona Scorr Morton, Five Principles For Vertical Merger Enforcement Policy, Antitrust, Summer 2019, at 12
Steven C. Salop, Invigorating Vertical Merger Enforcement, 127 Yale L.J. 1962 (2018)
Jon Sallet, Dep. Ass't Att'y Gen., Antitrust Div., U.S. Dep't of Justice, The Interesting Case of the Vertical Merger (Nov. 17, 2016)
Class 23
Thursday, November 14
AT&T/Time Warner (con't)
Class 23 reading guidance
[to be posted, but continue reading the AT&T/Time Warner opinion]
Vertical mergers (class notes)
NB: Revised to include an appendix on vertical arithmetic
THERE IS NO HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR THIS CLASS
Work on the graded homework assignment
Commentary on AT&T/Time Warner
± Carl Shapiro, Vertical Mergers and Input Foreclosure Lessons from the AT&T/Time Warner Case, 59 Rev. Indus. Org. 303 (2021)
Dennis W. Carlton, Georgi V. Giozov, Mark A. Israel, & Allan L. Shampine, Retrospective Analysis of the AT&T/Time Warner Merger, 65 J.L. & Econ. S461 (2022) (± working paper)
Class 24
Tuesday, November 19
AT&T/Time Warner (con't)
Coca-Cola/Coca-Cola Enterprises
Class 23 reading guidance
[read the rest of the Unit 15 materials]
Vertical mergers (class notes)
NB: Revised to include an appendix on vertical arithmetic
THERE IS NO HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR THIS CLASS
Work on the graded homework assignment
Commentary
Roger D. Blair & Christine P. Durrance, Illumina-GRAIL in Retrospect, 65 Rev. Indus. Org.347(2024)
Wednesday, November 20
GRADED HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT DUE BY 8:00 PM
Unit 16
Graded Homework Assignment
Class 25
Thursday, November 21
Review of Graded Homework Assignment
GRADED HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT DUE BY 8:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Unit 17
UnitedHealth/Change Healthcare
Class 26
Tuesday, November 26
Analysis of district court opinion
UPDATE: We will continue to discuss the graded homework problem on Tuesday. However, I have posted the reading guidance, class notes, and class slides for the UnitedHealthcare/Change merger, and you are responsible for knowing these materials even though we will not be discussing them in class. If you have any questions or would like to discuss these materials further, please let me know.
There are no class notes for this unit
THERE IS NO HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR THIS CLASS
(although I strongly suggest you add potential competition and vertical mergers to your outlines and boilerplate)
European Commission Press Release IP/23/5990, Commission sends Amazon Statement of Objections over proposed acquisition of iRobot (Nov. 27, 2023).
Final Review Session (optional)
OPTIONAL
REVIEW
Tuesday, December 3
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
McD 156
OPTIONAL review session
Reference slides decks
Formulas and Other Reference Material
NB: Revised to include an appendix on vertical arithmetic
Recent graded homework assignments and final exams
Jarred Baby Food Merger and instructor's outline (2023 graded homework assignment)
Engineered Wood Product Mergers and instructor's outline (2023 final exam)
Shampoo Merger and class slides (2022 graded homework assignment)
(no instructor's answer other than the class slides)
Labelstock Merger and instructor's answer (2022 final exam Question 1)
Providence Hospital/Mid Montana Clinic Merger and instructor's outline (2022 final exam Question 2)
Fountain Pen Merger and instructor's answer (2021 graded homework assignment) (class slides)
Hydrogen Peroxide Merger and instructor's outline (2021 final exam Question 1)
Chicken Feed Merger and instructor's outline (2021 final exam Question 2)
Beer Bottle Merger and instructor's answer (2020 graded homework assignment)
FINAL EXAM
Friday, December 6 (8:30 AM) –
Friday, December 13 (6:30 PM)
[Times to be confirmed]
5-hour
Open book
Take home
Instructions for the 2024 exam
(submitted to the Registrar's Office)
NB: An additional instruction--No use of AI for any purpose
NB: Some exams in the past have included two merger hypotheticals. This year, the exam will contain only one hypothetical.