Articles Posted in International Highlights

On February 26, 2014, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) cleared Samsung with no penalty of an accusation made by rival Apple that it has abused its dominance, according a commission press release. Apple had alleged that Samsung’s prolific litigation against Apple over patents constituted an abuse of dominance. But the KFTC said Samsung’s lawsuits did…

On February 19,2014, the Federal Commercial Court of Moscow upheld the fine given by the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) on the Velikolysk meat plant for its part in a cartel of large meat packers that colluded to raise prices on a government acquisition of meat products. The FAS, in a press release, have also confirmed…

On February 19, 2014, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (“JFTC”) issued a warning to Shigakogen Sakudou Kyoukai, the association of ski lift operators in the Shiga highlands area, over potential violations of regulations prohibiting substantial restraint of competition. According to the JFTC, the association issued restricted special lift tickets to members of a particular ski…

On February 18, 2014, Russia’s competition authority, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (“FAS”), issued warnings to two business leaders in the oil industry after their comments about a possible increase in the price of petrol. Gennady Shmal, the president of the Oil and Gas Industrialists Union, and Konstantin Simonov, the CEO of the National Energy Security…

On February 19, 2014, Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission (“TFTC”) conditionally cleared Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Nokia. The TFTC believed that no obvious impact on the structure of the market will result due to the deal, except for potential incentives to increase patent licensing royalty fees. As a result, the TFTC laid down two conditions before…

On February 19, 2014, the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”), the country’s top economic planning body, launched  an initial probe into the auto parts industry. Responding to a reporter’s question, Mr. Kunlin Xu, the director genera of the NRDC’s Price Supervision and Anti-Monopoly Bureau said that there has yet been a formal investigation,…

On February 18, 2014, Germany’s competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt (BKartA) fined three sugar producers,  Pfeifer & Langen GmbH & Co. KG Südzucker AG, and Nordzucker AG a total of €280 million over their role in a sugar cartel that fixed sugar prices, production volumes, quotas, and sales areas. According to BKartA’s investigations, the companies have colluded…

On February 15, 2014, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) Danyang Shen, in a recent MOFCOM press conference, said the U.S. government is “irresponsible” to list China and Chinese companies on the “Notorious Market” list issued unilaterally by the United States Trade Representative (USTR). According to Mr. Shen, the inclusions is especially…

On Feb. 13th, 2014, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) unveiled its long-awaited Interim Rule on Applicable Standards for Simple Merger Review Cases. While many interested groups hailed this development as a positive step taken by the MOFCOM towards a comprehensive “fast-track” review procedure for simple cases which exists in the U.S. and in the…

On February 13, 2014, the heads of the antitrust agencies of the U.S, Canada and Mexico—Chairwoman Edith Ramire of the FTC, Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the DOJ’s Aititrust Division, Canadian Commissioner of Competition John Pecman, and President Alejandra Palacios Prieto of the Mexican Federal Competition Commission—met in Washington, D.C. to discuss mutual efforts…