49th Annual Antitrust Law Institute

Posted by D. Daniel Sokol

PLI will host its 49th Annual Antitrust Law Institute in New York on May 5. 

Morning Session:  9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

9:00  Introduction

9:15  Relationships Among Competitors

• Overview of Section 1 of the Sherman Act
• Per se versus rule of reason analysis
• Pleading and proving a conspiracy after Twombly
• Horizontal price-fixing
• Bidding coordination
• Allocation of customers and markets
• Concerted refusals to deal 
• Recent developments in technology markets
• Antitrust standards governing joint ventures:
  - Formation of joint venture
  - Ancillary restraints in joint venture agreements
  -Conduct of joint ventures
• Implications of Dagher
• Recent judicial developments and enforcement actions
• Standard-setting: Current trends, including Rambus
• Patent pools

Michael D. Blechman, William J. Kolasky

10:45  Break

11:00  Monopolization

• Overview of Section 2 of the Sherman Act
• Courts’ interpretation of the elements of a claim
• Review of recent critical cases 
• Working with evolving standards of “anticompetitive conduct”
• Practical problems in defining relevant markets
• Current issues in defining market power
• Loyalty and bundled discounts after LePage’s and PeaceHealth
• Power buyers: Who’s at risk for a Section 2 claim?

R. Hewitt Pate

12:00  Lunch

Afternoon Session: 1:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

1:15  Acquisitions and Mergers

• Elements of Section 7 of the Clayton Act
• 1992 horizontal merger guidelines and H-S-R reporting
• Current enforcement activities: Federal and state
• Recent decisions involving unilateral and coordinated competitive effects
• Investigations of non-reportable transactions
• Retrospective challenges
• Gun jumping and pre-merger integration
• Consent decrees

Yvonne S. Quinn

2:15  Evolving Face of Resale Price Maintenance, Tying and Other Vertical Restraints

• Tool kit: Practical tips and advice
• Establishing the “agreement” requirement
• Resale price maintenance
• Minimum advertised price programs
• Dual distribution
• Counseling in light of Leegin
• Exclusive dealing: Mitigating the risks of a claim
• Tying in the wake of Independent Ink and Microsoft
• Special considerations in aftermarkets and vestiges of Kodak
• Current government enforcement

Arthur I. Cantor

3:30  Break

3:45  Managing Litigation Risks: HYPOTHETICALS

• Focus on real-world scenarios and how they play out
  - Bundled discounts
  - Standard setting
  - Attempted monopolization and other anticompetitive conduct

Arthur I. Cantor, R. Hewitt Pate, Gary P. Zanfagna

5:00  Adjourn

Second Day: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Morning Session: 9:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

9:00  Discrimination in Price and Promotions

• Basic elements of discrimination under the Robinson-Patman Act
• Availability
• Functional discounts
• Secondary line injury and risks of private suits
• Counseling after Reeder-Simco
• Meeting competition and cost justification
• Buyer liability
• Advertising and promotional discriminations
• Proving antitrust injury and damages
• Dual distribution under the R-P Act

Harvey M. Applebaum, Barbara O. Bruckmann

11:00  Break

11:15  Recent International Developments

• Cartel enforcement
• Abuse of dominance
• Significant differences between U.S. and EU
  - Vertical restraints
  - Merger enforcement

MJ Moltenbrey

12:15  Lunch

Afternoon Session: 1:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

1:15  Dealing with the Antitrust Enforcement Agencies: DISCUSSION and HYPOTHETICAL

• Hear from current and former staff at the:
  - Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice
  - Federal Trade Commission
  - Offices of State Attorneys General
• Learn practical lessons from a hypothetical on negotiating an amnesty agreement

Robert L. Hubbard, William J. Kolasky, John W. McReynolds, David L. Meyer, MJ Moltenbrey, Debra J. Pearlstein, Jeffrey Schmidt

2:45  Break

3:00  Corporate Compliance and Ethics (1 hour ethics)

• Conflicts of interest
• Attorney-client privilege, including Akzo-Nobel
• Document destruction and retention
• Other “process” crimes

John W. McReynolds, Mark D. Whitener

4:00  Adjourn