Our Curious Amalgam

The UK merger control system provides for voluntary filings but that does not mean parties to deals can hide from the regulator, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). But how does the CMA's Mergers Intelligence Committee (MIC) identify deals to ask about and review the informal briefing papers which can be submitted by parties hoping to avoid a full filing? Eleni Gouliou, a Director of Mergers at the CMA, who has chaired MIC, joins Anora Wang and Matthew Hall to discuss the work of MIC and its place within the CMA's merger review processes. Listen to this episode to learn more about this area of the CMA's merger control work, which is increasingly important now that the UK is outside the EU merger control regime.

With special guest:

Eleni Gouliou, Director of Mergers, UK Competition and Markets Authority

Related Links:

UK Competition and Markets Authority "Guidance on the CMA's mergers intelligence function" (December 2020) UK Competition and Markets Authority merger inquiry outcome statistics

Hosted by:

Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods London LLP

The interplay between patent law and competition law has been a consistent focus for the antitrust agencies over the years, most notably in the pharmaceutical sector between brand and generic drugs. But will the FTC take a new approach to dealing with branded drug company patents listed in the FDA's "Orange Book"? Mika Ikeda, Competition Counsel at Johnson & Johnson joins Jaclyn Phillips and Jeny Maier to discuss the FTC's historical interest in Orange Book listings and what actions the agency may take in the future. Listen to this episode to learn more about FTC policy related to competition in drug markets, and why the "Orange Book" is orange!

With special guest:

Mika Ikeda, Senior Counsel, Competition Law, Johnson & Johnson

Related Links:

Federal Trade Commission Statement Concerning Brand Drug Manufacturers' Improper Listing of Patents in the Orange Book (Sept. 14, 2023)

Hosted by:

Jaclyn Phillips, White & Case LLP and Jeny Maier, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP

The hype around cryptocurrency is at an all-time high, as the industry makes a major push to go mainstream. But is it all a giant pump-and-dump scheme? Software engineer and celebrated crypto critic Molly White and the SEC's Associate Director of Enforcement Carolyn Welshhans join Anant Raut and Aaron Yeater for a braintwister of a discussion on such topics as what is money; if blockchain is so secure how does so much crypto keep getting stolen; and is crypto a giant scam. Listen to this episode to learn more about whether ordinary investors will be left holding the bag when the crypto bros cash out.

With special guests:

Molly White, Software Engineer and Founder, Web3 is Going Just Great and Carolyn Welshhans, Associate Director of the Division of Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission

Related Links:

Web 3 is Going Just Great

Hosted by:

Anant Raut and Aaron Yeater, Analysis Group, Inc.

Self-preferencing by digital platforms has become ubiquitous in today's antitrust discourse. But has enough focus been put on economic analysis to understand the procompetitive benefits of self-preferencing conduct? Emilie Feyler and Dr. Veronica Postal, Senior Consultants at NERA Economic Consulting, speak with Jaclyn Phillips and Barry Nigro about their assessment of the economic literature on self-preferencing. Listen to this episode to learn more about what the empirical research has to say and if there are still gaps to fill.

With special guests:

Emilie Feyler, Senior Consultant, NERA Economic Consulting and Dr. Veronica Postal, Senior Consultant, NERA Economic Consulting

Related Links:

Can Self-Preferencing Algorithms Be Procompetitive?

Hosted by:

Jaclyn Phillips, White & Case LLP and Barry Nigro, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

In the early 1980s, a group of Vietnamese fisherman on the gulf coast of Texas teamed up with the Southern Poverty Law Center to mount a heroic legal challenge to the Ku Klux Klan. How did antitrust law play a role in this important civil rights case? Charles Moore joins co-hosts Derek Jackson and Alicia Downey to talk about the Section's Diversity.Advanced Committee's upcoming reenactment of the court proceedings, the historical use of antitrust law in cases of violence or threats against competitors, and the potential for new cases in this area. Listen to this episode to learn about the antitrust issues that arose in a milestone case in American legal history.

With special guest:

Charles Moore, White & Case LLP

Related Links:

Preliminary injunction decision

Permanent injunction decision

Houston Public Media, I See U Podcast, Episode 9: Vietnamese Fishermen v. the KKK

Andrew Chin, University of North Carolina, The KKK and the Vietnamese Fishermen

Hosted by:

Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC and Derek Jackson, Cohen & Gresser LLP

The online gaming industry has been the subject of legal challenges in the antitrust and consumer protection arenas. So Player One, are you ready to hear about the legal issues to consider in this rapidly advancing sector? Josh Grant, video gaming expert with more than two decades of experience in the industry, joins Alicia Downey and Anant Raut to discuss the evolution of video gaming and how that has contributed to current antitrust and consumer protection issues. Listen to this episode to learn more about the intersection of online gaming, antitrust, and consumer protection.

With special guest:

Josh Grant

Related Links:

An Expert's Look at the Current Gaming Landscape and Potential Disputes in 2023

What's Next for Microsoft and Activision's Antitrust Battle After EU and UK Decisions

Hosted by:

Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC and Anant Raut

The European Commission's recent decision to block Booking's proposed acquisition of eTraveli is unprecedented and even controversial to some. How should we understand the EC's concerns? Eliana Garces, Senior Advisor with Analysis Group, joins Matthew Hall and Jaclyn Phillips to discuss the EC's theories of harm. Listen to this episode for an economist's take on the EC's analysis and how we should think about it more generally.

With special guest:

Eliana Garces, Senior Advisor, Analysis Group

Hosted by:

Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods London LLP and Jaclyn Phillips, White & Case LLP

Gender differences are often overlooked when conducting competition law analysis. How should gender impact the work of competition regulators? Lynn Robertson, Competition Expert at the OECD's Competition Policy Division and co-author of the OECD's Gender Inclusive Competition Toolkit, joins Alicia Downey and Matthew Hall to discuss the Toolkit project. Listen to this episode to learn more about the background to the project, the key insights and findings set out in the Toolkit and the OECD's future work in this area.

With special guest:

Lynn Robertson, Competition Expert, Competition Policy Division, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, OECD

Related Links:

OECD Gender Inclusive Competition Toolkit

Hosted by:

Alicia Downey, Principal, Downey Law LLC and Matthew Hall, Partner, McGuireWoods London LLP

Our Curious Amalgam is celebrating its 250th episode by hosting a family reunion! In this episode, former and current regular hosts Alicia Downey, Anora Wang, Matthew Hall, Christina Ma, Anant Raut, and Sergei Zaslavsky highlight the some of the Top 5 most listened-to episodes, year by year, since OCA first launched in 2019. In addition to looking back at the most popular episodes, we talk about undiscovered gems in the archives and the most important legal trends and developments that have occurred since Episode #1. Listen to this episode for a special look back at the greatest hits of Our Curious Amalgam and discover how they are still relevant today.

With special guests:

Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods LLP, Christina Ma, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Anant Raut, Trust & Trade and Sergei Zaslavsky, O'Melveny & Myers LLP

Related Links:

Trust and Trade

Hosted by:

Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

Are you curious about issues related to competition and geopolitical concerns in the global semiconductor sector? In this episode, Barry Nigro and Alicia Downey talk to Arnold & Porter partner David Emanuelson, formerly in-house M&A counsel for Intel Corporation, about how the Chinese government's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) approaches merger clearance. Listen to this episode to learn about the geopolitical pressures on the semiconductor industry and what antitrust counsel can do to improve the chances of getting a deal cleared in China.

With special guest:

David Emanuelson, Arnold & Porter

Related Links:

David Emanuelson & Danielle Drory, "The Potential Chilling Effects of Lowering Standards for Tech M&A Enforcement," 34 Antitrust 14 (2020)

Hosted by:

Barry Nigro, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP and Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC