Showing results for: “sirius xm merger”
Barnett on Sirius-XM
The Washington Post is reporting that the long-embattled Sirius/XM merger has received DOJ approval (FCC approval still pending) (HT: David Fischer). About time, I’d say (it’s been two years). See all of the ToTM posts on the topic here. Opposition to this merger has been rooted in what, to me, is a tortured conception of ... Barnett on Sirius-XM
Tulane Corporate Law Institute
Tulane’s annual “Corporate Law Institute” is coming up! The conference – widely viewed as the must-attend deal conference of the year is April 3 and 4 (only two weeks away). The roster for this year’s conference reads like a who’s who of the deal world, with a range of Delaware jurists, investment bankers, top lawyers, ... Tulane Corporate Law Institute
EU Clears Google-Doubleclick
From the WSJ Online: The transaction had faced stiff opposition in Brussels from Google rivals including Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., as well as privacy advocates who fretted that a combined company would control a vast storehouse of data on Web users and their surfing habits. But European Commission antitrust officials early on ruled out ... EU Clears Google-Doubleclick
Barnett on the the Supreme Court, Convergence, and Enforcement Levels
Tom Barnett (DOJ Antitrust AG) gave a speech February 29th to the Federalist Society where he touched upon a number of interesting issues we’ve discussed from time to time here at TOTM. Some highlights: Barnett on recent Supreme Court activity. “I submit that the principal reason for the abundance of supermajority decisions is an analytical ... Barnett on the the Supreme Court, Convergence, and Enforcement Levels
Antitrust & Private Equity
WSJ Deal Journal reports some important movement on the antitrust and private equity front. Specifically, Judge Richard Jones (W.D. Washington) granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss in Pennsylvania Avenue Funds v. Borey, dismissing the plaintiffs’ allegations that two private equity firms had violated the Sherman Act by bidding jointly on the target company (Watchguard Technologies) ... Antitrust & Private Equity
The Whole Foods Appeal — Wrong, but Maybe Good.
The FTC has filed its primary appellate brief in the Whole Foods case. In essence, the brief asserts two claims: that the district court evaluated the Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction under an overly stringent legal standard, and that the court improperly discounted the Commission’s evidence that a Whole Foods/Wild Oats merger would reduce ... The Whole Foods Appeal — Wrong, but Maybe Good.
Microsoft Bids for Yahoo – Yahoo’s Board Will Respond
Microsoft has made a bid for Yahoo, and the Yahoo board of directors is anticipated to use the Nancy Reagan “Just Say No” defense. I feel like I’m back in the 1980s merger boom. Several thoughts: 1. Rumor has it we are in a recession. It is likely then that Yahoo stock is currently trading at ... Microsoft Bids for Yahoo – Yahoo’s Board Will Respond
An Interesting Theory on Microsoft-Yahoo
The Economist (HT: 26econ.com) sketches out an interesting theory on the proposed Microsoft-Yahoo merger: The only grounds on which a trustbuster could plausibly oppose Microsoft buying Yahoo!—that it is possible to exercise monopoly power in online search and advertising—surely apply even more strongly to Google. Indeed, some antitrust experts are surprised that Google has not ... An Interesting Theory on Microsoft-Yahoo
FTC Unilateral Effects Workshop
The FTC recently released its agenda for its upcoming public workshop on February 12 on “Unilateral Effects Analysis in Litigation.” The announcement motivates the conference as follows: Among economists, unilateral effects is a widely accepted theory of competitive harm. Yet, the federal antitrust agencies have experienced limited success litigating differentiated product cases in district courts ... FTC Unilateral Effects Workshop
Antitrust Limits on Merger Decision Markets?
At Overcoming Bias, Robin Hanson points to the absence of decision markets evaluating competitive conditions in the post-merger world as evidence that “these companies are just not serious about finding the highest value applications of prediction markets.” Here’s a description of the markets that Robin has in mind: Decision markets could say whether this merger ... Antitrust Limits on Merger Decision Markets?
Conference Announcement: Merger Analysis in High Technology Markets at GMU
I am very pleased to announce the “Merger Analysis in High Technology Markets” on behalf of my colleague Tom Hazlett, myself, and the Information Economy Project of the National Center for Technology and Law. The conference will be held at George Mason University School of Law on February 1, 2008 from 8:15 am-2:30 pm. Below ... Conference Announcement: Merger Analysis in High Technology Markets at GMU
Supreme Court Denies Cert in Antitrust Case
The Supreme Court denied cert yesterday in Truck-Rail Handling Inc. v. Burlington Northern & Sante Fe Railway Co., U.S., No. 07-693 (HT: Danny Sokol), where the 9th Circuit had affirmed summary judgment for the railroad company on the grounds that the plaintiff had not adequately defined relevant product markets. BNSF leased its terminal facilities to ... Supreme Court Denies Cert in Antitrust Case
