For Release: December 18, 2003
FTC and Department of Justice Issue Merger Challenges Data, Announce Upcoming Merger
Enforcement Workshop
The Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ) today issued a report summarizing merger challenges data for the two agencies for fiscal years
1999-2003, and announced that they will hold a joint workshop on merger enforcement in Washington,
DC, on February 17-19, 2004.
The merger challenges data focuses on the agencies' merger enforcement decisions during the
past five years, and contains tabulated market share and concentration levels associated with the FTC's
and DOJ's decisions to challenge mergers in a wide range of product markets. The data tabulations
use the two market share concentration statistics described in the agencies' Horizontal Merger
Guidelines - the post-merger Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) and the change in the HHI - and
reflect 173 mergers and 1,263 markets in total.
The agencies' announcement of the merger enforcement workshop presents the timing of the
workshop, solicits comments from interested parties, and contains information on the specific topics to
be addressed. The workshop will allow the Commission and DOJ to receive input on topics that arise
in horizontal merger investigations including: Application of the Hypothetical Monopolist Test;
Concentration and Market Shares; Firms that Participate Through a Supply Response: Uncommitted
Entry; Coordinated Interaction; Unilateral Effects; Dynamic Competitive Analysis; Creation of Market
Power on the Buying Side of the Market; Efficiencies; Non-Price Competition; and Integrated Analysis
of Mergers.
Copies of the announcement of a workshop on merger enforcement, as well as
the summary of merger challenges data for fiscal years 1999-2003, can be found
on the Commission's Web site
http://www.ftc.gov.
Copies of the announcement
of a workshop on merger enforcement,
as well as the summary of merger challenges data for fiscal years 1999-2003,
can be found on the FTC's Web site as a link to this
release. The Bureau of Competition seeks to prevent business practices that restrain
competition. The Bureau carries out its mission by investigating alleged law
violations and, when appropriate,
recommending that the Commission take formal enforcement action. To notify the
Bureau concerning particular business practices, call or write the Office of
Policy and Evaluation, Room 394, Bureau of
Competition, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W., Washington,
DC 20580, Electronic Mail: antitrust@ftc.gov;
Telephone (202) 326-3300. For more
information on the laws that the FTC enforces, the Commission has published "Promoting
Competition, Protecting Consumers: A Plain English Guide to Antitrust Laws," which
can be accessed at http://www.ftc.gov/bc/compguide/index.htm.
FTC MEDIA CONTACT:
Mitchell J. Katz
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2161
DOJ MEDIA CONTACT:
Gina Talamona
Office of Public Affairs
202-514-2016
(http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/12/mergereffects.htm)
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Related Documents:
Merger Challenges
Data,
Fiscal Years 1999–2003 [PDF 288K]
Announcement
of a Workshop on Merger Enforcement [PDF 19K]
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