WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Nov. 1 that, along with the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, it will seek public comment on proposed Antitrust Guidelines for International Enforcement and Cooperation, which update guidelines issued by the agencies in 1995.
“With the continued expansion of global commerce, the enforcement of U.S. antitrust laws frequently involves conduct, entities, or individuals located outside of the United States,” FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said. “The antitrust agencies’ policies and practices related to international enforcement and cooperation have therefore taken on increased importance in protecting U.S. consumers and markets from anti-competitive conduct and transactions.”
Revisions to the guidelines include a new chapter on international cooperation, an update to the discussion of the application of U.S. antitrust law involving foreign commerce, and revised illustrative examples on the most commonly encountered issues.
“Since the guidelines were last updated in 1995, globalization has increased dramatically, as has international antitrust enforcement and the level of cooperation between the department and international counterparts,” said acting assistant attorney general Renata Hesse, in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “Because of this evolution in practice and developments in the law over the intervening 21 years, this update is long overdue.”