WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Department of Justice announced Dec. 13 that it will not challenge a proposal by corporate affiliates Amadeus Group LLC and Mystic Logistics LLC for Amadeus to offer a pricing aggregation service to subscribers that are involved in the commercial mailing business.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Renata B. Hesse for the Antitrust Division submitted the department’s position in a business review letter to counsel for Amadeus.
Amadeus’ service would allow a subscriber to upload details about a specific commercial mailing contract. Amadeus’ pricing algorithm would calculate various postage, packaging and transportation options, allowing subscribers to choose a logistics and pricing package that best benefited them.
The department noted that systems like these can lead to anti-competitive coordination among competitors, but Amadeus and Mystic have specifically designed the proposed service to prevent such an issue. The proposed service will include a multitude of safeguards designed to make sure the information a subscriber provides will not be given to other subscribers or third parties.
Based on information and presentations given by Amadeus and Mystic, the department has no intention to challenge the proposed system.