The U.S. Department of Justice (hereinafter “DOJ”) and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (hereinafter “FTC”) have issued new Vertical Merger Guidelines (hereinafter “Guidelines”) that outline how the federal antitrust agencies evaluate the likely competitive impact of mergers and whether those mergers comply with U.S. antitrust law. These new Guidelines mark the first time the DOJ and the FTC have issued joint guidelines on vertical mergers, and represent the first major revision to guidance on vertical mergers since the DOJ’s 1984 Non-Horizontal Merger Guidelines, which the DOJ withdrew in January of this year.

More information: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-and-federal-trade-commission-issue-new-vertical-merger-guidelines