Years: 2012

Sports Direct/JJB Sports

In December 2012, the UK Office of Fair Trading unconditionally approved a completed acquisition by Sports Direct of certain JJB Sports stores. This approval came two years after the UK Competition Commission had concluded that Sports Direct and JJB Sports together comprised a relevant antitrust market. In the latest case, … Continued

Advance Auto Parts

Compass Lexecon economists Mary Coleman and David Weiskopf were retained by William Berkowitz of Bingham McCutchen LLP to conduct an economic analysis of the proposed acquisition of more than 100 BWP auto parts locations by Advance Auto Parts (AAP). Drs. Coleman and Weiskopf were supported by a Washington DC based … Continued

Hutchison 3G Austria Acquisition of Orange Austria

In December 2012, the European Commission cleared the acquisition by Hutchison 3G of Orange Austria, subject to remedies. The transaction combined two of the four mobile communications network operators in the Austrian market. The clearance followed a Phase II investigation, during which the Commission issued a statement of objections opposing … Continued

TransWeb LLC v. 3M Innovative Properties Co.

TransWeb, a filtration media supplier, brought a Walker Process fraud claim again 3M, alleging that 3M attempted monopolization by seeking to enforce certain patents against TransWeb. Aside from 3M, TransWeb is the only other supplier of fluorinated filtration media that is used effectively in oil-resistant respirators certified by the National … Continued

Glencore’s Acquisition of Xstrata

In November 2012 the European Commission approved the acquisition by Glencore of Xstrata, subject to conditions. The transaction combines the world’s leading metals and thermal coal trader with the world’s fifth largest metals and mining group. The clearance is conditional on the termination of Glencore’s off-take arrangements for zinc metal … Continued

Variable Universal Life Analysis

Compass Lexecon affiliated expert David K.A. Mordecai advised a consulting firm in the review of the terms, conditions, and disposition of a multimillion dollar portfolio of Variable Universal Life policies belonging to a client of the consulting firm. Dr. Mordecai, with modeling support from Michael Kwak, conducted a comparative scenario … Continued

Pearson Education Copyright Litigation

Pearson Education, Inc., a publisher of textbooks and other educational material, has been subject to a series of individual copyright infringement claims based on alleged unlicensed use of photographs in its publications. Compass Lexecon affiliate Doug Lichtman and Compass Lexecon experts Lynette Neumann and Bradley Reiff are assisting Pearson in … Continued

Settlement in Sun Capital and Polycom Case

In May 2012, Sun Capital agreed to acquire Polycom’s SpectraLink business for $110 million. SpectraLink provided short-range wireless communication systems for large retailers, such as Home Depot and Lowe’s, and hospitals. After the transaction, Sun Capital claimed that Polycom had violated the terms of the purchase agreement by, among other … Continued