Libsyn Directory

#294 Acquisitions or Not? Big Tech's Big Problems Investing in Artificial Intelligence

Release Date: 10/07/2024

#304 Is Per Se Here to Stay? Criminal Antitrust Cases Beyond United States v. Brewbaker

Our Curious Amalgam

In the U.S., so-called "per se" antitrust crimes require nothing more than proof that the conduct occurred, relieving prosecutors of the difficult job of proving harm to competition. Is the Fourth Circuit's 2023 opinion in U.S. v. Brewbaker part of a growing judicial trend toward limiting the prosecution of per se cases? Ann O'Brien, the co-leader of Sheppard Mullin’s Antitrust and Competition Practice Group, joins Alicia Downey and Brendan Coffman to talk about Brewbaker and its implications for applying the per se standard in criminal antitrust actions. Listen to this episode to hear about...

#303 You’re Charging Me How Much? A Discussion of Personalized and Surveillance Pricing

Our Curious Amalgam

With the greater availability of data and algorithms, firms in today's digital age are increasingly generating prices or price recommendations based on individual consumers' personal characteristics and behaviors. Does this benefit or harm consumers, and how should policymakers respond? Sanjog Misra, a Professor of Marketing and Applied AI at the University of Chicago and thought leader on personalized pricing, joins Sergei Zaslavsky and Rubin Waranch to discuss competition and consumer protection perspectives on personalized pricing, as well as policy implications and lessons still to be...

#302 Are the Critics Wrong? How the Robinson-Patman Act Has Been Misunderstood by Its Detractors

Our Curious Amalgam

The Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) has a long, controversial history within U.S. antitrust law and economics. In this episode, Mark Poe, an attorney who specializes in RPA litigation, discusses the RPA with hosts Puja Patel and Aaron Yeater. Mark and the hosts explore Mark's view that traditional critics of RPA are incorrect, which he first presented in a recent article in Antitrust Magazine. With special guest: Mark Poe, Partner, Gaw Poe LLP Related Links: Hosted by: Puja Patel, A&O Shearman US LLP and Aaron Yeater, Analysis Group, Inc.

#301 Are Airline Mergers Taking Off? Economic Analyses of the Recent U.S. Passenger Airline Transactions

Our Curious Amalgam

The U.S. passenger airlines have been active in mergers and acquisitions since last year or so, with the Alaska/Hawaiian acquisition, the failed JetBlue/Spirit merger, and more being proposed. But how are these deals and airline competition in general analyzed from an economic perspective? Dr. Gautam Gowrisankaran, Professor of Economics at Columbia University and Senior Advisor at Cornerstone Research, speaks with Anora Wang and Kelsey Paine on market definition, calculation of market share, entry, and beyond. Listen to this episode to learn how economic analyses lay out in specific airline...

#300 What’s on the Radar? Legal and Regulatory Analysis of Airline Mergers in the U.S.

Our Curious Amalgam

The U.S. passenger airlines have seen waves of active mergers and acquisitions including in 2009 through 2013 and again recently since 2023. But who is involved in the legal and regulatory reviews of an airline merger? Courtney Dyer of O'Melveny and David Heffernan of Cozen O'Connor, both with extensive experiences guiding airlines through regulatory processes, speak to Kelsey Paine and Anora Wang about their deal experiences and insights. Listen to learn about origin-destination pair, route overlap, recent matters including the Alaska Airlines' acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines completed in...

#299 Who Is Lesley Fair? A Conversation With a Consumer Protection Law Legend

Our Curious Amalgam

On the occasion of Lesley Fair's retirement after 37 years in the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission, she returns to Our Curious Amalgam to talk with co-hosts Alicia Downey and Jaclyn Phillips about some of the highlights of her illustrious career. Lesley has been described as “the voice of the FTC,” with a unique ability to translate the agency’s work into plain English. Listen to this episode to learn about Lesley's contributions to the evolution of U.S. consumer protection law, as well as her work with the Antitrust Law Section's Janet Steiger Fellowship...

#298 What Has Happened to Merger Control in India? The Impact of the September 2024 Changes

Our Curious Amalgam

Significant changes to the Indian merger control regime came into effect in September 2024. But what has happened? Nisha Kaur Uberoi, partner at JSA law firm in Mumbai, joins Puja Patel and Matthew Hall to discuss the changes and their likely practical impact on transactions affecting India. Listen to this episode to learn more about the changes including the new deal value threshold, the codification of the material influence test for control, new timelines and procedure and the impact of new definitions on the use of the Green Channel route for approval. With special guest: Nisha Kaur...

#297 HSR You Kidding Me? Unpacking the New Requirements for Merging Parties in the U.S.

Our Curious Amalgam

Over a year after the FTC and DOJ first announced changes to the premerger notification form and associated rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, the final rules were released in October 2024. What do these new HSR rules mean in practice for parties to transactions that must make an HSR filing? Daniel Rosenthal, Special Counsel at Milbank, joins hosts Jaclyn Phillips and Matt Tabas to discuss these changes in detail. Listen to this episode to learn more about what has changed, what hasn't, and how you can start to prepare. With special guest: Daniel J. Rosenthal, Special Counsel, Milbank LLP...

#296 How Should Competition Law Be Dealing With AI and Climate Change?

Our Curious Amalgam

Can competition law save humanity? Over the past two years, Fiona Schaeffer has spurred on the lawyers, regulators, and economists of the ABA Antitrust Law Section to examine the role that antitrust law has, or potentially will have, in dealing with the existential challenges posed by climate change and the rise of artificial intelligence. In this episode, co-hosts Alicia Downey and Anora Wang talk with Fiona about why she chose to focus attention on these two issues during her recent term as Section Chair, and the insights that listeners should take away from the Section's work to date. With...

#295 More or (Even) Less Certainty in EU Merger Control? The European Court of Justice Judgment in Illumina/GRAIL

Our Curious Amalgam

The European Commission's attempt to claim jurisdiction under the EU merger rules over Illumina's acquisition of GRAIL ultimately resulted in a stinging court defeat for the regulator. But why did it lose and what will happen now to merger reviews of "below threshold" transactions in the EU? Nicole Kar, partner at Paul, Weiss in London, joins Matthew Hall and James Hunsberger to discuss the Commission's 2021 re-interpretation of its powers under Article 22 of the EU Merger Regulation, the European Court of Justice judgment striking that down and the alternative avenues for the Commission or EU...

More Episodes

It's no secret that competition agencies in the U.S. and elsewhere have been scrutinizing Big Tech's efforts to acquire emerging players in the AI space. In this episode, Luis Blanquez of Bona Law, P.C., talks to co-hosts Alicia Downey and Anant Raut about how the enforcers' concerns are now extending to investments, licensing deals, and other types of transactions that fall outside merger clearance review. Will recently announced investigations into such transactions protect future rivals from Big Tech’s dominance or chill investments in AI technology innovation? Listen to this episode to learn about the effect these investigations may be having on not just the companies directly involved, but also venture capital investors and AI start-ups generally.

With special guest:

Luis Blanquez, Partner, Bona Law P.C.

Related Links:

Hosted by:

Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC and Anant Raut

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