US FTC's Omnicom decree signals war on ad boycotts; critics question motives

In an article for MLex, Antitrust partner Rahul Rao discussed the FTC's implementation of a unique behavioral remedy in Omnicom and Interpublic's proposed merger, as well as the outlook for FTC merger reviews and enforcement more broadly.

When asked about the FTC's approach to competition analysis in recent years, Rahul explained that "What we're seeing is a trend line of modern-day enforcement looking at things that are broader than a stripped viewpoint of what consumer welfare is, and that it's a more holistic question of how competition and antirust intersects with democratic principles."

Describing the FTC's consideration of intricate behavioral remedies and unorthodox theories of harm, Rahul added, "Regardless of who's at the leadership table, when there's a unique harm coupled with litigation uncertainty, where they think that a full structural separation or blocking the deal is probably not likely, then they'll be open to maybe some kind of behavioral fix."

Read the full article here.

Press contact
For more information please speak to your local media contact.