Title
Important Changes to U.S. Antitrust Statutes Become Law
Author
William Kolasky, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
Date
1/01/2005
(Original Publish Date: 6/30/2004)
(Original Publish Date: 6/30/2004)
Abstract
On June 22, 2004, President Bush signed into law perhaps the most significant amendments to the U.S. antitrust statutes since the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. These changes, enacted as H.R. 1086, will have substantial implications for several areas of antitrust enforcement. These include:a) limiting potential civil actions against standard-setting organizations;b) increasing even further incentives for antitrust wrongdoers to participate in the Antitrust Division's corporate leniency program;c) increasing criminal penalties for corporations and individuals; and d) enhancing judicial scrutiny of antitrust consent decrees.