Experience

Please find below examples of our experience in this practice area:

Merger Control

  • Clearwire Corporation - acted as EU Counsel on the largest private equity investment in US history in obtaining EU regulatory approvals for a combined $900m equity investment by Intel and Motorola.

  • MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Limited - representing a major Canadian listed technology company, in obtaining merger clearance from the OFT for its acquisition of the Propertyflow Group. The transaction posed particular competition concerns as it came on the heels of a highly critical OFT Market Study Report on the property searches market, which it condemned as anti-competitive.

  • Solectron - advising on the EU merger control aspects of its multi-billion dollar acquisition of C-MAC Inc, a key competitor. Successfully obtaining merger clearance from the European Commission.

  • A leading electronic data provider  - advised on the competition/merger control issues of a confidential joint venture in the property search market with undisclosed third parties.

Compliance/Advisory

  • A leading electronic data provider - represented  before the OFT in successfully defending an OFT complaint alleging discriminatory and excessive pricing as well as the refusal to licence essential electronic data to a key competitor.

  • Novell UK Limited - advising on the competition aspects of certain rebate agreements.

  • Daily Mail and General Trust Group - advised a subsidiary on the OFT Resale of Public Sector Information and Property Searches Inquiries.

  • Siemens - advising on competition issues in the distribution of telecoms products and services.

  • 121 Media Inc - advising on the competition aspects of the formation of the alliance of 121 Media and ISPs for the promotion of an online contextual advertising service.

  • Xerox - advising on the competition aspects of its UK software licensing policy. 

Public Procurement 

  • A leading telecommunications network - advised on EU procurement issues relating to a dispute with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), and on a variety of other public procurement issues relating to public broadband contacts

  • A leading European outsourcing company - advising on the application of the public procurement rules to the tendering for a £200m call centre contract for the Identity and Passport Service.

  • Novell UK Limited - advising on the application of public procurement rules to a £35m IT outsourcing project.

  • A leading European outsourcing company - advising on an NHS shared services procurement.