1. FTC approves Otto Bock HealthCare North America, Inc.’s application to divest assets in prosthetic knee merger.
On Dec. 1, 2020, the FTC announced its approval of an application by prosthetics manufacturer Otto Bock HealthCare North America Inc. to divest certain assets it acquired when it consummated its acquisition of FIH Group Holdings LLC (Freedom Innovations), including all microprocessor prosthetic knee (MPK) products and technology.
Otto Bock completed its acquisition of Freedom Innovations in September 2017, and FTC filed an administrative complaint in December of that year. In November 2019, upholding an administrative law judge’s decision, the FTC unanimously found that the merger was anticompetitive, and it issued the final order requiring Otto Bock to divest the Freedom Innovations business, with limited exceptions. The Commission vote to approve the application was 5-0.
Monday, December 14, 2020
China
On Nov. 11, 2020, the Anti-Monopoly Bureau of the State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR) released the draft Anti-Monopoly Guide for the Internet Platform Economy Sector (Platform Guide) for public comment.
Under the Platform Guide, practices such as demanding that business partners only enter into transactions with one platform operator or engaging in price discrimination based on a customer’s shopping history or user profile could potentially be made illegal. The Platform Guide represents the first time that the SAMR has attempted to address competitive practices specifically pertaining to internet companies under the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law. The public comment period ended Nov. 30, 2020.