Inc.: 4 Ways Senator Amy Klobuchar's Antitrust Plan Would Change Startup Acquisitions

[Montauk6]

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced a bill on February 4 that's been called the most ambitious antitrust reform in nearly half a century.

Known as the Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act (CALERA), the bill would make major changes to the mergers and acquisitions process in the United States. Klobuchar has been a sharp critic of "too big to fix" mergers, many of which involve large tech companies--Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods and Facebook's purchase of Giphy, to cite two examples--arguing that they suppress competition.

Among other changes, Klobuchar's legislation would lower the legal standard that antitrust regulators would have to meet in order to quash such problematic activity. It also would shift more financial resources to the antitrust wings of the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission, allowing both agencies to hire more lawyers and pursue more cases.

Legal experts, while applauding the bill's empowerment of regulators, have mixed opinions about just how much it would improve the current antitrust landscape if enacted. For one thing, its effectiveness would depend on how federal judges interpret it.

More
https://www.inc.com/amrita-khalid/senator-amy-klobuchar-calera-mergers-acquisitions.html

[elleng]

1. Very good news.

It's ALWAYS the case that 'its effectiveness would depend on how federal judges interpret it;' that's how a system of LAWS works.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

2. This is so important

Thank you Senator Klobuchar! Minnesota should be (and is) proud to have you - you are so smart.