United States v. Baker Hughes Inc., et al., 24973-24990 [2010-10474]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 87 / Thursday, May 6, 2010 / Notices
AG, Igersheim, BadenWurttemberg,
GERMANY; Kunbus GmbH Industrial
Communication, Denhendorf, BW,
GERMANY; Azbil North America, Inc.
(formerly Yamatake Sensing Control),
Phoenix, AZ; LS Cable, Anyang-Si,
Gyeonggi-do, REPUBLIC OF KOREA;
VAT Vacuum Valves AG, Haag, St.
Gallen, SWITZERLAND; Caron
Engineering, Inc., Wells, ME; Spang
Power Electronics, Pittsburgh, PA;
Alstom Transport, LevalloisPerret,
FRANCE; Endress+Hauser, Reinach,
SWITZERLAND; Panasonic
Corporation/Motor Company, Daito
City, Osaka, JAPAN; Control Concepts
Inc., Chanhassen, MN; Exlar
Corporation, Chanhassen, MN; Hermary
Opto Electronics Inc., Coquitlam, British
Columbia, CANADA; Kaijo Corporation,
Hamura City, Tokyo, JAPAN; and
Procon Engineering Limited, Sevenoaks,
Kent, England, UNITED KINGDOM,
have been added as parties to this
venture.
Also, Semtorq Inc., Aurora, OH; Real
Time Objects & Systems, LLC,
Brookfield, WI; Ross Controls, Troy, MI;
RuggedCom Inc., Concord, Ontario,
CANADA; Rockwell Automation/
Reliance Electric, Greenville, SC;
DAIDEN Co., Ltd., Kurume City, JAPAN;
CommScope, Inc., Claremont, NC; Graco
Inc., Minneapolis, MN; DDK Ltd.,
Tokyo, JAPAN; Souriau, York, PA; BOC
Edwards, Crawley, West Sussex,
UNITED KINGDOM; Yaskawa Eshed
Technology Ltd., Rosh Ha’ayin, ISRAEL;
Automationdirect.com, Curnming, GA;
Comau S.p.A. Robotics & Final
Assembly Division, Torino, ITALY;
MettlerToledo, Greifensee,
SWITZERLAND; Ten X Technology,
Inc., Austin, TX; Cervis Inc.,
Warrendale, PA; IDEC IZUNI
Corporation, Osaka, JAPAN; National
Semiconductor, Santa Clara, CA; MISCO
Refractometer, Cleveland, OH; Banner
Engineering Corporation, Minneapolis,
MN; ASI Advanced Semiconductor
Instruments GrnbH, Berlin, GERMANY;
AGM Electronics, Inc., Tuscon, AZ;
Symbol Technologies, Inc., Holtsville,
NY; Tyco Electronics, Schaffhausen,
SWITZERLAND; NT International, an
Entegris Company, Minneapolis, MN;
LEONI Special Cables GrnbH,
Friesoythe, GERMANY; HanYang
System, Shihung-Shi, REPUBLIC OF
KOREA; INNOBIS, CheonanSi,
REPUBLIC OF KOREA; S–Net
Automation Co., Ltd., Seoul, REPUBLIC
OF KOREA; LinkBASE, Seoul,
REPUBLIC OF KOREA; KELK, Toronto,
Ontario, CANADA; TPC Mechatronics,
Co., Ltd., Seoul, REPUBLIC OF KOREA;
Robostar Co., Ltd., Ansan City,
REPUBLIC OF KOREA; Hanyoung Nux,
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Incheon, REPUBLIC OF KOREA; Kuroda
Pneumatics Ltd., Kawasaki, Kanagawa,
JAPAN; S0ftDEL Systems Limited,
Mumbai, INDIA; Elettro Stemi S.R.L.,
Altavilla Vicentina, ITALY; Welding
Technology Corporation (WTC), Carol
Stream, IL; KVC Co. Ltd., Bucheon-Si,
REPUBLIC OF KOREA; Northern
Network Solutions, LLC, Cottage Grove,
MI; Hitachi Industrial Equipment
Systems Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JAPAN; Seoil
Electric Co., Ltd., Namyang-Si,
REPUBLIC OF KOREA; Kun Hung
Electric Co., Ltd., Seoul, REPUBLIC OF
KOREA; Dynisco Instruments LLC,
Franklin, MA; Electro-Sensors, Inc.,
Minnetonka, NN; Contrex Inc., Maple
Grove, bIN; Korenix Technology Co.
Ltd., Taipei, TAIWAN; Arlington
Laboratory, Burlington, MA; Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka,
JAPAN; and Phoenix Digital
Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, have
withdrawn as parties to this venture.
The following members have changed
their names: Parker Hannif in Corp.
(Veriflo Division) to Parker Hannif in
Corporation, Cleveland, OH; KistlerMorse Corporation to Kistler-Morse,
Spartanburg, SC; Showa Electric Wire &
Cable Co. to SWCC Showa Cable
Systems Co., Ltd., Aomori-City, JAPAN;
ARO Controls S.A.S. to ARO Welding
Technologies S.A.S., Chateau du Loir,
FRANCE; Komatsu Electronics Inc. to
KELK, Hiratsuka, JAPAN; Hirschmann
to Hirschmann, a Belden brand,
Neckartenzlingen, GERMANY;
Lumberg, Inc. to Lumberg, a Belden
¨
brand, Schalksmuhle, GERMANY;
Toshiba International Corporation to
Toshiba Corporation, Tokyo, JAPAN;
Sola/Heavy Duty to SolaHD, Rosemont,
IL; Kuroda Precision Industries Ltd. to
Kuroda Pneumatics Ltd., Kawasaki,
Kanagawa, JAPAN; and MTT Company
Ltd. to MTT Corporation, Hyogo,
JAPAN.
No other changes have been made in
either the membership or planned
activity of the group research project.
Membership in this group research
project remains open, and ODVA
intends to file additional written
notifications disclosing all changes in
membership.
On June 21, 1995, ODVA filed its
original notification pursuant to Section
6(a) of the Act. The Department of
Justice published a notice in the Federal
Register pursuant to Section 6(b) of the
Act on February 15, 1996 (61 FR 6039).
The last notification was filed with
the Department on April 10, 2009. A
notice was published in the Federal
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24973
Register pursuant to Section 6(b) of the
Act on May 21, 2009 (73 FR 23884).
Patricia A. Brink,
Deputy Director of Operations, Antitrust
Division.
[FR Doc. 2010–10445 Filed 5–5–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410–11–M
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Antitrust Division
Notice Pursuant to the National
Cooperative Research and Production
Act of 1993—Advanced Coatings for
Infrastructure Joint Venture Agreement
Notice is hereby given that, on March
10, 2010, pursuant to section 6(a) of the
National Cooperative Research and
Production Act of 1993, 15 U.S.C. 4301
et seq. (‘‘the Act’’), Advanced Coatings
for Infrastructure Joint Venture
Agreement (‘‘Advanced Coatings’’) has
filed written notifications
simultaneously with the Attorney
General and the Federal Trade
Commission disclosing (1) the identities
of the parties and (2) the nature and
objectives of the venture. The
notifications were filed for the purpose
of invoking the Act’s provisions limiting
the recovery of antitrust plaintiffs to
actual damages under specified
circumstances.
Pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Act,
the identities of the parties to the
venture are: MesoCoat Inc., Euclid, OH;
Polythermics LLC, Kirkland, WA; and
EMTEC, The Edison Materials
Technology Center, Dayton, OH.
The general area of Advanced
Coatings’ planned activity is to develop
a new innovative method for applying
corrosion and wear resistant coatings to
infrastructure.
Patricia A. Brink,
Deputy Director of Operations, Antitrust
Division.
[FR Doc. 2010–10443 Filed 5–5–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410–11–M
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Antitrust Division
United States v. Baker Hughes Inc., et
al.
Notice is hereby given pursuant to the
Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act,
15 U.S.C. 16(b)–(h), that a proposed
Final Judgment, Hold Separate
Stipulation and Order, and Competitive
Impact Statement have been filed with
the United States District Court for the
District of Columbia in United States v.
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Baker Hughes Inc., et al., Civil Action
No. 1:10–cv–00659. On April 27, 2010,
the United States filed a Complaint
alleging that the proposed acquisition
by Baker Hughes, Inc. (‘‘Baker Hughes’’)
of BJ Services Company (‘‘BJ’’) would
violate Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15
U.S.C. 18, by substantially lessening
competition in the market for vessel
stimulation services in the United States
Gulf of Mexico. The proposed Final
Judgment, filed the same time as the
Complaint, requires the Defendants to
create a new competitor for vessel
stimulation services by divesting their
interests in two specially equipped
stimulation vessels, Baker Hughes’ HR
Hughes and BJ’s Blue Ray, as well as
certain other tangible and intangible
assets.
Copies of the Complaint, proposed
Final Judgment, and Competitive Impact
Statement are available for inspection at
the Department of Justice, Antitrust
Division, Antitrust Documents Group,
450 Fifth Street, NW., Suite 1010,
Washington, DC 20530 (telephone 202–
514–2481), on the Department of
Justice’s Web site at https://
www.usdoj.gov/atr, and at the Office of
the Clerk of the United States District
Court for the District of Columbia.
Copies of these materials may be
obtained from the Antitrust Division
upon request and payment of the
copying fee set by Department of Justice
regulations.
Public comment is invited within 60
days of the date of this notice. Such
comments, and responses thereto, will
be published in the Federal Register
and filed with the Court. Comments
should be directed to Donna
Kooperstein, Chief, Transportation,
Energy and Agriculture Section,
Antitrust Division, Department of
Justice, Washington, DC 20530,
(telephone: 202–307–6349).
Patricia A. Brink,
Deputy Director of Operations and Civil
Enforcement.
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United States District Court for the
District of Columbia
United States of America, Antitrust
Division, 450 5th Street NW., Suite 8000,
Washington, DC 20530, Plaintiff, v. Baker
Hughes Incorporated, 2929 Allen Parkway,
Suite 2100, Houston, Texas 77019, and BJ
Services Company, 4601 Westway Park Blvd.,
Houston, Texas 77041, Defendants.
Case: 1:10-cv-00659
Assigned to: Kessler, Gladys
Assign. Date: 04/27/2010
Description: Antitrust
Complaint
The United States of America
(‘‘United States’’), acting under the
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direction of the Attorney General of the
United States, brings this civil action
against Baker Hughes Incorporated
(‘‘Baker Hughes’’) and BJ Services
Company (‘‘BJ Services’’) to enjoin Baker
Hughes’ proposed merger with BJ
Services, and to obtain other equitable
relief. The United States complains and
alleges as follows:
I. Nature of the Action
1. Baker Hughes’ merger with BJ
Services would combine two of only
four companies that compete with
specially equipped vessels to provide
oil and gas companies with pumping
services (‘‘vessel stimulation services’’)
necessary to enable and stimulate oil
and gas production in the U.S. Gulf of
Mexico (‘‘Gulf’’). These vessel
stimulation services are used in the vast
majority of offshore wells in the Gulf.
2. Baker Hughes and BJ Services
compete head-to-head to provide vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf, each
with two vessels. This competition will
be lost if this transaction is allowed to
proceed. The merged firm, and the two
other firms providing vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf, will likely compete
less aggressively, leading to higher
prices and a reduction in service
quality.
3. Absent the merger, Baker Hughes
and BJ Services each need two vessels
in the Gulf to compete effectively. With
this transaction, the merged firm gains
the incentive and ability to remove one
or more stimulation vessels from the
region in order to reduce the available
supply of vessels and raise the price of
vessel stimulation services in the Gulf.
This will cause customers to pay more
for vessel stimulation services.
4. Accordingly, the proposed merger
would substantially lessen competition
for vessel stimulation services in the
Gulf and violates Section 7 of the
Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 18.
II. The Parties and the Transaction
5. Baker Hughes is a Delaware
corporation headquartered in Houston.
A major supplier of products and
services for drilling, formation
evaluation, completion and production
to the worldwide oil and natural gas
industry, Baker Hughes reported total
revenues of approximately $9.7 billion
in 2009. Baker Hughes supports its two
stimulation vessels in the Gulf with
facilities in Louisiana and Texas.
6. BJ Services is a Delaware
corporation headquartered in Houston.
Also a leading worldwide provider of
products and services to the oilfield
industry, BJ Services reported revenues
of $4.1 billion for fiscal year 2009. It
supports its two stimulation vessels in
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the Gulf with facilities in Louisiana and
Texas.
7. Baker Hughes proposes to acquire
100% of BJ Services’ stock in exchange
for newly issued shares of Baker Hughes
stock and cash, valued at approximately
$5.5 billion at the time the merger
agreement was signed.
III. Jurisdiction and Venue
8. This action is filed by the United
States under Section 15 of the Clayton
Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 25, which
invests the Court with jurisdiction to
prevent and restrain violations of
Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as
amended, 15 U.S.C. 18.
9. Baker Hughes and BJ Services
provide vessel stimulation services in
the flow of interstate commerce and
their activities in the development and
sale of these services substantially affect
interstate commerce. This Court has
subject matter jurisdiction over this
action pursuant to Section 15 of the
Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. 25, and 28 U.S.C.
1331, 1337(a), and 1345.
10. The defendants have consented to
venue and personal jurisdiction in this
judicial district.
IV. Trade and Commerce
A. Background
1. Overview of Drilling and Completion
Process
11. Offshore development of oil and
natural gas resources in the Gulf
involves several stages. An oil and gas
company leases the exploration rights to
a specific block from a state or the
federal government, determines that it is
seismically and economically feasible to
drill for oil or gas in that block, and
drills an exploratory well. Wells in the
Gulf may be located in inland waters
(generally 50 feet or less), on the shelf
(50 to 1000 feet), in deepwater (1000
feet or greater), and in ultradeepwater
(greater than 3500 feet of water).
12. After drilling the exploratory well,
if the oil and gas company decides to
extract the oil and natural gas, the well
must be ‘‘completed,’’ or prepared for
production. The completion process is
designed to enable and control the flow
of oil and gas from the formation
through the wellbore and to the surface.
13. During the completion process the
oil and gas company installs cement
casing that lines the wellbore and tubing
through which the oil and gas will flow.
Completion tools, such as packers, are
installed at the bottom of the well to
create a seal. Explosives punch holes
through the casing into the formation so
that the oil and gas can flow from the
formation into the wellbore. Wells in
the Gulf also generally require sand
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control and stimulation services,
described in greater detail below, which
involve the installation of equipment
and the pumping of fluids and other
proppants downhole under high
pressure, as part of the completion
process.
14. Drilling and completing a well is
extremely costly, particularly in
deepwater. It can take months or longer
to drill and complete an offshore well.
The daily costs for the drilling rig and
other assets often exceed $100,000 for
wells on the shelf and may be as much
as $1 million or more for wells in
deepwater. A drilling rig and other
assets remain at the drilling site while
stimulation services are performed and
throughout the completion process.
2. Sand Control and Stimulation
Services
15. Due to the soft rock formations in
the Gulf, nearly all wells require some
form of sand control to prevent the
formation sand from entering the
wellbore and interfering with the flow
of oil. Some wells also require a
stimulation service known as acidizing,
in which acid is pumped into the
formation to repair damage on existing
wells. Each reservoir of oil and gas
deposits may require a customized sand
control or stimulation service (referred
to here interchangeably or collectively
as ‘‘stimulation services’’) because it may
have distinct rock formation, depth,
temperature, pressure, and other
characteristics.
16. There are a number of types of
sand control and stimulation services.
In a ‘‘gravel pack,’’ screens, packers and
other equipment, known as ‘‘sand
control tools,’’ are installed downhole in
the production zone of the wellbore. A
slurry of coarse sand mixed with brine
is then pumped downhole at a pressure
that does not fracture the formation.
Because the diameter of the sand
pumped downhole is larger than the
diameter of the sand in the formation,
these larger ‘‘pumped’’ grains of sand
and the sand control screen serve as a
two stage filter to block the formation
sand from entering the wellbore.
Another type of sand control, called a
‘‘high-rate water pack,’’ is similar to a
gravel pack except that it uses a
different type of fluid and the pumping
takes place at a pressure that will create
minor fractures in formation.
17. The most common form of sand
control service performed offshore in
the Gulf is a ‘‘frac pack.’’ After
installation of the sand control tools,
viscous fluids are pumped into the well
under pressure high enough to produce
fractures in the formation thirty feet or
more from the wellbore. Various
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substances called proppants (such as
sand, bauxite or other materials) are
then pumped into the cracks to prop
them open to facilitate the flow of oil or
gas. Frac packs are highly effective in
stimulating oil and gas production as
well as preventing sand from migrating
into the well. Performance of a frac pack
is a complex engineering job that
requires large amounts of fluid and
proppants to be pumped under high
pressure.
18. Stimulation vessels, on which
pumps and other equipment are
installed, perform most stimulation
services in the Gulf. Oil and gas
companies need the pumping portion of
the job, performed by the stimulation
vessel, to be completed promptly after
the installation of the downhole sand
control tools. Stimulation services
represent a very small percentage of the
total cost of completing a well.
However, no other completion work can
be performed if the vessel is late or
unavailable, and any ‘‘down time’’ at the
well site is extremely costly due to huge
daily rig and other costs.
19. Stimulation vessels in the Gulf are
designed for the specific purpose of
performing stimulation services. The
vessels are typically well over 200 feet
in length and are equipped with high
pressure pumps, blenders, and storage
tanks to hold large quantities of fluid
and proppant. Critical vessel
specifications include its storage
capacity and the horsepower and barrels
per minute at which it can pump. A
vessel is also equipped with a computer
controlled system, called a dynamic
positioning or DP system, that maintains
a ship’s position by using the vessel’s
own propellers and thrusters. These
dynamic positioning systems are
installed so that the vessels do not need
to hold position by using anchors and
chains or by being tied to the rig.
20. Stimulation service providers
typically lease vessels under multi-year
contracts from shipbuilders that design,
construct or modify a vessel to meet the
provider’s specific criteria. Capital costs
for the vessel and equipment can exceed
$30 million, and the contracts have day
rates that often exceed $20,000 per day.
21. To operate in the Gulf, a
stimulation service vessel must comply
with a federal law known as the ‘‘Jones
Act.’’ That Act requires that a vessel be
built in the United States, bear a United
States flag, and be staffed with a United
States crew. Only a limited number of
stimulation service vessels worldwide,
in addition to those presently located in
the Gulf, are Jones Act compliant, and
these vessels are all operated by the
same four firms that provide vessel
stimulation service in the Gulf.
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22. Stimulation service providers
have their own experienced crews to
operate a vessel’s pumping and
stimulation equipment. Stimulation
service providers also rely extensively
on technical support from engineers and
scientists, who customize the
stimulation job for the specific
formation and conduct research to
improve, develop and test stimulation
services, fluids, sand control tools and
other equipment.
23. Each of the four firms currently
providing vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf operates two stimulation
vessels in that region. The companies
bid both for annual or multi-year
contracts, in which they often compete
to be designated as a customer’s primary
supplier, as well as for specific jobs. For
greater assurance that a vessel will be
available when needed, customers
completing wells in the deepwater often
require that a vessel stimulation
provider have two vessels in its fleet.
Even when designated a customer’s
primary supplier, a stimulation service
provider may not have a vessel available
at the precise time that a customer
needs the work. In that case, the
customer will not wait for that
supplier’s vessel to be available because
the downtime on the rig is so costly, but
will call another provider of vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf.
B. Relevant Market
24. The provision of vessel
stimulation services for wells located in
the Gulf is a line of commerce and a
relevant market within the meaning of
Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
25. Oil and gas companies have no
economical alternatives to sand control
or stimulation services and need these
services on the great majority of offshore
wells in the Gulf. While some offshore
stimulation services, such as acidizing,
simple gravel pack or water pack
operations, may be provided by pumps
that are mounted on skids rather than
vessels, these skid-mounted pumps
cannot perform most stimulation
services in the Gulf. Skid-mounted
pumps are not feasible for stimulation
services such as frac packs, which
require high horsepower and significant
storage. Nearly all frac pack jobs in the
Gulf must be done with vessels.
Logistical and safety concerns also
cause some customers to prefer vessels
even when skid-mounted pumps are
technically capable of performing a
particular job. The relevant product is
vessel stimulation services.
26. Oil and gas companies procuring
vessel stimulation services for wells
located in the Gulf require a provider to
have stimulation service vessels capable
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of providing the service in the region as
well as facilities, engineers, sales and
other staff to support the operation. The
relevant geographic region is the Gulf.
This region is defined based on the
locations of customers.
27. A small but significant, nontransitory increase in the price of vessel
stimulation services for wells located in
the Gulf would not cause oil and gas
company customers to turn to skidmounted pumps or to any other type of
service, or to vessel stimulation services
provided outside the Gulf, or to
otherwise reduce purchases of vessel
stimulation services, in volumes
sufficient to make such a price increase
unprofitable.
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C. Market Participants
28. The four vessel stimulation
service providers in the Gulf are now
the only significant vessel stimulation
service providers operating anywhere in
the world and the only providers with
vessels that comply with the Jones Act.
Thus, there are no other providers of
vessel stimulation service to which an
oil and gas company in the Gulf could
turn if faced with a small but
significant, non-transitory increase in
the price of vessel stimulation services
in the Gulf.
V. Likely Anticompetitive Effects of the
Transaction
29. Baker Hughes’ merger with BJ
Services would leave only three firms to
perform vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf. Based on 2008 revenues for
vessel stimulation services in the Gulf,
BJ Services accounted for approximately
twenty percent of all vessel stimulation
service revenues and Baker Hughes
accounted for approximately fifteen
percent. The other two firms providing
vessel stimulation services in the Gulf
accounted for all other revenues. Using
a measure of market concentration
called the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index
(‘‘HHI’’) (defined and explained in
Appendix A), the transaction will
increase the HHI by over 500 points,
resulting in a post-merger HHI of
approximately 3300 points.
30. This transaction will eliminate the
head-to-head competition between
Baker Hughes and BJ Services to
provide vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf. Baker Hughes and BJ Services
have competed on price, terms of sale
and service quality, and have spurred
each other’s efforts to develop and
improve products, performance and
technology. Customers have benefitted
from this competition.
31. Baker Hughes and BJ Services are
relatively close substitutes in the
provision of vessel stimulation services.
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They charge similar prices for similar
types of jobs and provide vessel
stimulation services in the same water
depths and at many of the same
geological locations. Baker Hughes and
BJ Services have ranked first and second
in terms of numerous customers’ total
annual expenditures on vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf.
32. The merger would remove the
constraint the parties impose on each
other’s pricing. Post merger, Baker
Hughes will likely find it profitable to
raise the price of vessel stimulation
services. Customers now differentiate
among vessel stimulation service
providers on the basis of reputation,
service quality, equipment, and other
factors. Those customers that viewed
Baker Hughes and BJ Services as their
first and second choices for vessel
stimulation services will lose their nextbest alternative for these services. The
merged firm will have the incentive and
ability to raise its price, since it will
now capture some of the sales that
would have been lost to BJ Services had
Baker Hughes raised price pre-merger.
The value of these diverted sales is
likely to be high because both firms
currently earn high price-variable cost
margins. Baker Hughes’ incentive to
raise price post-merger will likely be
recognized by the two other firms
providing vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf, leading them to bid less
aggressively. As a result, customers will
likely experience higher prices for
vessel stimulation services and a
reduction in service quality.
33. This transaction is also likely to
reduce the number of stimulation
vessels in the Gulf, leading to higher
prices for vessel stimulation services.
Absent the transaction, neither Baker
Hughes nor BJ Services would have the
incentive to move any of its stimulation
vessels out of the Gulf because a firm
needs two vessels in the region to
compete effectively. By consolidating
the firms’ four vessels under one
company’s ownership, the transaction
may present a profitable opportunity to
remove one or two vessels from the
Gulf, an opportunity Baker Hughes had
recognized. With fewer vessels
committed to provide service in the
Gulf, utilization of the remaining vessels
will likely increase, along with the
likelihood that a vessel will be
unavailable at any particular time. As a
consequence, given customers’ need for
vessels to arrive at a precise time, firms
providing vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf will likely be able to increase
prices.
34. The proposed transaction,
therefore, is likely to lessen competition
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substantially in the provision of vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf.
VI. Entry
35. Successful entry into the
provision of vessel stimulation services
in the Gulf is difficult, costly and time
consuming. A provider of vessel
stimulation services must obtain or
build stimulation service vessels that
are Jones Act compliant, and develop a
reputation and establish its reliability
before an oil and gas company will
consider using its products or services.
A problem with the vessel stimulation
service not only causes delay, which is
extremely costly; it can also damage the
well, jeopardizing the customer’s
investment and its access to the oilproducing formation. With so much at
stake, customers may require that the
provider of vessel stimulation services
demonstrate a track record of several
years or undergo lengthy and expensive
qualification inspections before being
included in bids.
36. Most customers in the Gulf also
require that a stimulation service
provider have two capable vessels to
ensure that a vessel is available to
perform their work at the precise time
required even if one of the provider’s
vessels is out of service or busy on
another job. Building even one
stimulation vessel for the Gulf takes a
long time and requires large capital
expenditures.
37. A provider of vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf must support its
operation with onshore facilities, such
as technology centers. A strong
technical team, including experienced
engineers and scientists, is also
essential.
38. A provider of vessel stimulation
services may have a difficult time
growing its business if it does not also
offer a line of sand control tools. Many
customers prefer obtaining sand control
tools from the same company that
provides the vessel stimulation service.
This reduces the number of companies
with which a customer must deal, often
results in a discount in the price of the
services and products, and also
eliminates the possibility of ‘‘fingerpointing’’ between the providers in the
event that there is a problem or delay
with the sand control tools or
stimulation services. All four providers
of vessel stimulation services in the Gulf
sell sand control tools in addition to
stimulation services.
39. For these reasons, entry by an
additional vessel stimulation service
provider would not be timely, likely,
and sufficient to prevent the substantial
lessening of competition caused by the
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elimination of BJ Services as an
independent competitor.
VII. The Proposed Merger Violates
Section 7 of the Clayton Act
40. Each and every allegation in
paragraphs 1 through 39 of this
Complaint is here realleged with the
same force and effect as though said
paragraphs were here set forth in full.
41. The proposed merger of BJ
Services by Baker Hughes is likely to
lessen competition substantially in
violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act
in the provision of vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf.
42. Baker Hughes’s merger of BJ
Services likely will have the following
effects:
a. Actual and potential competition
between Baker Hughes and BJ Services
in the provision of vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf will be eliminated;
b. Competition generally in the
provision of vessel stimulation services
in the Gulf will be lessened
substantially; and
c. Prices paid by customers for vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf will
likely increase.
43. Unless restrained, the proposed
merger will violate Section 7 of the
Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 18.
Assistant Chief, Transportation, Energy &
Agriculture Section.
/s/ lllllllllllllllllll
Patricia A. Brink,
Deputy Director, Office of Operations.
/s/ lllllllllllllllllll
Angela L. Hughes,
DC Bar # 303420.
Susan L. Edelheit,
DC Bar # 250720,
Michelle Livingston,
DC Bar #461268,
Kathleen S. O’Neill,
John M. Snyder,
John W. Elias,
James A. Ryan,
Joseph Chandra Mazumdar,
Trial Attorneys U.S. Department of Justice
Antitrust Division Transportation, Energy &
Agriculture Section, 450 Fifth Street, NW.,
Suite 8000, Washington, DC 20530,
Telephone: (202) 307–6410, Fax No. (202)
307–2784, angela.hughes@usdoj.gov.
Appendix A
Definition of HHI
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The term ‘‘HHI’’ means the
Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, a
commonly accepted measure of market
concentration. The HHI is calculated by
squaring the market share of each firm
competing in the market and then
summing the resulting numbers. For
example, for a market consisting of four
firms with shares of 30, 30, 20, and
VIII. Requested Relief
20%, the HHI is 2,600 (302 + 302 + 202
44. Plaintiff requests that this Court:
+ 202 = 2,600). The HHI takes into
a. Adjudge and decree Baker Hughes’
account the relative size distribution of
proposed merger with BJ Services to be
the firms in a market. It approaches zero
unlawful and in violation of Section 7
when a market is occupied by a large
of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15
number of firms of relatively equal size
U.S.C. 18;
and reaches its maximum of 10,000
b. Preliminarily and permanently
points when a market is controlled by
enjoin and restrain Defendants and all
a single firm. The HHI increases both as
persons acting on their behalf from
the number of firms in the market
consummating the proposed merger of
decreases and as the disparity in size
BJ Services, or from entering into or
between those firms increases.
carrying out any other agreement, plan,
Markets in which the HHI is between
or understanding by which Baker
1,000 and 1,800 points are considered to
Hughes would acquire, be acquired by,
be moderately concentrated, and
or merge with BJ Services;
markets in which the HHI is in excess
c. Award the United States its costs
of 1,800 points are considered to be
for this action; and
highly concentrated. See Horizontal
d. Award the United States such other Merger Guidelines ¶ 1.51 (revised Apr.
and further relief as the Court deems
8, 1997). Transactions that increase the
just and proper.
HHI by more than 100 points in highly
Dated: April 27, 2010.
concentrated markets presumptively
raise antitrust concerns under the
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ lllllllllllllllllll Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued by
the Department of Justice and the
Christine A. Varney,
Assistant Attorney General, DC Bar # 411654. Federal Trade Commission. See id.
/s/ lllllllllllllllllll
Molly S. Boast,
Deputy Assistant Attorney General.
/s/ lllllllllllllllllll
Donna N. Kooperstein,
Chief, Transportation, Energy & Agriculture
Section.
/s/ lllllllllllllllllll
William H. Stallings,
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United States District Court for the
District of Columbia
United States of America, Plaintiff, v.
Baker Hughes Incorporated and BJ Services
Company, Defendants.
Civil Action No.:
Filed:
Judge:
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Date Stamped:
Proposed Final Judgment
Whereas, Plaintiff United States of
America (‘‘United States’’) filed its
Complaint on April 27, 2010, the United
States and defendants Baker Hughes
Incorporated and BJ Services Company,
by their respective attorneys, have
consented to the entry of this Final
Judgment without trial or adjudication
of any issue of fact or law, and without
this Final Judgment constituting any
evidence against or admission by any
party regarding any issue of fact or law;
And whereas, Defendants agree to be
bound by the provisions of this Final
Judgment pending its approval by the
Court;
And Whereas, the essence of this
Final Judgment is the prompt and
certain divestiture of certain rights or
assets by Defendants to assure that
competition is not substantially
lessened;
And whereas, the United States
requires Defendants to make certain
divestitures for the purpose of
remedying the loss of competition
alleged in the Complaint;
And whereas, Defendants have
represented to the United States that the
divestitures required below can and will
be made and that Defendants will later
raise no claim of hardship or difficulty
as grounds for asking the Court to
modify any of the divestiture provisions
contained below;
Now therefore, before any testimony
is taken, without trial or adjudication of
any issue of fact or law, and upon
consent of the parties, it is ordered,
adjudged, and decreed:
I. Jurisdiction
This Court has jurisdiction over the
subject matter of and each of the parties
to this action. The Complaint states a
claim upon which relief may be granted
against Defendants under Section 7 of
the Clayton Act, as amended (15 U.S.C.
18).
II. Definitions
As used in this Final Judgment:
A. ‘‘Acquirer’’ means the entity to
whom Defendants divest the Divestiture
assets.
B. ‘‘Baker Hughes’’ means defendant
Baker Hughes Incorporated, a Delaware
corporation headquartered in Houston,
Texas, its successors and assigns, and its
subsidiaries, divisions, groups,
affiliates, partnerships and joint
ventures, and their directors, officers,
managers, agents, and employees.
C. ‘‘BJ’’ or ‘‘BJ Services’’ means
defendant BJ Services Company, a
Delaware corporation headquartered in
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Houston, Texas, its successors and
assigns, and its subsidiaries, divisions,
groups, affiliates, partnerships and joint
ventures, and their directors, officers,
managers, agents, and employees.
D. ‘‘Blue Ray’’ means the marine
stimulation vessel named the Blue Ray
currently leased and operated by BJ in
the Gulf, and any equipment installed
on or used to operate the Blue Ray as
of March 1, 2010.
E. ‘‘BrineStar Intangible Assets’’ means
Patent Application Nos. 12/030,614 and
12/365,673 and associated Intangible
Assets primarily used in connection
with the design, development, testing,
production, quality control, marketing,
servicing, sale, installation, or
distribution of BJ’s BrineStar and
BrineStar II products.
F. ‘‘Diamond Fraq Intangible Assets’’
means Patent Nos. 7,052,901; 7,343,972;
7,595,284; 7,645,724; 7,655,603;
7,347,266; 7,615,517; 7,530,393;
7,550,413; 7,543,644; 7,544,643;
7,527,102; 7,527,103; and associated
Intangible Assets primarily used in
connection with the design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, or distribution of
Baker Hughes’ Diamond Fraq products.
G. ‘‘Divestiture Assets’’ means the real
property and Tangible and Intangible
Assets listed in Schedules A through C.
Divestiture Assets shall not be
interpreted to include (a) any equipment
installed on stimulation vessels other
than the Blue Ray or HR Hughes; (b) BJ
Services’ ownership or leasehold
interest in skids or non-vessel based
pumping equipment; or (c) the Tangible
or Intangible Assets primarily used in
connection with the design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, or distribution of
Baker Hughes’ Sand Control Tools or BJ
Services’ Stimulation Fluids other than
(i) those BJ Stimulation Fluids assets
specifically set forth in Schedule C and
(ii) any information, data, or documents
relating to any Divestiture Assets.
H. ‘‘Gulf’’ means the United States
Gulf of Mexico.
I. ‘‘HR Hughes’’ means the marine
stimulation vessel named the HR
Hughes currently leased and operated
by Baker Hughes in the Gulf, and any
equipment installed on or used to
operate the HR Hughes as of March 1,
2010.
J. ‘‘Intangible Asset’’ means any asset
other than a Tangible Asset, including,
but not limited to:
(1) Patents or patent applications,
licenses and sublicenses, copyrights,
trademarks, trade secrets, trade names,
service marks, and service names, but
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excluding the following trade names: BJ,
Baker Oil Tools, and Baker Hughes.
(2) Know-how, including recipes,
formulas, machine settings, drawings,
blueprints, designs, design protocols,
design tools, simulation capability,
specifications for materials,
specifications for parts and devices,
(3) Computer software (e.g. vessel
communication and remote monitoring
software), databases (e.g. databases
containing technical job histories) and
related documentation;
(4) Procedures and processes related
to operations, quality assurance and
control, and health, safety and
environment;
(5) Data concerning historic and
current research and development,
including, but not limited to, designs of
experiments, and the results of
successful and unsuccessful designs and
experiments;
(6) All contractual rights; and
(7) All authorizations, permits,
licenses, registrations, or other forms of
permission, consent, or authority
issued, granted, or otherwise made
available by or under the authority of
any governmental authority.
K. ‘‘Latest Generation MST Intangible
Assets’’ means Patent Nos. 7,490,669;
7,543,647; 6,397,949; 6,722,440;
7,124,824; 7,198,109; 7,201,232;
7,152,678; RE40648; 6,405,800;
7,021,389; 7,150,326; 7,497,265, and
associated Intangible Assets primarily
used in connection with the design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, or distribution of BJ’s
Multi-Zone Single Trip Well
Completion System.
L. ‘‘Relevant Employees’’ means the
employees listed in Schedule D.
M. ‘‘Sand Control Tools’’ means those
tools used or installed in connection
with the performance of Stimulation
Services at or below the zones in which
hydrocarbons are located; including but
not limited to, the components of sump
packer assemblies, frac pack assemblies,
and high rate water pack assemblies;
screens; fluid loss valves; blank pipe;
isolation tubing; production seals; and
service tools.
N. ‘‘Stimulation Fluids’’ means acids,
proppants, gels, or other fluids or
additives used to provide Stimulation
Services.
O. ‘‘Stimulation Services’’ means
acidizing, gravel packs, frac packs, high
rate water packs, or hydraulic fracturing
services performed from vessels or skidmounted pumping equipment.
P. ‘‘Tangible Asset’’ means any
physical asset (excluding real property
or marine stimulation vessels not
specifically identified as part of the
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Divestiture Assets), including, but not
limited to:
(1) All machinery, equipment,
hardware, spare parts, tools, dies, jigs,
molds, patterns, gauges, fixtures
(including production fixtures),
business machines, computer hardware,
other information technology assets,
furniture, laboratories, supplies,
materials, vehicles, spare parts in
respect of any of the foregoing and other
tangible personal property;
(2) Improvements, fixed assets, and
fixtures pertaining to the real property
identified as part of the Divestiture
Assets;
(3) All inventories, raw materials,
work-in-process, finished goods,
supplies, stock, parts, packaging
materials and other accessories related
thereto; and
(4) Business records including
financial records, accounting and credit
records, tax records, governmental
licenses and permits, bid records,
customer lists, customer contracts,
supplier contracts, service agreements;
operations records including vessel logs,
calendars, and schedules; job records,
research and development records,
health, environment and safety records,
repair and performance records, training
records, and all manuals and technical
information Defendants provide to their
own employees, customers, suppliers,
agents or licensees.
Q. ‘‘Transaction’’ means Baker
Hughes’ proposed merger with BJ
Services, which was the subject of HartScott-Rodino Report No. 2009–0748,
filed with the Federal Trade
Commission and the U.S. Department of
Justice on September 14, 2009.
III. Applicability
A. This Final Judgment applies to
Baker Hughes and BJ Services, as
defined above, and all other persons in
active concert or participation with any
of them who receive actual notice of this
Final Judgment by personal service or
otherwise.
B. If, prior to complying with Section
IV and VI of this Final Judgment,
Defendants sell or otherwise dispose of
all or substantially all of their assets or
of lesser business units that include the
Divestiture Assets, they shall require the
acquirer to be bound by the provisions
of this Final Judgment. Defendants need
not obtain such an agreement from the
Acquirer of the assets divested pursuant
to this Final Judgment.
C. Defendants shall require, as a
condition of the sale of the Divestiture
Assets, that the Acquirer agree to be
bound by Section XI of this Final
Judgment.
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IV. Divestitures
A. Defendants are ordered and
directed, within sixty (60) calendar days
after the filing of the Complaint in this
matter, or five (5) calendar days after
notice of the entry of this Final
Judgment by the Court, whichever is
later, to divest the Divestiture Assets in
a manner consistent with this Final
Judgment to an Acquirer acceptable to
the United States, in its sole discretion.
The United States, in its sole discretion,
may agree to one or more extensions of
this time period not to exceed sixty (60)
calendar days in total, and shall notify
the Court in such circumstances.
Defendants agree to divest the
Divestiture Assets as expeditiously as
possible.
B. In accomplishing the divestitures
ordered by this Final Judgment,
Defendants promptly shall make known
widely the availability of the Divestiture
Assets. Defendants shall inform any
person making inquiry regarding a
possible purchase of the Divestiture
Assets that they are being divested
pursuant to this Final Judgment and
provide that person with a copy of this
Final Judgment. Defendants shall offer
to furnish to all prospective Acquirers,
subject to customary confidentiality
assurances, all information and
documents relating to the Divestiture
Assets customarily provided in a due
diligence process, except such
information or documents subject to the
attorney-client privilege or workproduct doctrine. Defendants shall make
available such information to the United
States at the same time that such
information is made available to any
other person.
C. Defendants shall permit
prospective Acquirers of the Divestiture
Assets to have reasonable access to
personnel and to make inspections of
the physical facilities associated with
the Divestiture Assets; access to any and
all environmental, zoning, and other
permit documents and information; and
access to any and all financial,
operational, or other documents and
information customarily provided as
part of a due diligence process.
D. Defendants shall warrant to the
Acquirer that each asset will be
operational on the date of sale.
Defendants shall maintain and enforce
all intellectual property rights licensed
to the Acquirer pursuant to the
proposed Final Judgment.
E. Defendants shall not take any
action that will impede in any way the
permitting, operation, use, or divestiture
of the Divestiture Assets.
F. Defendants shall warrant to the
Acquirer that there are no material
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defects in the environmental, zoning or
other permits pertaining to the
operation of each asset, and that
following the sale of the Divestiture
Assets, Defendants will not undertake,
directly or indirectly, any challenges to
the environmental, zoning, or other
permits relating to the operation of the
Divestiture Assets.
G. Defendants shall take all necessary
steps to accomplish the transfer of all
interests the Defendants have in the HR
Hughes, the Blue Ray, and any other
Divestiture Asset in which the
Defendants have an ownership or
leasehold interest, including, but not
limited to, obtaining authorization from
Edison Chouest Offshore and Hornbeck
Offshore Services LLC to assign
Defendants’ leasehold interests in the
HR Hughes and the Blue Ray,
respectively. Defendants agree to take
all necessary steps, including paying all
costs, to install the same
communication, stimulation and
instrumentation control software on the
HR Hughes that is on the Blue Ray, or
vice versa, at the preference of the
Acquirer. Defendants will provide to the
Acquirer copies of all manuals and
training materials relating to the
communication, stimulation and
instrumentation control software on the
HR Hughes and the Blue Ray and rights
to training or service under any
agreements Defendants have with third
parties.
H. Except for assets discussed in IV G.
above, Defendants shall use
commercially reasonable efforts to
obtain any necessary consent to assign
contractual rights that are included in
the Divestiture Assets, including, but
not limited to, contractual rights to
provide Stimulation Services, Sand
Control Tools, or Stimulation Fluids for
wells located in the Gulf, and
contractual rights to purchase any
inputs or components to those Services,
Tools, or Fluids.
I. Where the Acquirer has the option
to acquire specific facilities but chooses
not to exercise that option:
(1) Defendants shall bear the expense
of relocating to the location of the
Acquirer’s choice Tangible Assets that
are part of the Divestiture Assets from
any of those facilities.
(2) If the Acquirer chooses not to
purchase the entire Completion Tool
Technology Center of BJ (see Schedule
B), Defendants shall, at the option of the
Acquirer, make structural changes, at
Defendants’ expense, to Building E at
the Completion Tool Technology
Center, or to another location of the
Acquirer’s choosing, to enable the
Acquirer to conduct testing of sand
control tools. The structural changes
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24979
will include the construction of up to
two test cells that will be the equivalent
in size, capabilities, technology, and
rating of the test cells currently located
at the Completion Tool Technology
Center. Until the test cells are
completed, and upon two business days
notice, the purchaser will have the right
to exclusive use, at no charge, of
Building A at the Completion Tool
Technology Center (in which test cells
are currently located) for up to 14 days
in any calendar month.
(3) If the Acquirer chooses not to
purchase BJ’s Southpark facility in
Lafayette, Louisiana, Defendants shall
add to the Completion Tool Technology
Center, or to another location of the
Acquirer’s choosing, a sand control
laboratory equivalent to Defendant
Baker Hughes’ sand control laboratory at
its Lafayette Supercenter.
J. Unless the United States otherwise
consents in writing, the divestiture
pursuant to Section IV, or by the trustee
appointed pursuant to Section VI, of the
Final Judgment, shall include all of the
Divestiture Assets, and the divestiture
shall be accomplished in such a way as
to satisfy the United States, in its sole
discretion, that the Divestiture Assets
can and will be used by the Acquirer as
part of a viable, ongoing business
engaged in the design, development,
production, marketing, servicing,
distribution, and sale of the Stimulation
Services, Sand Control Tools, and
Stimulation Fluids for wells located in
the Gulf, and that such divestiture will
remedy the competitive harm alleged in
the Complaint. The divestiture, whether
pursuant to Section IV or Section VI of
this Final Judgment:
(1) Shall be made to an Acquirer that,
in the United States’ sole judgment, has
the intent and capability (including the
necessary managerial, operational,
technical and financial capability) of
competing effectively as a supplier of
Stimulation Services, Sand Control
Tools, and Stimulation Fluids for
customers in the Gulf; and
(2) Shall be accomplished so as to
satisfy the United States, in its sole
discretion, that none of the terms of any
agreement between the Acquirer and
Defendants give Defendants the ability
unreasonably to raise the Acquirer’s
costs, to lower the Acquirer’s efficiency,
or otherwise to interfere in the ability of
the Acquirer to compete effectively.
V. Right To Hire
A. To enable the Acquirer to make
offers of employment, Defendants shall
provide the Acquirer and the United
States with organization charts and
information relating to Relevant
Employees, including name, job title,
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responsibilities as of March 1, 2010,
training and educational history,
relevant certifications, and, to the extent
permissible by law, job performance
evaluations, and current salary and
benefits information.
B. Upon request, Defendants shall
make Relevant Employees available for
interviews with the Acquirer during
normal business hours at a mutually
agreeable location and will not interfere
with any negotiations by the Acquirer to
employ Relevant Employees.
Interference with respect to this
paragraph includes, but is not limited
to, offering to increase the salary or
benefits of Relevant Employees other
than as a part of a company-wide
increase in salary or benefits granted in
the ordinary course of business.
C. For Relevant Employees who elect
employment by the Acquirer,
Defendants shall waive all noncompete
agreements and all nondisclosure
agreements, except as specified in V D.
below, vest all unvested pension and
other equity rights, and provide all
benefits to which the Relevant
Employees would generally be provided
if transferred to a buyer of an ongoing
business.
D. Nothing in this Section shall
prohibit Defendants from maintaining
any reasonable restrictions on the
disclosure by an employee who accepts
an offer of employment with the
Acquirer of the Defendants’ proprietary
non-public information that is (1) not
otherwise required to be disclosed by
this Final Judgment, (2) related solely to
the Defendants’ businesses and clients,
and (3) unrelated to the Divestiture
Assets.
VI. Appointment of Trustee
A. If Defendants have not divested the
Divestiture Assets within the time
period specified in Section IVA. of this
Final Judgment, Defendants shall notify
the United States of that fact in writing.
Upon application of the United States,
the Court shall appoint a trustee
selected by the United States and
approved by the Court to effect the
divestiture of the Divestiture Assets.
B. After the appointment of a trustee
becomes effective, only the trustee shall
have the right to sell the Divestiture
Assets. The trustee shall have the power
and authority to accomplish the
divestiture to an Acquirer acceptable to
the United States at such price and on
such terms as are then obtainable upon
reasonable effort by the trustee, subject
to the provisions of Sections IV, V, and
VI of this Final Judgment, and shall
have such other powers as this Court
deems appropriate. Subject to Section
VI D. of this Final Judgment, the trustee
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may hire at the cost and expense of
Defendants any investment bankers,
attorneys, accountants or other agents,
who shall be solely accountable to the
trustee, reasonably necessary in the
trustee’s judgment to assist in the
divestiture.
C. Defendants shall not object to a sale
by the trustee on any ground other than
the trustee’s malfeasance. Any such
objections by Defendants must be
conveyed in writing to the United States
and the trustee within ten (10) calendar
days after the trustee has provided the
notice required under Section VII.
D. The trustee shall serve at the cost
and expense of Defendants, on such
terms and conditions as the United
States approves. The trustee shall
account for all monies derived from the
sale of the assets sold by the trustee and
all costs and expenses so incurred. After
payment of fees for the trustee’s services
and those of investment bankers,
attorneys, accountants or other agents
retained by it, all remaining money shall
be paid to Defendants. After the trustee
submits its final report, including the
final accounting, to the court, the trust
shall then be terminated. The
compensation of the trustee and any
professionals and agents retained by the
trustee shall be reasonable in light of the
value of the Divestiture Assets and
based on a fee arrangement providing
the trustee with an incentive based on
the price and terms of the divestiture
and the speed with which it is
accomplished, but timeliness is
paramount. Defendants shall
expeditiously reach agreement with the
trustee on the trustee’s fee arrangement.
E. Defendants shall use their best
efforts to assist the trustee in
accomplishing the required divestitures.
The trustee and any consultants,
accountants, attorneys, and other
persons retained by the trustee shall
have full and complete access to the
personnel, books, records, and facilities
of the Divestiture Assets, and
Defendants shall develop financial and
other information relevant to the
Divestiture Assets as the trustee may
reasonably request, subject to reasonable
protection for trade secret or other
confidential research, development, or
commercial information. Defendants
shall take no action to interfere with,
delay, or impede the trustee’s
accomplishment of the divestitures.
F. After its appointment, the trustee
shall file monthly reports with the
United States setting forth the trustee’s
efforts to accomplish the divestitures
ordered under this Final Judgment.
Such reports shall include the name,
address, and telephone number of each
person who, during the preceding
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month, made an offer to acquire,
expressed an interest in acquiring,
entered into negotiations to acquire, or
was contacted or made an inquiry about
acquiring, any interest in the Divestiture
Assets, and shall describe in detail each
contact with any such person. The
trustee shall maintain full records of all
efforts made to divest the Divestiture
Assets.
G. If the trustee has not accomplished
the divestitures ordered under this Final
Judgment within six (6) months after his
or her appointment, the trustee shall
promptly file with the Court a report
setting forth: (1) The trustee’s efforts to
accomplish the required divestitures; (2)
the reasons, in the trustee’s judgment,
why the required divestitures have not
been accomplished; and (3) the trustee’s
recommendations. To the extent such
reports contain information that the
trustee deems confidential, such reports
shall not be filed in the public docket
of the Court. The trustee shall at the
same time furnish such report to the
United States, which shall have the
right to make additional
recommendations consistent with the
purpose of the trust. The Court
thereafter shall enter such orders as it
shall deem appropriate to carry out the
purpose of the Final Judgment, which
may, if necessary, include extending the
trust and the term of the trustee’s
appointment by a period requested by
the United States.
VII. Notice of Proposed Divestiture
A. Within two (2) business days
following execution of a definitive
divestiture agreement, Defendants shall
notify the United States of any proposed
divestiture required by Section IV of
this Final Judgment. Within two (2)
business days following execution of a
definitive divestiture agreement, the
trustee shall notify the United States
and Defendants of any proposed
divestiture required by Section VI of
this Final Judgment. The notice
provided to the United States shall set
forth the details of the proposed
divestiture and list the name, address,
and telephone number of each person
not previously identified who offered or
expressed an interest in or desire to
acquire any ownership interest in the
Divestiture Assets, together with full
details of the same.
B. Within fifteen (15) calendar days of
receipt by the United States of such
notice, the United States may request
from Defendants, the proposed
Acquirer, any other third party, or the
trustee, if applicable, additional
information concerning the proposed
divestiture, the proposed Acquirer, and
any other potential Acquirer.
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Defendants and the trustee shall furnish
any additional information requested
within fifteen (15) calendar days of the
receipt of the request, unless the parties
shall otherwise agree.
C. Within forty-five (45) calendar days
after receipt of the notice or within
thirty (30) calendar days after the
United States has been provided the
additional information requested from
Defendants, the proposed Acquirer, any
third party, and the trustee, whichever
is later, the United States shall provide
written notice to Defendants and the
trustee, if there is one, stating whether
or not it objects to the proposed
divestiture. If the United States provides
written notice that it does not object, the
divestiture may be consummated,
subject only to Defendants’ limited right
to object to the sale under Section VI C.
of this Final Judgment. Absent written
notice that the United States does not
object to the proposed Acquirer or upon
objection by the United States, a
divestiture proposed under Section IV
or Section VI shall not be consummated.
Upon objection by Defendants under
Section VI C., a divestiture proposed
under Section VI shall not be
consummated unless approved by the
Court.
VIII. Financing
Defendants shall not finance all or
any part of any purchase made pursuant
to Section IV or VI of this Final
Judgment.
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IX. Hold Separate
Until the divestitures required by this
Final Judgment have been
accomplished, Defendants shall take all
steps necessary to comply with the Hold
Separate Stipulation and Order entered
by this Court. Defendants shall take no
action that would jeopardize the
divestitures ordered by this Court.
X. Affidavits
A. Within twenty (20) calendar days
of the filing of the Complaint in this
matter, and every thirty (30) calendar
days thereafter until the divestitures
have been completed under Section IV
or VI, Defendants shall deliver to the
United States an affidavit as to the fact
and manner of their compliance with
Section IV or VI of this Final Judgment.
Each such affidavit shall include the
name, address, and telephone number of
each person who, during the preceding
thirty (30) calendar days, made an offer
to acquire, expressed an interest in
acquiring, entered into negotiations to
acquire, or was contacted or made an
inquiry about acquiring, any interest in
the Divestiture Assets, and shall
describe in detail each contact with any
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such person during that period. Each
such affidavit shall also include a
description of the efforts Defendants
have taken to solicit buyers for the
Divestiture Assets, and to provide
required information to prospective
Acquirers, including the limitations, if
any, on such information. Assuming the
information set forth in the affidavit is
true and complete, any objection by the
United States to information provided
by Defendants, including limitations on
information, shall be made within
fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of
such affidavit.
B. Within twenty (20) calendar days
of the filing of the Complaint in this
matter, Defendants shall deliver to the
United States an affidavit that describes
in reasonable detail all actions
Defendants have taken and all steps
Defendants have implemented on an
ongoing basis to comply with Section IX
of this Final Judgment. Defendants shall
deliver to the United States an affidavit
describing any changes to the efforts
and actions outlined in Defendants’
earlier affidavits filed pursuant to this
Section within fifteen (15) calendar days
after the change is implemented.
C. Defendants shall keep all records of
all efforts made to preserve and divest
the Divestiture Assets until one year
after such divestiture has been
completed.
XI. Conditions Placed Upon the
Acquirer
A. For five years from the entry of this
Final Judgment, unless such transaction
is otherwise subject to the reporting and
waiting period requirements of the HartScott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements
Act of 1976, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 18a
(the ‘‘HSR Act’’), the Acquirer, without
providing advance notification to the
Antitrust Division, shall not directly or
indirectly sell any of the Divestiture
Assets or any interest (including, but
not limited to, any financial, security,
loan, equity, or management interest) in
any of the Divestiture Assets to
Halliburton Company or Schlumberger
Ltd. Such notification shall be provided
to the Antitrust Division in the same
format as, and per the instructions
relating to the Notification and Report
Form set forth in the Appendix to Part
803 of Title 16 of the Code of Federal
Regulations as amended. Notification
shall be provided at least thirty (30)
calendar days prior to completion of any
such transaction, and shall include,
beyond what may be required by the
applicable instructions, the names of the
principal representatives of the parties
to the agreement who negotiated the
agreement, and any management or
strategic plans discussing the proposed
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transaction. If within the 30-day period
after notification, representatives of the
Antitrust Division make a written
request for additional information, the
Acquirer shall not consummate the
proposed transaction or agreement until
thirty (30) calendar days after
submitting all such additional
information. Early termination of the
waiting periods in this paragraph may
be requested and, where appropriate,
granted in the same manner as is
applicable under the requirements and
provisions of the HSR Act and rules
promulgated thereunder. This Section
shall be broadly construed and any
ambiguity or uncertainty regarding the
filing of notice under this Section shall
be resolved in favor of filing notice.
B. The Acquirer shall not move the
HR Hughes or the Blue Ray out of the
Gulf for two years from the entry of this
Final Judgment without the prior
written consent of the Antitrust
Division.
XII. Compliance Inspection
A. For the purposes of determining or
securing compliance with this Final
Judgment, or of determining whether
the Final Judgment should be modified
or vacated, and subject to any legally
recognized privilege, from time to time
authorized representatives of the United
States Department of Justice Antitrust
Division, including consultants and
other persons retained by the United
States, shall, upon written request of an
authorized representative of the
Assistant Attorney General in charge of
the Antitrust Division, and on
reasonable notice to Defendants, be
permitted:
(1) Access during Defendants’ office
hours to inspect and copy, or at the
option of the United States, to require
Defendants to provide hard copy or
electronic copies of, all books, ledgers,
accounts, records, data, and documents
in the possession, custody, or control of
Defendants, relating to any matters
contained in this Final Judgment; and
(2) to interview, either informally or
on the record, Defendants’ officers,
employees, or agents, who may have
their individual counsel present,
regarding such matters. The interviews
shall be subject to the reasonable
convenience of the interviewee and
without restraint or interference by
Defendants.
B. Upon the written request of an
authorized representative of the
Assistant Attorney General in charge of
the Antitrust Division, Defendants shall
submit written reports or responses to
written interrogatories, under oath if
requested, relating to any of the matters
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contained in this Final Judgment as may
be requested.
C. No information or documents
obtained by the means provided in this
Section shall be divulged by the United
States to any person other than an
authorized representative of the
executive branch of the United States,
except in the course of legal proceedings
to which the United States is a party
(including grand jury proceedings), for
the purpose of securing compliance
with this Final Judgment, or as
otherwise required by law.
D. If, at the time information or
documents are furnished by Defendants
to the United States, Defendants
represent and identify in writing the
material in any such information or
documents to which a claim of
protection may be asserted under Rule
26(c)(1)(G) of the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure, and Defendants mark each
pertinent page of such material, ‘‘Subject
to claim of protection under Rule
26(c)(1)(G) of the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure,’’ then the United States shall
give Defendants ten (10) calendar days
notice prior to divulging such material
in any legal proceeding (other than a
grand jury proceeding).
XIII. No Reacquisition
Defendants may not reacquire an
ownership interest in any part of the
Divestiture Assets during the term of
this Final Judgment.
XIV. Retention of Jurisdiction
This Court retains jurisdiction to
enable any party to this Final Judgment
to apply to this Court at any time for
further orders and directions as may be
necessary or appropriate to carry out or
construe this Final Judgment, to modify
any of its provisions, to enforce
compliance, and to punish violations of
its provisions.
XV. Expiration of Final Judgment
Unless this Court grants an extension,
this Final Judgment shall expire ten (10)
years from the date of its entry.
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XVI. Public Interest Determination
Entry of this Final Judgment is in the
public interest. The parties have
complied with the requirements of the
Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act,
15 U.S.C. 16, including making copies
available to the public of this Final
Judgment, the Competitive Impact
Statement, and any comments thereon
and the United States’ responses to
comments. Based upon the record
before the Court, which includes the
Competitive Impact Statement and any
comments and responses to comments
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Stimulation Services
improve, display, perform, and enhance
the licensed Intangible Assets; and (b) to
own any Intangible Assets the Acquirer
generates pursuant to this license; and
(c) to have end-user customers of the
Acquirer enjoy the benefit of the
Intangible Assets provided by the
Acquirer pursuant to this license; and
(2) a right to obtain copies of,
assignment of, or other effective transfer
of all other Intangible Assets.
BJ Services Assets
1. BJ Tangible Assets and Real
Property:
a. BJ’s ownership and leasehold
interest in the Blue Ray.
b. At the option of the Acquirer, BJ’s
ownership and leasehold interest in one
or more of the following facilities:
i. BJ’s Crowley facility at West
Highway 90 and Roller Road in
Crowley, Louisiana 70526.
ii. BJ’s Sales Offices at 1515 Poydras
Street, Suite 2000, New Orleans,
Louisiana 70508;
iii. BJ’s Sales Offices at 5005
Mitchelldale Street, Suite 250, Houston,
Texas 77092.
c. All Tangible Assets owned, leased
or licensed by BJ that are used in
connection with the design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, or provision of
Stimulation Services for wells located in
the Gulf.
2. BJ Intangible Assets:
a. All Intangible Assets owned, leased
or licensed by BJ that are used in
connection with the design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, or provision of
Stimulation Services for wells located in
the Gulf.
b. Exclusions:
i. Excluded from this Schedule A is
BJ’s proprietary communication,
stimulation, or instrumentation control
software used in connection with the
operation of the Blue Ray, provided that,
if the Acquirer elects pursuant to
Section IV G. to have Defendants install
the same communication, stimulation
and instrumentation control software on
the HR Hughes that is installed on the
Blue Ray, Defendants shall provide to
Acquirer a non-exclusive right to such
software, including,
(1) A worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, perpetual, transferable
license to all patents, trademarks, trade
secrets, and other Intangible Assets in
which Defendants assert intellectual
property rights; such license shall grant
the Acquirer the right (a) to make, have
made, use, sell or offer for sale, copy,
create derivative works, modify,
Baker Hughes Assets
1. Baker Hughes Tangible Assets and
Real Property:
a. Baker Hughes’ ownership and
leasehold interest in the HR Hughes.
b. Baker Hughes’ ownership and
leasehold interest in the marine vessel
stimulation dock facility located at Port
Fourchon, Louisiana.
c. Baker Hughes’ ownership and
leasehold interest in any mooring
buoy(s) located in or around Port
Fourchon, Louisiana.
d. At the option of the Acquirer, Baker
Hughes’ ownership and leasehold
interest in skids and non-vessel based
pumping equipment that are used to
perform Stimulation Services in the
Gulf.
e. All Tangible Assets owned, leased
or licensed by Baker Hughes that are
used in connection with the assets,
facilities and real property identified in
1(a)–1(d).
2. Baker Hughes Intangible Assets:
a. All Intangible Assets owned, leased
or licensed by Baker Hughes that are
primarily used in connection with or
necessary for the use of the assets,
facilities and real property identified in
1(a)–1(d).
b. With respect to Intangible Assets
that are not included in paragraph 2(a)
but that are used in connection with the
assets, facilities and real property
identified in 1(a)–1(d), Defendants shall
provide to Acquirer a non-exclusive
right to such Intangible Assets for the
design, development, testing,
production, quality control, marketing,
servicing, sale, installation, and
provision of Stimulation Services,
including:
i. A worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, perpetual, transferable
license to all patents, trademarks, trade
secrets, and other Intangible Assets in
which Defendants assert intellectual
property rights; such license shall grant
the Acquirer the right (a) to make, have
made, use, sell or offer for sale, copy,
create derivative works, modify,
improve, display, perform, and enhance
the licensed Intangible Assets; (b) to
own any Intangible Assets the Acquirer
generates pursuant to this license; and
(c) to have end-user customers of the
filed with the Court, entry of this Final
Judgment is in the public interest.
llllllllllllllllll
l
Date: Court approval subject to
procedures of Antitrust Procedures and
Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. § 16
llllllllllllllllll
l
United States District Judge
Schedule A
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Acquirer enjoy the benefit of
Stimulation Services provided by the
Acquirer pursuant to this license; and
ii. A right to obtain copies of,
assignment of, or other effective transfer
of all other Intangible Assets.
Schedule B
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Sand Control Tools
BJ Services Assets
1. BJ Tangible Assets and Real
Property:
a. At the option of the Acquirer, BJ’s
ownership and leasehold interest in one
of the following:
i. The entire Completion Tool
Technology Center located at 16610
Aldine Westfield, Houston, Texas
77073;
ii. A portion of the Completion Tool
Technology Center located at 16610
Aldine Westfield, Houston, Texas 77073
consisting of the real property
associated with Buildings D and E; or
iii. A portion of the Completion Tool
Technology Center located at 16610
Aldine Westfield, Houston, Texas 77073
consisting of the real property
associated with Building E.
b. At the option of the Acquirer, BJ’s
ownership and leasehold interest in the
Southpark facility located at 203
Commission Blvd., Lafayette, Louisiana
70508.
c. At the option of the Acquirer, all
Tangible Assets owned, leased or
licensed by BJ that are used in
connection with the design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, or distribution of Sand
Control Tools for wells located in the
Gulf, except that Defendants have the
right to retain one-half of the inventory
of each of BJ’s MST-related service tools
and parts, and one-half of the inventory
of BJ’s MST-related consummables,
located in the Gulf as of March 1, 2010.
2. BJ Intangible Assets:
a. All Intangible Assets owned, leased
or licensed by BJ that are used in
connection with the design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, or distribution of Sand
Control Tools for wells located in the
Gulf.
b. Exclusions:
i. Excluded from this Schedule B are
the Latest Generation MST Intangible
Assets, provided that Defendants shall
provide to Acquirer a non-exclusive
right to the Latest Generation MST
Intangible Assets for the design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, and distribution of
Sand Control Tools, including,
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Jkt 220001
(1) A worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, perpetual, transferable
license to all patents, trademarks, trade
secrets, and other Intangible Assets in
which Defendants assert intellectual
property rights; such license shall grant
the Acquirer the right (a) to make, have
made, use, sell or offer for sale, copy,
create derivative works, modify,
improve, display, perform, and enhance
the licensed Intangible Assets; (b) to
own any Intangible Assets the Acquirer
generates pursuant to this license; and
(c) to have end-user customers of the
Acquirer enjoy the benefit of Sand
Control Tools provided by the Acquirer
pursuant to this license; and
(2) a right to obtain copies of,
assignment of, or other effective transfer
of all other Intangible Assets (e.g. data,
drawings, and other materials in BJ’s
drawing vault and engineering design
request files).
Schedule C
Stimulation Fluids
Baker Hughes Asset
1. Baker Hughes Tangible Assets:
a. All Tangible Assets owned, leased
or licensed by Baker Hughes that are
used in connection with the design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, or distribution of
Stimulation Fluids for wells located in
the Gulf.
2. Baker Hughes Intangible Assets:
a. All Intangible Assets owned, leased
or licensed by Baker Hughes that are
primarily used in connection with or
necessary for Baker Hughes’ design,
development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing,
sale, installation, or distribution of
Stimulation Fluids for wells located in
the Gulf, but not including the Diamond
Fraq Intangible Assets.
b. With respect to Intangible Assets
that are not included in paragraph 2(a)
but that are used in connection with the
design, development, testing,
production, quality control, marketing,
servicing, sale, installation, or
distribution of Stimulation Fluids for
wells located in the Gulf (including but
not limited to the Diamond Fraq
Intangible Assets), Defendants shall
provide to Acquirer a non-exclusive
right to such Intangible Assets for the
design, development, testing,
production, quality control, marketing,
servicing, sale, installation, and
distribution of Stimulation Fluids,
including,
i. A worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, perpetual, transferable
license to all patents, trademarks, trade
secrets, and other Intangible Assets in
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which Defendants assert intellectual
property rights; such license shall grant
the Acquirer the right (a) to make, have
made, use, sell or offer for sale, copy,
create derivative works, modify,
improve, display, perform, and enhance
the licensed Intangible Assets; (b) to
own any Intangible Assets the Acquirer
generates pursuant to this license; and
(c) to have end-user customers of the
Acquirer enjoy the benefit of
Stimulation Fluids provided by the
Acquirer pursuant to this license, and;
ii. A right to obtain copies of,
assignment of, or other effective transfer
of all other Intangible Assets (e.g., lab
reports, lab notebooks, project books,
mixing manuals, and technical papers).
BJ Services Assets
1. BJ Tangible Assets:
a. At the option of the Acquirer,
Defendant BJ’s ownership and leasehold
interest in any trucks and tanks used by
BJ to transport Stimulation Fluids for
sale, distribution or installation for
wells located in the Gulf.
2. BJ Intangible Assets:
a. With respect to the BrineStar
Intangible Assets, Defendants shall
convey to Acquirer a non-exclusive
right to the BrineStar Intangible Assets
for the design, development, testing,
production, quality control, marketing,
servicing, sale, installation, and
distribution of Stimulation Fluids,
including,
i. A worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, perpetual, transferable
license to all patents, trademarks, trade
secrets, and other Intangible Assets in
which Defendants assert intellectual
property rights; such license shall grant
the Acquirer the right (a) to make, have
made, use, sell or offer for sale, copy,
create derivative works, modify,
improve, display, perform, and enhance
the licensed Intangible Assets; (b) to
own any Intangible Assets the Acquirer
generates pursuant to this license; and
(c) to have end-user customers of the
Acquirer enjoy the benefit of
Stimulation Fluids provided by the
Acquirer pursuant to this license, and;
ii. A right to obtain copies of,
assignment of, or other effective transfer
of all other Intangible Assets (e.g. data,
files, and other materials in BJ’s drawing
vault and engineering design request
files).
Schedule D
Relevant Employees
1. Relevant Employees means:
a. All BJ employees whose job
responsibilities as of March 1, 2010
included the design, development,
testing, production, quality control,
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marketing, servicing, sale, and/or
provision of Stimulation Services for
wells in the Gulf; but not including the
vessel-based crews of stimulation
vessels other than the Blue Ray;
b. All Baker Hughes employees whose
job responsibilities as of March 1, 2010
included the provision of Stimulation
Services using the HR Hughes and/or
skid-based equipment for wells located
in the Gulf; including all vessel-based
and skid-based crews and related landbased support personnel;
c. All BJ employees whose job
responsibilities as of March 1, 2010
included the design, development,
testing, production, quality control,
marketing, servicing, sale, installation,
and/or distribution of Sand Control
Tools for wells located in the Gulf; and
d. All Baker Hughes employees whose
job responsibilities as of March 1, 2010
included the design, development,
testing, production, quality control,
marketing, servicing, sale, installation,
and/or distribution of Stimulation
Fluids for wells located in the Gulf.
2. Relevant Employees otherwise
described in this Schedule D shall not
include:
a. All Baker Hughes employees who,
as of March 1, 2010, had a title of Vice
President or higher;
b. A maximum of four BJ employees,
to be selected by Defendants and
identified to the United States and to
the Acquirer, whose responsibilities are
primarily related to the research and
development of the Latest Generation
MST Intangible Assets;
c. A maximum of one Baker Hughes
employee, to be selected by Defendants
and identified to the United States and
to the Acquirer, whose responsibilities
are primarily related to the research and
development of Baker Hughes’ Diamond
Fraq Intangible Assets; and the
individual who on March 1, 2010 held
the position at BJ of Gulf Coast Region
Sales Manager.
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United States District Court for the
District of Columbia
United States of America, Plaintiff, v.
Baker Hughes Incorporated and BJ Services
Company, Defendants.
Civil Action No.:
Case: 1:10–cv–00659
Assigned to: Kessler, Gladys
Assign. Date: 04/27/2010
Description: Antitrust
Competitive Impact Statement
Plaintiff United States of America
(‘‘United States’’), pursuant to Section
2(b) of the Antitrust Procedures and
Penalties Act (‘‘APPA’’ or ‘‘Tunney Act’’),
15 U.S.C. 16(b)–(h), files this
Competitive Impact Statement relating
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to the proposed Final Judgment
submitted for entry in this civil antitrust
proceeding.
I. Nature and Purpose of the Proceeding
Defendants Baker Hughes
Incorporated (‘‘Baker Hughes’’) and BJ
Services Company (‘‘BJ Services’’ or ‘‘BJ’’)
entered into a merger agreement
pursuant to which Baker Hughes would
acquire 100% of BJ’s stock for Baker
Hughes stock then valued at
approximately $5.5 billion. The United
States today filed a civil antitrust
Complaint seeking to enjoin the
proposed transaction because its likely
effect would be to lessen competition
substantially for vessel stimulation
services in the United States Gulf of
Mexico (‘‘Gulf’’) in violation of Section
7 of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15
U.S.C. 18. This loss of competition
would likely result in higher prices and
reduced service quality in the Gulf
vessel stimulation services market.
At the same time the Complaint was
filed, the United States also filed a Hold
Separate Stipulation and Order (‘‘Hold
Separate’’) and a proposed Final
Judgment, which are designed to
eliminate the anticompetitive effects of
the proposed merger. Under the
proposed Final Judgment, the terms of
which are explained more fully below,
Defendants are required to create a new
competitor for vessel stimulation
services by divesting their interests in
two specially-equipped stimulation
vessels, Baker Hughes’ HR Hughes and
BJ’s Blue Ray, and other assets used to
support their offshore stimulation
services operations, including Baker
Hughes’ dock facilities at Port
Fourchon, Louisiana, Baker Hughes’
Gulf stimulation fluids assets, and BJ’s
sand control tools assets. Also included
in the divestiture package is an
expansive right to hire key personnel
from both companies.
The United States and Defendants
have stipulated that the proposed Final
Judgment may be entered after
compliance with the APPA. Entry of the
proposed Final Judgment would
terminate this action, except that the
Court would retain jurisdiction to
construe, modify, or enforce the
provisions of the Final Judgment and to
punish violations thereof.
II. Description of the Events Giving Rise
to the Alleged Violation
A. The Defendants and the Industry
Baker Hughes is a major supplier of
products and services for drilling,
formation evaluation, completion, and
production to the worldwide oil and
natural gas industry. In 2009, Baker
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Hughes reported total revenues of
approximately $9.7 billion. BJ Services
is also a leading worldwide provider of
products and services to the oil and gas
industry. BJ Services reported revenues
of $4.1 billion for the 2009 fiscal year.
Oil and gas companies lease offshore
exploration rights from the state or
federal government. After drilling a well
to evaluate the formation, the company
decides if it will be profitable to
produce oil from that well. If so, the
well will be ‘‘completed,’’ or prepared
for production. The completion process
is designed to enable and control the
flow of oil and gas from the formation
through the wellbore and to the surface.
Due to the soft rock formations in the
Gulf, virtually all wells require
stimulation services as part of the
completion process. These services
generally encompass sand control,
which is designed to prevent formation
sand from clogging the well and
enhance oil and gas production. Most
stimulation services on the shelf (less
than 1000 feet water depth) and
virtually all stimulation services in
deepwater are performed by speciallyequipped stimulation vessels.1
Stimulation vessels are typically well
over 200 feet in length and are equipped
with high pressure pumps, blenders,
storage tanks and other equipment
necessary to provide these services. To
operate in the Gulf, a stimulation vessel
must comply with a federal law known
as the ‘‘Jones Act,’’ which requires
vessels to be U.S. flagged, U.S. built,
and U.S. crewed.
Baker Hughes and BJ Services are two
of only four firms in the Gulf that
supply stimulation services with vessels
to offshore oil and gas wells. The other
two firms are Schlumberger and
Halliburton. These four companies are
the only significant vessel stimulation
service providers in the world, and
operate the only Jones Act compliant
stimulation vessels. Each of these
companies provides stimulation
services in the Gulf with two
stimulation vessels. Baker Hughes
supplies stimulation services in the Gulf
with the HR Hughes and the RC Baker,
and BJ utilizes the Blue Dolphin and the
Blue Ray.
Drilling and completing a well is
extremely costly, particularly in
deepwater, and the demand for
stimulation vessel services is inelastic
1 While some offshore stimulation services are
performed by pumps that are mounted on skids
rather than vessels, skid-mounted pumps are not
feasible for most stimulation services in the Gulf.
Even when a job could technically be performed by
skid-mounted equipment, oil and gas companies
often use a vessel due to safety and logistical
concerns.
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and time-sensitive. The daily costs for
the drilling rig and other assets often
exceed $100,000 for wells on the shelf,
and may be $1 million or more for wells
in deepwater. These assets remain at the
drilling site while vessel stimulation
services are performed and throughout
the completion process. If a stimulation
vessel is not available at the precise
time its services are needed, the oil and
gas company will incur the very high
costs associated with the rig and other
supporting assets while it waits for a
vessel to arrive at the well site. To avoid
this, many oil and gas customers in the
Gulf require a vessel stimulation service
provider to maintain two vessels in its
fleet for greater assurance that a vessel
will be available when needed.
Oil and gas companies in the Gulf
obtain pricing for vessel stimulation
services in two basic ways. They solicit
bids for specific wells or projects, and
they enter into annual or multi-year
contracts that generally establish a
discount off of list prices published by
the stimulation service provider. Some
oil and gas companies prefer to use one
approach or the other, but most employ
a combination of the two. Under the
project approach, the pricing for a
specific well or project may be
established months or days before the
stimulation service is provided. Under
the contract approach, the discounts are
generally established long before the
stimulation service is rendered and are
not tied to a particular well or project.2
Generally, both approaches involve a
bidding process in which the technical
capabilities, reputation, and prices of
multiple vessel stimulation service
providers are evaluated, and preferred
providers are chosen.
Demand for vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf rises and falls with
overall drilling levels and seasonal
variation. During periods of sustained
high demand, stimulation vessels are
busier, and operators are forced to pay
higher prices to ensure vessel
availability, utilize less preferred
suppliers, or even incur expensive rigcosts while waiting for a vessel.3
2 Generally, these contracts do not guarantee
vessel stimulation service providers a certain
amount of stimulation services business, nor do
they guarantee oil and gas customers the
availability of a vessel for particular jobs or projects.
They merely establish discounts that customers
may invoke when they call on the supplier to
provide services.
3 During even generally ‘‘slow’’ seasons, vessels
may be occupied with other jobs at the precise
times a customer requires their services. Having
available capacity ‘‘most of the month’’ is of little
value to a customer whose operations require a
vessel’s services on a specific day.
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B. The Market for Vessel Stimulation
Services in the Gulf of Mexico
The United States has alleged in the
Complaint that the provision of vessel
stimulation services for wells located in
the Gulf is a line of commerce and a
relevant market within the meaning of
Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
Oil and gas companies have no
economical alternatives to sand control
or stimulation services and need these
services for the great majority of
offshore wells in the Gulf. While some
offshore stimulation services may be
performed by pumps that are mounted
on skids rather than vessels, skidmounted pumping equipment is not
feasible for most stimulation services in
the Gulf, including frac packs—the most
commonly used stimulation service in
the Gulf—which require high
horsepower and significant fluid and
proppant storage. Oil and gas companies
procuring these vessel stimulation
services for wells located in the Gulf
require a provider to have stimulation
service vessels capable of providing the
service in the region as well as the
facilities, engineers, sales and other staff
necessary to support the vessels. The
relevant geographic region is the Gulf.
This region is defined based on the
locations of customers.
A small but significant, non-transitory
increase in the price of vessel
stimulation services for wells located in
the Gulf would not cause customers to
turn to skid-mounted pumps or to any
other type of service, or to vessel
simulation services provided outside
the Gulf, or to otherwise reduce
purchases of vessel stimulation services,
in volumes sufficient to make such a
price increase unprofitable.
C. The Anticompetitive Effects of the
Proposed Transaction
1. The Market Is Highly Concentrated
The market for vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf is highly
concentrated, with just four firms
competing to perform these services.
Based on 2008 revenues for vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf, BJ
accounted for nearly twenty percent of
all vessel stimulation service revenues
and Baker Hughes accounted for nearly
fifteen percent. The other two firms
providing vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf account for all other revenues.
Using an accepted economic measure of
market concentration called the
Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (‘‘HHI’’),
described in Appendix A to the
Complaint, the premerger HHI is 2801,
making the market highly concentrated.
By eliminating BJ as a competitor, the
transaction would significantly increase
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concentration levels, resulting in a postmerger HHI of 3390. These high
concentration levels create an economic
and legal presumption that the proposed
transaction is likely to significantly
reduce competition in the market for
vessel stimulation services.
2. Baker Hughes’ Acquisition of BJ Is
Likely To Result in Higher Prices for
Vessel Stimulation Services in the Gulf
a. The Reduction in Bidders Is Likely To
Result in Higher Prices
Absent entry of the proposed Final
Judgment, the transaction would
eliminate BJ as an independent
competitor and reduce, from four to
three, the number of bidders for vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf. The
loss of BJ as a bidder would likely lead
to increases in prices.
Today, Baker Hughes and BJ are close
competitors. BJ and Baker Hughes not
only ranked first and second the past
two years in terms of total expenditure
on vessel stimulation services in the
Gulf for numerous customers, the two
share many of the same characteristics
with one another. They charge similar
prices for similar types of jobs and
provide vessel stimulation services in
the same water depths and at many of
the same geological locations. This
suggests that their products, while
differentiated in some dimensions and
facing competition from other providers,
are relatively close substitutes for one
another.
Pre-merger, an attempt by Baker
Hughes to raise prices would cause
disaffected customers for whom BJ is
the next best alternative to shift
business to BJ. But post merger, Baker
Hughes could raise prices without
concern of losing customers that viewed
BJ as their next best choice. Given the
closeness between BJ’s and Baker
Hughes’ services, the diversion ratio
between the two (the diversion ratio
being the fraction of unit sales lost by
one of the firms in response to a price
increase that would be diverted to the
other) is likely significant. Where that is
the case, a merger likely provides the
merged firm with the incentive to raise
its prices as it recaptures sales it would
have lost had it raised price absent the
merger. And where, as is also the case
here, the value of diverted sales between
the merging firms is likely high (as
evidenced by the high price-variable
cost margins that both firms earn
currently), a significant price increase
will most likely be profitable for the
merged firm.
Moreover, as firms in the market face
intermittent or recurring capacity
constraints, Halliburton and
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Schlumberger could not likely expand
supply easily or rapidly to serve
customers in response to a post-merger
price increase from Baker Hughes. In
fact, Halliburton and Schlumberger
would likely bid less aggressively
because they would recognize that the
merger gives Baker Hughes the incentive
to raise prices.
The combination of Baker Hughes and
BJ is also likely to lead to higher prices
because, absent entry of the proposed
Final Judgment, the merged firm would
control four of the eight stimulation
vessels in the Gulf. The anticompetitive
effect of reducing the number of vessels
controlled by its rivals would be
particularly pronounced for projectspecific bids, which may be requested
by customers just days or weeks in
advance. Instead of factoring in the
availability of six rival vessels for these
stimulation services projects, as each of
the Defendants does currently when
pricing its services, the merged firm
would confront only four potentially
available vessels. Thus, not only would
the merger reduce the number of rival
bidders, it would substantially increase
the likelihood that the merged firm
would be the sole supplier with
available capacity on any given day.
This would allow it to exercise greater
pricing power.
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b. The Merger May Also Result in a
Reduction in Capacity Leading to
Higher Prices
The transaction may also result in a
reduction in the number of stimulation
vessels in the Gulf, which would also
lead to higher prices.4 Today, because
each company needs two vessels to
remain competitive, neither Baker
Hughes nor BJ Services has the
incentive to move any of its stimulation
vessels out of the Gulf. Absent entry of
the proposed Final Judgment, the
merged firm will have four vessels in
the Gulf, giving it the opportunity,
which Baker Hughes recognized, to
remove one or more vessels without
sacrificing the redundancy required by
customers. With fewer vessels in the
Gulf, utilization of the remaining vessels
will increase, as will the likelihood that
a vessel will be unavailable at any
particular time. Given the highly time4 From the perspective of the merged firm,
removing one or two vessels from the Gulf may
have two potential advantages over a reduction in
capacity that does not involve removing vessels.
First, removing one or two vessels might credibly
demonstrate to rival vessel stimulation providers
that the merged firm will not compete aggressively
in the Gulf in the near future. Second, the reduction
in stimulation service capacity to which the merged
firm would commit by such a movement (and the
associated likely price increase) would be relatively
large.
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sensitive nature of the stimulation
services business in the Gulf, the
importance of these services to oil and
gas production, and the fact that these
services represent a very small
percentage of the overall costs
associated with drilling and completing
a well, oil and gas customers in the Gulf
will likely pay higher prices to ensure
a vessel is available when needed.
Moreover, in periods of high demand,
reduced vessel availability would likely
mean that some oil and gas customers
would be forced to accept delays in
scheduling vessel stimulation services,
resulting in significant rig expenses and
opportunity costs.
3. The Anticompetitive Effects Are Not
Likely To Be Prevented by Entry or
Repositioning
Successful entry into the provision of
vessel stimulation services in the Gulf is
difficult, costly, and time consuming,
requiring vessels and an array of
supporting onshore assets relating to
engineering, research and development,
testing, performance, and marketing. A
strong technical team, including
experienced engineers and scientists, is
essential. Additionally, customers want
a supplier with a proven track record for
reliable and successful performance and
may require prospective bidders to
undergo a lengthy and expensive
qualification process. Many customers
also require stimulation service
providers to have two vessels as a
measure of redundancy.
A provider of vessel stimulation
services may have a difficult time
growing its business if it does not also
offer a line of sand control tools,
increasing the difficulty of entry and
competitive expansion. Producing sand
control tools requires special skills and
intellectual property. Sand control tools
are installed in the well prior to
performance of the stimulation services.
Many customers prefer obtaining sand
control tools from the same company
that provides the vessel stimulation
services. This reduces the number of
companies with which a customer must
deal, often results in a discount in the
price of the services and products, and
also eliminates the possibility of ‘‘fingerpointing’’ between the providers in the
event that there is a problem or delay
with the sand control tools or
stimulation services. All four providers
of vessel stimulation services in the Gulf
sell sand control tools. Entry by an
additional vessel stimulation service
provider would not be timely, likely,
and sufficient to prevent the substantial
lessening of competition caused by the
elimination of BJ Services as an
independent competitor.
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It is also unlikely that a small but
significant non-transitory increase in
prices on vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf would cause competitors to
reposition vessels from other geographic
regions. The four companies currently
servicing customers in the Gulf are the
only significant providers operating
anywhere in the world and the only
providers with vessels that comply with
the Jones Act. There are just three Jones
Act compliant stimulation service
vessels outside of the Gulf, and only one
of them has the sophisticated dynamic
positioning capability required by
customers for deepwater stimulation
projects in the Gulf. Moreover, all three
vessels are under contract to provide
stimulation services internationally, and
are therefore unable to service
customers in the Gulf in the near term.
It is therefore unlikely that repositioning
of vessels into the Gulf would offset the
likely harm from the transaction.
III. Explanation of the Proposed Final
Judgment
The divestiture required by Section IV
of the proposed Final Judgment will
eliminate the anticompetitive effects of
the merger in the market for vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf by
establishing a new, independent and
economically viable competitor. The
package of divestiture assets includes all
of the types of assets that Baker Hughes
and BJ Services currently use to
compete in this market, including: two
stimulation vessels; operations,
production and sales facilities; and
tangible and intangible assets relating to
the provision of stimulation services
and the production and sale of sand
control tools and stimulation fluids in
the Gulf. In addition, because
experienced personnel are critical to
success in the vessel stimulation
services business—and will be even
more important to a new entrant seeking
to secure the trust and business of riskadverse customers—the divestiture
package provides the acquirer with an
expansive right to hire relevant
personnel without interference from the
merged firm.
The overriding goal of the proposed
Final Judgment is to provide the
acquirer of the divestiture assets with
everything needed to replace the
competition that would otherwise be
lost as a result of the transaction. Where
possible, the United States favors the
divestiture of an existing business entity
that has already demonstrated its ability
to compete in the relevant market. In
this case, however, neither Defendant’s
Gulf vessel stimulation services
business operates as a stand-alone
business. Moreover, the accompanying
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stimulation fluids and sand control
tools operations are likewise
intertwined with other businesses.5 To
ensure that the acquirer will have all
assets necessary to be an effective, longterm competitor, while minimizing
disruption to Defendants’ broader
operations, the proposed Final
Judgment requires divestiture of assets
from each of the merging parties’
operations. The proposed Final
Judgment also provides maximum
flexibility to the acquirer by providing
it with the option to buy some of the
assets, depending on whether it needs
such assets given its existing operations.
The ‘‘Divestiture Assets’’ are fully
described in schedules to the proposed
Final Judgment and fall into three major
categories: Stimulation Services, Sand
Control Tools, and Stimulation Fluids.
The assets in these categories are
described generally below.
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A. Stimulation Services
The Divestiture Assets related to
Defendants’ provision of vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf include:
(1) Two stimulation vessels—Baker
Hughes’ HR Hughes and BJ’s Blue Ray—
and all equipment installed on the
vessels; (2) Baker Hughes’ dock and
mooring facilities at Port Fourchon,
Louisiana; (3) the option to acquire
Baker Hughes’ skids and non-vessel
pumping equipment used to perform
Gulf stimulation services; 6 (4) tangible
and intangible assets used in connection
with BJ’s stimulation services for wells
located in the Gulf; (5) the option to
acquire BJ’s vessel operations facility in
Crowley, Louisiana; and (6) the option
to acquire BJ’s sales offices in New
Orleans, Louisiana and Houston, Texas.
As explained above, all four
competitors in the Gulf vessel
stimulation services market compete
with two vessels because many
customers require redundancy. Thus,
the divestiture package includes two
vessels. These vessels have established
track records, and are capable of
performing stimulation services for
virtually all wells in the Gulf. Both
vessels are outfitted with sophisticated
dynamic positioning systems (i.e., DP–
5 For example, BJ’s research and development for
stimulation fluids for vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf is intertwined with its extensive onshore
fluids business.
6 While the Complaint alleges that stimulation
services performed with pumping equipment on
skids is not in the same product market with vessel
stimulation services, skid-based equipment is
included in the divestiture package to ensure that
the acquirer will be able to offer the full range of
offshore stimulation services, as all competitors do
now. The divestiture package is designed to not
only preserve the competition that would be lost
from the merger, but also to ensure the viability of
the acquirer.
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2 capability), which allow the vessel to
hold its position using the vessel’s own
thrusters as opposed to an anchor or
chains. This capability is a critical
requirement for deepwater stimulation
jobs in the Gulf, and many oil and gas
customers require stimulation service
providers to maintain two deepwatercapable vessels in the Gulf in order to
be considered for such projects. Having
two deepwater-capable vessels will
position the acquirer to compete for
these projects.
The divestiture package also requires
divestiture of tangible and intangible
assets associated with the vessels and
with BJ’s provision of stimulation
services for wells located in the Gulf.
These assets will provide the acquirer
with the physical tools (e.g., equipment,
inventory and business records), and the
bank of knowledge and rights (e.g., job
history databases, design know-how and
contractual rights) needed to create an
independent stimulation services
business equivalent to one of
Defendants’ current operations.
B. Sand Control Tools
The Divestiture Assets related to
Defendants’ production and sale of sand
control tools include: (1) Intangible
assets used in connection with BJ’s sand
control tools for wells located in the
Gulf; (2) the option to acquire tangible
assets used in connection with BJ’s sand
control tools for wells located in the
Gulf; (3) the option to acquire BJ’s
Southpark facility located in Lafayette,
Louisiana, where BJ conducts assembly,
sales, and support for its sand control
tools; and (4) the option to acquire all
or part of BJ’s Completion Tool
Technology Center in Houston Texas,
where BJ’s sand control tools are
researched, tested, and manufactured.7
Baker Hughes and BJ produce and sell
a full line of sand control tools, which
are used in conjunction with the
provision of stimulation services. Many
oil and gas companies prefer to
purchase these tools from the same
company that provides the vessel
stimulation service. To ensure that the
acquirer can compete effectively in the
vessel stimulation services market (and
to avoid the competitive disadvantage
that likely would result if the acquirer
could not provide these complementary
products), the divestiture requires
Defendants to divest intangible assets
7 BJ’s Completion Tool Technology Center is
located on 22 acres of land in Houston, Texas.
There are five buildings on the property, as well as
associated parking lots that are reached by three
entrances. Pursuant to Schedule B of the proposed
Final Judgment, the acquirer will have the option
of acquiring the entire facility, or a portion of the
property consisting of one or two buildings.
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24987
associated with BJ’s sand control tool
business, including patents, designs and
other know-how.8 The acquirer will also
have the option to acquire the tangible
assets associated with certain of BJ’s
facilities, as well as BJ’s tangible assets
associated with the production and sale
of sand control tools, including
production and testing equipment and
inventory.
C. Stimulation Fluids
The Divestiture Assets related to
Defendants’ production and sale of
stimulation fluids in the Gulf include:
(1) Tangible and intangible assets
primarily used in connection with or
necessary for Baker Hughes’ stimulation
fluids for wells located in the Gulf; and
(2) the option to acquire BJ’s trucks and
tanks used to transport stimulation
fluids in the Gulf.
In performing vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf, the Defendants use
a variety of acids, proppants, gels and
other fluids and additives which are
pumped downhole under pressure to
stimulate the production of oil and gas.
Although many of these fluids and
additives are manufactured by thirdparties, each vessel stimulation service
provider in the Gulf has its own unique
set of ‘‘recipes’’ and know-how relating
to the blending and use of these fluids.
These recipes and know-how represent
an important qualitative aspect of the
stimulation services provided by the
Defendants. To ensure that the acquirer
will be equipped with the necessary
recipes and know-how, the divestiture
package includes intangible assets used
in connection with relating to Baker
Hughes’ stimulation fluids business.9
8 The proposed Final Judgment requires total
divestiture of intangible assets used in connection
with the design, development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing, sale,
installation, or distribution of BJ’s sand control
tools for wells located in the Gulf. Defendants,
however, will retain BJ’s patents and other
intangible assets associated with BJ’s Multi-Zone
Single Trip tool—which was developed by BJ in
conjunction with a customer, and for which Baker
Hughes has no comparable tool. Defendants will
provide a worldwide royalty-free non-exclusive
license to the acquirer for these patents and other
intangible assets.
9 The proposed Final Judgment requires (1) a total
divestiture (with one exception discussed below) of
intangible assets that are primarily used in
connection with or necessary to the design,
development, testing, production, quality control,
marketing, servicing, sale, installation, or
distribution of Baker Hughes’ stimulation fluids for
wells located in the Gulf; and (2) a royalty-free,
worldwide license to all other intangible assets
used in connection with Baker Hughes’ stimulation
fluids for wells located in the Gulf. The exception
relates to Baker Hughes’ specialized heavyweight
frac fluid—Diamond Fraq. Defendants will retain
Baker Hughes’ patents and associated intangible
assets primarily used in connection with Diamond
Fraq, and will provide the acquirer with a license
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Defendants will also divest tangible
assets used in connection with Baker
Hughes’ stimulation fluids for wells
located in the Gulf, as well as BJ’s trucks
and tanks used to transport stimulation
fluids in the Gulf.
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IV. Implementation of the Final
Judgment
The Divestiture Assets must be
divested in such a way as to satisfy the
United States in its sole discretion that
these assets can and will be operated by
the acquirer as a viable, ongoing
business that can compete effectively in
the design, development, production,
marketing, servicing, distribution or sale
of vessel stimulation services, sand
control tools and stimulation fluids in
the Gulf. Defendants must take all
reasonable steps necessary to
accomplish the divestitures quickly and
shall cooperate with prospective
purchasers.
The proposed Final Judgment requires
Defendants to accomplish the
divestiture within sixty (60) days after
the filing of the Complaint, or five (5)
days after notice of the entry of the Final
Judgment of the Court, whichever is
later. The United States, in its sole
discretion, may agree to one or more
extensions of this time period not to
exceed sixty (60) calendar days in total,
and shall notify the Court in such
circumstances.
In the event that Defendants do not
accomplish the divestiture within the
periods prescribed in the proposed
Final Judgment, the proposed Final
Judgment provides that the Court will
appoint a trustee selected by the United
States to effect the divestiture. If a
trustee is appointed, the proposed Final
Judgment provides that Baker Hughes
will pay all costs and expenses of the
trustee. The trustee’s commission will
be structured so as to provide an
incentive for the trustee based on the
price and terms obtained and the speed
with which the divestiture is
accomplished. After the trustee’s
appointment becomes effective, the
trustee will provide monthly reports to
the United States setting forth his or her
efforts to accomplish the divestiture. At
the end of six (6) months, if the
divestiture has not been accomplished,
the trustee and the United States will
make recommendations to the Court,
which shall enter such orders as
appropriate, in order to carry out the
purpose of the trust, including
to those patents and assets, as well as to BJ’s
BrineStar/BrineStar II heavyweight frac fluids,
which use a different technology than Diamond
Fraq.
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extending the trust or the term of the
trustee’s appointment.
The divestiture provisions of the
proposed Final Judgment will eliminate
the anticompetitive effects of the merger
by enabling the acquirer to compete
with the merged firm, and with
Halliburton and Schlumberger, in the
provision of vessel stimulation services
in the Gulf, including the provision of
fluids and sand control tools.
The proposed Final Judgment
imposes certain obligations on the
acquirer given the mobility of certain of
the assets and the likelihood that a
transaction involving their sale would
be below Hart-Scott-Rodino reporting
thresholds. Section XI requires the
acquirer to keep the vessels in the Gulf
for two years, unless it obtains consent
otherwise from the Antitrust Division.
This provision ensures that the acquirer
gains experience in the Gulf to compete
effectively there. Section XI also
imposes a five-year requirement for the
acquirer to provide the Antitrust
Division notice prior to the sale or
transfer of any of the divestiture assets
to Halliburton or Schlumberger, should
such a transaction not otherwise meet
HSR thresholds. Given the limited
number of competitors in the market
today, the Antitrust Division would
likely object to either Halliburton or
Schlumberger as the proposed acquirer
of the divestiture assets as such a
divestiture would not likely remedy the
competitive harm alleged in the
Complaint. (See proposed Final
Judgment, Sections IV J. & VII.) The
notice provision will allow the Antitrust
Division to determine whether a future
sale of the divestiture assets by the
acquirer to Halliburton or Schlumberger
would frustrate the proposed Final
Judgment’s goal of preserving
competition in the Gulf.
V. Remedies Available to Potential
Private Litigants
Section 4 of the Clayton Act, 15
U.S.C. 15, provides that any person who
has been injured as a result of conduct
prohibited by the antitrust laws may
bring suit in federal court to recover
three times the damages the person has
suffered, as well as costs and reasonable
attorneys’ fees. Entry of the proposed
Final Judgment will neither impair nor
assist the bringing of any private
antitrust damage action. Under the
provisions of Section 5(a) of the Clayton
Act, 15 U.S.C. 16(a), the proposed Final
Judgment has no prima facie effect in
any subsequent private lawsuit that may
be brought against Defendants.
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VI. Procedures Available for
Modification of the Proposed Final
Judgment
The United States and Defendants
have stipulated that the proposed Final
Judgment may be entered by the Court
after compliance with the provisions of
the APPA, provided that the United
States has not withdrawn its consent.
The APPA conditions entry upon the
Court’s determination that the proposed
Final Judgment is in the public interest.
The APPA provides a period of at
least sixty (60) days preceding the
effective date of the proposed Final
Judgment within which any person may
submit to the United States written
comments regarding the proposed Final
Judgment. Any person who wishes to
comment should do so within sixty (60)
days of the date of publication of this
Competitive Impact Statement in the
Federal Register, or the last date of
publication in a newspaper of the
summary of this Competitive Impact
Statement, whichever is later. All
comments received during this period
will be considered by the United States
Department of Justice, which remains
free to withdraw its consent to the
proposed Final Judgment at any time
prior to the Court’s entry of judgment.
The comments and the response of the
United States will be filed with the
Court and published in the Federal
Register.
Written comments should be
submitted to: Donna N. Kooperstein,
Chief, Transportation, Energy &
Agriculture Section, Antitrust Division,
450 5th Street, NW., Suite 8000,
Washington, DC 20530.
VII. Alternatives to the Proposed Final
Judgment
The United States considered, as an
alternative to the proposed Final
Judgment, a full trial on the merits
against Defendants. The United States
could have continued the litigation and
sought preliminary and permanent
injunctions preventing Baker Hughes,
Inc from acquiring BJ Services. The
United States is satisfied, however, that
the divestiture of the assets described in
the proposed Final Judgment will
preserve competition for the design,
development, and sale of vessel
stimulation services in the United States
Gulf of Mexico. Thus, the proposed
Final Judgment would achieve all or
substantially all of the relief the United
States would have obtained through
litigation, but avoids the time, expense,
and uncertainty of a full trial on the
merits of the Complaint.
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 87 / Thursday, May 6, 2010 / Notices
VIII. Standard of Review Under the
APPA for the Proposed Final Judgment
The Clayton Act, as amended by the
APPA, requires that proposed consent
judgments in antitrust cases brought by
the United States be subject to a sixtyday comment period, after which the
court shall determine whether entry of
the proposed Final Judgment ‘‘is in the
public interest.’’ 15 U.S.C. 16(e)(1). In
making that determination, the court, in
accordance with the statute as amended
in 2004, is required to consider:
(A) The competitive impact of such
judgment, including termination of alleged
violations, provisions for enforcement and
modification, duration of relief sought,
anticipated effects of alternative remedies
actually considered, whether its terms are
ambiguous, and any other competitive
considerations bearing upon the adequacy of
such judgment that the court deems
necessary to a determination of whether the
consent judgment is in the public interest;
and
(B) the impact of entry of such judgment
upon competition in the relevant market or
markets, upon the public generally and
individuals alleging specific injury from the
violations set forth in the complaint
including consideration of the public benefit,
if any, to be derived from a determination of
the issues at trial.
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
15 U.S.C. 16(e)(1)(A) & (B). In
considering these statutory factors, the
court’s inquiry is necessarily a limited
one as the government is entitled to
‘‘broad discretion to settle with the
defendant within the reaches of the
public interest.’’ United States v.
Microsoft Corp., 56 F.3d 1448, 1461 (DC
Cir. 1995); see generally United States v.
SBC Commc’ns, Inc., 489 F. Supp. 2d 1
(D.DC 2007) (assessing public interest
standard under the Tunney Act).10
As the United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit has
held, under the APPA a court considers,
among other things, the relationship
between the remedy secured and the
specific allegations set forth in the
government’s complaint, whether the
decree is sufficiently clear, whether
enforcement mechanisms are sufficient,
and whether the decree may positively
harm third parties. See Microsoft, 56
F.3d at 1458–62. With respect to the
adequacy of the relief secured by the
decree, a court may not ‘‘engage in an
unrestricted evaluation of what relief
would best serve the public.’’ United
10 The 2004 amendments substituted ‘‘shall’’ for
‘‘may’’ in directing relevant factors for court to
consider and amended the list of factors to focus on
competitive considerations and to address
potentially ambiguous judgment terms. Compare 15
U.S.C. 16(e) (2004), with 15 U.S.C. 16(e)(1) (2006);
see also SBC Commc’ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 11
(concluding that the 2004 amendments ‘‘effected
minimal changes’’ to Tunney Act review).
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States v. BNS, Inc., 858 F.2d 456, 462
(9th Cir. 1988) (citing United States v.
Bechtel Corp., 648 F.2d 660, 666 (9th
Cir. 1981)); see also Microsoft, 56 F.3d
at 1460–62; United States v. Alcoa, Inc.,
152 F. Supp. 2d 37, 40 (D.DC 2001).
Courts have held that:
[t]he balancing of competing social and
political interests affected by a proposed
antitrust consent decree must be left, in the
first instance, to the discretion of the
Attorney General. The court’s role in
protecting the public interest is one of
insuring that the government has not
breached its duty to the public in consenting
to the decree. The court is required to
determine not whether a particular decree is
the one that will best serve society, but
whether the settlement is ‘‘within the reaches
of the public interest.’’ More elaborate
requirements might undermine the
effectiveness of antitrust enforcement by
consent decree.
Bechtel, 648 F.2d at 666 (emphasis
added) (citations omitted).11 In
determining whether a proposed
settlement is in the public interest, a
district court ‘‘must accord deference to
the government’s predictions about the
efficacy of its remedies, and may not
require that the remedies perfectly
match the alleged violations.’’ SBC
Commc’ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 17; see
also Microsoft, 56 F.3d at 1461 (noting
the need for courts to be ‘‘deferential to
the government’s predictions as to the
effect of the proposed remedies’’);
United States v. Archer-DanielsMidland Co., 272 F. Supp. 2d 1, 6 (D.DC
2003) (noting that the court should grant
due respect to the United States’
prediction as to the effect of proposed
remedies, its perception of the market
structure, and its views of the nature of
the case).
Courts have greater flexibility in
approving proposed consent decrees
than in crafting their own decrees
following a finding of liability in a
litigated matter. ‘‘[A] proposed decree
must be approved even if it falls short
of the remedy the court would impose
on its own, as long as it falls within the
range of acceptability or is ‘within the
reaches of public interest.’ ’’ United
States v. Am. Tel. & Tel. Co., 552 F.
Supp. 131, 151 (D.DC 1982) (citations
omitted) (quoting United States v.
Gillette Co., 406 F. Supp. 713, 716 (D.
11 Cf. BNS, 858 F.2d at 464 (holding that the
court’s ‘‘ultimate authority under the [APPA] is
limited to approving or disapproving the consent
decree’’); United States v. Gillette Co., 406 F. Supp.
713, 716 (D. Mass. 1975) (noting that, in this way,
the court is constrained to ‘‘look at the overall
picture not hypercritically, nor with a microscope,
but with an artist’s reducing glass’’). See generally
Microsoft, 56 F.3d at 1461 (discussing whether ‘‘the
remedies [obtained in the decree are] so
inconsonant with the allegations charged as to fall
outside of the ‘reaches of the public interest’ ’’).
PO 00000
Frm 00125
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
24989
Mass. 1975)), aff’d sub nom. Maryland
v. United States, 460 U.S. 1001 (1983);
see also United States v. Alcan
Aluminum Ltd., 605 F. Supp. 619, 622
(W.D. Ky. 1985) (approving the consent
decree even though the court would
have imposed a greater remedy). To
meet this standard, the United States
‘‘need only provide a factual basis for
concluding that the settlements are
reasonably adequate remedies for the
alleged harms.’’ SBC Commc’ns, 489 F.
Supp. 2d at 17.
Moreover, the court’s role under the
APPA is limited to reviewing the
remedy in relationship to the violations
that the United States has alleged in its
Complaint, and does not authorize the
court to ‘‘construct [its] own
hypothetical case and then evaluate the
decree against that case.’’ Microsoft, 56
F.3d at 1459. Because the ‘‘court’s
authority to review the decree depends
entirely on the government’s exercising
its prosecutorial discretion by bringing
a case in the first place,’’ it follows that
‘‘the court is only authorized to review
the decree itself,’’ and not to ‘‘effectively
redraft the complaint’’ to inquire into
other matters that the United States did
not pursue. Id. at 1459–60. As this Court
recently confirmed in SBC
Communications, courts ‘‘cannot look
beyond the complaint in making the
public interest determination unless the
complaint is drafted so narrowly as to
make a mockery of judicial power.’’ SBC
Commc’ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 15.
In its 2004 amendments, Congress
made clear its intent to preserve the
practical benefits of utilizing consent
decrees in antitrust enforcement, adding
the unambiguous instruction that
‘‘[n]othing in this section shall be
construed to require the court to
conduct an evidentiary hearing or to
require the court to permit anyone to
intervene.’’ 15 U.S.C. 16(e)(2). The
language wrote into the statute what
Congress intended when it enacted the
Tunney Act in 1974, as Senator Tunney
explained: ‘‘[t]he court is nowhere
compelled to go to trial or to engage in
extended proceedings which might have
the effect of vitiating the benefits of
prompt and less costly settlement
through the consent decree process.’’
119 Cong. Rec. 24,598 (1973) (statement
of Senator Tunney). Rather, the
procedure for the public interest
determination is left to the discretion of
the court, with the recognition that the
court’s ‘‘scope of review remains sharply
proscribed by precedent and the nature
E:\FR\FM\06MYN1.SGM
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24990
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 87 / Thursday, May 6, 2010 / Notices
format, reporting burden (time and
financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly
IX. Determinative Documents
understood, and the impact of collection
There are no determinative materials
requirements on respondents can be
or documents within the meaning of the properly assessed. Currently, the
APPA that were considered by the
Employment and Training
United States in formulating the
Administration is soliciting comments
proposed Final Judgment.
on a new data collection for the
Dated: April 27, 2010
Evaluation of the Community-Based Job
Respectfully submitted,
Training Grants.
l/s/l
A copy of the proposed information
llllllllllllllllll
l collection request can be obtained by
Angela L. Hughes, (DC Bar #3034210),
contacting the office listed below in the
Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of
addressee section of this notice or by
Justice, Antitrust Division,
accessing: https://www.doleta.gov/
Transportation, Energy, and,
OMBCN/OMBControlNumber.cfm.
Agriculture, 450 5th Street, NW; Suite
DATES: Written comments must be
8000, Washington, DC 20530,
submitted to the office listed in the
Telephone: 202/307–6410, Facsimile:
addressee’s section below on or before
202/307–2784, E-mail:
July 6, 2010.
angela.hughes@usdoj.gov
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments
[FR Doc. 2010–10474 Filed 5–5–10; 8:45 am]
to the Employment and Training
BILLING CODE P
Administration, Room N–5641, 200
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20210, Attention: Garrett Groves,
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Telephone number: 202–693–3684 (this
is not a toll-free number), Fax number:
Employment and Training
202–693–2766. E-mail:
Administration
Groves.Garrett@DOL.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Information Collection for
the Evaluation of the CommunityI. Background
Based Job Training Grants; Comment
The Community-Based Job Training
Request
Grants (CBJTG) program is sponsored by
AGENCY: Employment and Training
ETA as an investment in building the
Administration.
capacity of community colleges to train
ACTION: Notice.
workers in the skills required to succeed
in high-growth, high-demand industries.
SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as
CBJTG provides grants for the
part of its continuing effort to reduce
development and implementation of
paperwork and respondent burden
industry-specific job training programs
conducts a pre-clearance consultation
at community colleges to meet the
program to provide the general public
workforce needs of industry, including
and federal agencies with an
health care, energy, and advanced
opportunity to comment on proposed
manufacturing, among others. Over 200
and/or continuing collections of
grants were issued from 2005 through
information in accordance with the
2008 in three rounds of grant
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
competition, with a fourth round of
(PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This
grants awarded in early 2009. Grant
program helps to ensure that requested
recipients are primarily community and
data can be provided in the desired
technical colleges, although in the later
rounds of grants, some community
12 See United States v. Enova Corp., 107 F. Supp.
college districts, State community
2d 10, 17 (D.DC 2000) (noting that the ‘‘Tunney Act
college systems and organizations and
expressly allows the court to make its public
interest determination on the basis of the
agencies within the public workforce
competitive impact statement and response to
investment system were awarded grants.
comments alone’’); United States v. Mid-Am.
ETA has contracted with the Urban
Dairymen, Inc., 1977–1 Trade Cas. (CCH) ¶ 61,508,
Institute, a non-profit, non-partisan,
at 71,980 (W.D. Mo. 1977) (‘‘Absent a showing of
corrupt failure of the government to discharge its
research organization based in
duty, the Court, in making its public interest
Washington, DC, to conduct an
finding, should * * * carefully consider the
evaluation of the CBJTG program. The
explanations of the government in the competitive
evaluation will mainly be based on data
impact statement and its responses to comments in
order to determine whether those explanations are
collected through a survey of grant
reasonable under the circumstances.’’); S. Rep. No.
recipients as well as a review of grant
93–298, 93d Cong., 1st Sess., at 6 (1973) (‘‘Where
documents and exploratory site visits to
the public interest can be meaningfully evaluated
a small number of grant projects. The
simply on the basis of briefs and oral arguments,
that is the approach that should be utilized.’’).
survey data collected through this effort
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
of Tunney Act proceedings.’’ SBC
Commc’ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 11.12
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16:53 May 05, 2010
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are the main data source for this study
and will provide a comprehensive
picture of the different grant-funded
projects and identify grant
implementation issues to date.
The survey will be administered to all
grantees receiving awards in the first
three rounds. To reduce respondent
burden, the survey will be administered
in a Web-based format that allows for
automatic skip patterns. Grantees will
also have the option to complete and
return a paper version. Survey data will
be complemented by data collected
through ETA’s existing quarterly
reporting system to avoid any
duplication and further reduce reporting
burden for respondents. The survey will
gather data on grantee organization type,
size, and structure, project design and
objectives, recruitment efforts and target
populations, training and other program
activities, capacity-building activities,
partners’ contributions and activities,
and plans for sustaining programming
and leveraging resources.
II. Review Focus
The Department of Labor is
particularly interested in comments
which:
* Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
* Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
* Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
* Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submissions
of responses.
III. Current Actions
Type of Review: New.
Agency: Employment and Training
Administration.
Title: Evaluation of the CommunityBased Job Training Grants.
OMB Number: 1205–0NEW.
Record Keeping: N/A.
Affected Public: Community-Based
Job Training Grantees.
Total Respondents: 190.
Frequency: Once.
Total Annual Responses: 190.
Average Time per Response: 40
minutes.
E:\FR\FM\06MYN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 87 (Thursday, May 6, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24973-24990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-10474]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Antitrust Division
United States v. Baker Hughes Inc., et al.
Notice is hereby given pursuant to the Antitrust Procedures and
Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. 16(b)-(h), that a proposed Final Judgment,
Hold Separate Stipulation and Order, and Competitive Impact Statement
have been filed with the United States District Court for the District
of Columbia in United States v.
[[Page 24974]]
Baker Hughes Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 1:10-cv-00659. On April 27,
2010, the United States filed a Complaint alleging that the proposed
acquisition by Baker Hughes, Inc. (``Baker Hughes'') of BJ Services
Company (``BJ'') would violate Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C.
18, by substantially lessening competition in the market for vessel
stimulation services in the United States Gulf of Mexico. The proposed
Final Judgment, filed the same time as the Complaint, requires the
Defendants to create a new competitor for vessel stimulation services
by divesting their interests in two specially equipped stimulation
vessels, Baker Hughes' HR Hughes and BJ's Blue Ray, as well as certain
other tangible and intangible assets.
Copies of the Complaint, proposed Final Judgment, and Competitive
Impact Statement are available for inspection at the Department of
Justice, Antitrust Division, Antitrust Documents Group, 450 Fifth
Street, NW., Suite 1010, Washington, DC 20530 (telephone 202-514-2481),
on the Department of Justice's Web site at https://www.usdoj.gov/atr,
and at the Office of the Clerk of the United States District Court for
the District of Columbia. Copies of these materials may be obtained
from the Antitrust Division upon request and payment of the copying fee
set by Department of Justice regulations.
Public comment is invited within 60 days of the date of this
notice. Such comments, and responses thereto, will be published in the
Federal Register and filed with the Court. Comments should be directed
to Donna Kooperstein, Chief, Transportation, Energy and Agriculture
Section, Antitrust Division, Department of Justice, Washington, DC
20530, (telephone: 202-307-6349).
Patricia A. Brink,
Deputy Director of Operations and Civil Enforcement.
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
United States of America, Antitrust Division, 450 5th Street
NW., Suite 8000, Washington, DC 20530, Plaintiff, v. Baker Hughes
Incorporated, 2929 Allen Parkway, Suite 2100, Houston, Texas 77019,
and BJ Services Company, 4601 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas
77041, Defendants.
Case: 1:10-cv-00659
Assigned to: Kessler, Gladys
Assign. Date: 04/27/2010
Description: Antitrust
Complaint
The United States of America (``United States''), acting under the
direction of the Attorney General of the United States, brings this
civil action against Baker Hughes Incorporated (``Baker Hughes'') and
BJ Services Company (``BJ Services'') to enjoin Baker Hughes' proposed
merger with BJ Services, and to obtain other equitable relief. The
United States complains and alleges as follows:
I. Nature of the Action
1. Baker Hughes' merger with BJ Services would combine two of only
four companies that compete with specially equipped vessels to provide
oil and gas companies with pumping services (``vessel stimulation
services'') necessary to enable and stimulate oil and gas production in
the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (``Gulf''). These vessel stimulation services
are used in the vast majority of offshore wells in the Gulf.
2. Baker Hughes and BJ Services compete head-to-head to provide
vessel stimulation services in the Gulf, each with two vessels. This
competition will be lost if this transaction is allowed to proceed. The
merged firm, and the two other firms providing vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf, will likely compete less aggressively, leading to
higher prices and a reduction in service quality.
3. Absent the merger, Baker Hughes and BJ Services each need two
vessels in the Gulf to compete effectively. With this transaction, the
merged firm gains the incentive and ability to remove one or more
stimulation vessels from the region in order to reduce the available
supply of vessels and raise the price of vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf. This will cause customers to pay more for vessel stimulation
services.
4. Accordingly, the proposed merger would substantially lessen
competition for vessel stimulation services in the Gulf and violates
Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 18.
II. The Parties and the Transaction
5. Baker Hughes is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Houston.
A major supplier of products and services for drilling, formation
evaluation, completion and production to the worldwide oil and natural
gas industry, Baker Hughes reported total revenues of approximately
$9.7 billion in 2009. Baker Hughes supports its two stimulation vessels
in the Gulf with facilities in Louisiana and Texas.
6. BJ Services is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Houston.
Also a leading worldwide provider of products and services to the
oilfield industry, BJ Services reported revenues of $4.1 billion for
fiscal year 2009. It supports its two stimulation vessels in the Gulf
with facilities in Louisiana and Texas.
7. Baker Hughes proposes to acquire 100% of BJ Services' stock in
exchange for newly issued shares of Baker Hughes stock and cash, valued
at approximately $5.5 billion at the time the merger agreement was
signed.
III. Jurisdiction and Venue
8. This action is filed by the United States under Section 15 of
the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 25, which invests the Court with
jurisdiction to prevent and restrain violations of Section 7 of the
Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 18.
9. Baker Hughes and BJ Services provide vessel stimulation services
in the flow of interstate commerce and their activities in the
development and sale of these services substantially affect interstate
commerce. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this action
pursuant to Section 15 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. 25, and 28 U.S.C.
1331, 1337(a), and 1345.
10. The defendants have consented to venue and personal
jurisdiction in this judicial district.
IV. Trade and Commerce
A. Background
1. Overview of Drilling and Completion Process
11. Offshore development of oil and natural gas resources in the
Gulf involves several stages. An oil and gas company leases the
exploration rights to a specific block from a state or the federal
government, determines that it is seismically and economically feasible
to drill for oil or gas in that block, and drills an exploratory well.
Wells in the Gulf may be located in inland waters (generally 50 feet or
less), on the shelf (50 to 1000 feet), in deepwater (1000 feet or
greater), and in ultradeepwater (greater than 3500 feet of water).
12. After drilling the exploratory well, if the oil and gas company
decides to extract the oil and natural gas, the well must be
``completed,'' or prepared for production. The completion process is
designed to enable and control the flow of oil and gas from the
formation through the wellbore and to the surface.
13. During the completion process the oil and gas company installs
cement casing that lines the wellbore and tubing through which the oil
and gas will flow. Completion tools, such as packers, are installed at
the bottom of the well to create a seal. Explosives punch holes through
the casing into the formation so that the oil and gas can flow from the
formation into the wellbore. Wells in the Gulf also generally require
sand
[[Page 24975]]
control and stimulation services, described in greater detail below,
which involve the installation of equipment and the pumping of fluids
and other proppants downhole under high pressure, as part of the
completion process.
14. Drilling and completing a well is extremely costly,
particularly in deepwater. It can take months or longer to drill and
complete an offshore well. The daily costs for the drilling rig and
other assets often exceed $100,000 for wells on the shelf and may be as
much as $1 million or more for wells in deepwater. A drilling rig and
other assets remain at the drilling site while stimulation services are
performed and throughout the completion process.
2. Sand Control and Stimulation Services
15. Due to the soft rock formations in the Gulf, nearly all wells
require some form of sand control to prevent the formation sand from
entering the wellbore and interfering with the flow of oil. Some wells
also require a stimulation service known as acidizing, in which acid is
pumped into the formation to repair damage on existing wells. Each
reservoir of oil and gas deposits may require a customized sand control
or stimulation service (referred to here interchangeably or
collectively as ``stimulation services'') because it may have distinct
rock formation, depth, temperature, pressure, and other
characteristics.
16. There are a number of types of sand control and stimulation
services. In a ``gravel pack,'' screens, packers and other equipment,
known as ``sand control tools,'' are installed downhole in the
production zone of the wellbore. A slurry of coarse sand mixed with
brine is then pumped downhole at a pressure that does not fracture the
formation. Because the diameter of the sand pumped downhole is larger
than the diameter of the sand in the formation, these larger ``pumped''
grains of sand and the sand control screen serve as a two stage filter
to block the formation sand from entering the wellbore. Another type of
sand control, called a ``high-rate water pack,'' is similar to a gravel
pack except that it uses a different type of fluid and the pumping
takes place at a pressure that will create minor fractures in
formation.
17. The most common form of sand control service performed offshore
in the Gulf is a ``frac pack.'' After installation of the sand control
tools, viscous fluids are pumped into the well under pressure high
enough to produce fractures in the formation thirty feet or more from
the wellbore. Various substances called proppants (such as sand,
bauxite or other materials) are then pumped into the cracks to prop
them open to facilitate the flow of oil or gas. Frac packs are highly
effective in stimulating oil and gas production as well as preventing
sand from migrating into the well. Performance of a frac pack is a
complex engineering job that requires large amounts of fluid and
proppants to be pumped under high pressure.
18. Stimulation vessels, on which pumps and other equipment are
installed, perform most stimulation services in the Gulf. Oil and gas
companies need the pumping portion of the job, performed by the
stimulation vessel, to be completed promptly after the installation of
the downhole sand control tools. Stimulation services represent a very
small percentage of the total cost of completing a well. However, no
other completion work can be performed if the vessel is late or
unavailable, and any ``down time'' at the well site is extremely costly
due to huge daily rig and other costs.
19. Stimulation vessels in the Gulf are designed for the specific
purpose of performing stimulation services. The vessels are typically
well over 200 feet in length and are equipped with high pressure pumps,
blenders, and storage tanks to hold large quantities of fluid and
proppant. Critical vessel specifications include its storage capacity
and the horsepower and barrels per minute at which it can pump. A
vessel is also equipped with a computer controlled system, called a
dynamic positioning or DP system, that maintains a ship's position by
using the vessel's own propellers and thrusters. These dynamic
positioning systems are installed so that the vessels do not need to
hold position by using anchors and chains or by being tied to the rig.
20. Stimulation service providers typically lease vessels under
multi-year contracts from shipbuilders that design, construct or modify
a vessel to meet the provider's specific criteria. Capital costs for
the vessel and equipment can exceed $30 million, and the contracts have
day rates that often exceed $20,000 per day.
21. To operate in the Gulf, a stimulation service vessel must
comply with a federal law known as the ``Jones Act.'' That Act requires
that a vessel be built in the United States, bear a United States flag,
and be staffed with a United States crew. Only a limited number of
stimulation service vessels worldwide, in addition to those presently
located in the Gulf, are Jones Act compliant, and these vessels are all
operated by the same four firms that provide vessel stimulation service
in the Gulf.
22. Stimulation service providers have their own experienced crews
to operate a vessel's pumping and stimulation equipment. Stimulation
service providers also rely extensively on technical support from
engineers and scientists, who customize the stimulation job for the
specific formation and conduct research to improve, develop and test
stimulation services, fluids, sand control tools and other equipment.
23. Each of the four firms currently providing vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf operates two stimulation vessels in that region.
The companies bid both for annual or multi-year contracts, in which
they often compete to be designated as a customer's primary supplier,
as well as for specific jobs. For greater assurance that a vessel will
be available when needed, customers completing wells in the deepwater
often require that a vessel stimulation provider have two vessels in
its fleet. Even when designated a customer's primary supplier, a
stimulation service provider may not have a vessel available at the
precise time that a customer needs the work. In that case, the customer
will not wait for that supplier's vessel to be available because the
downtime on the rig is so costly, but will call another provider of
vessel stimulation services in the Gulf.
B. Relevant Market
24. The provision of vessel stimulation services for wells located
in the Gulf is a line of commerce and a relevant market within the
meaning of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
25. Oil and gas companies have no economical alternatives to sand
control or stimulation services and need these services on the great
majority of offshore wells in the Gulf. While some offshore stimulation
services, such as acidizing, simple gravel pack or water pack
operations, may be provided by pumps that are mounted on skids rather
than vessels, these skid-mounted pumps cannot perform most stimulation
services in the Gulf. Skid-mounted pumps are not feasible for
stimulation services such as frac packs, which require high horsepower
and significant storage. Nearly all frac pack jobs in the Gulf must be
done with vessels. Logistical and safety concerns also cause some
customers to prefer vessels even when skid-mounted pumps are
technically capable of performing a particular job. The relevant
product is vessel stimulation services.
26. Oil and gas companies procuring vessel stimulation services for
wells located in the Gulf require a provider to have stimulation
service vessels capable
[[Page 24976]]
of providing the service in the region as well as facilities,
engineers, sales and other staff to support the operation. The relevant
geographic region is the Gulf. This region is defined based on the
locations of customers.
27. A small but significant, non-transitory increase in the price
of vessel stimulation services for wells located in the Gulf would not
cause oil and gas company customers to turn to skid-mounted pumps or to
any other type of service, or to vessel stimulation services provided
outside the Gulf, or to otherwise reduce purchases of vessel
stimulation services, in volumes sufficient to make such a price
increase unprofitable.
C. Market Participants
28. The four vessel stimulation service providers in the Gulf are
now the only significant vessel stimulation service providers operating
anywhere in the world and the only providers with vessels that comply
with the Jones Act. Thus, there are no other providers of vessel
stimulation service to which an oil and gas company in the Gulf could
turn if faced with a small but significant, non-transitory increase in
the price of vessel stimulation services in the Gulf.
V. Likely Anticompetitive Effects of the Transaction
29. Baker Hughes' merger with BJ Services would leave only three
firms to perform vessel stimulation services in the Gulf. Based on 2008
revenues for vessel stimulation services in the Gulf, BJ Services
accounted for approximately twenty percent of all vessel stimulation
service revenues and Baker Hughes accounted for approximately fifteen
percent. The other two firms providing vessel stimulation services in
the Gulf accounted for all other revenues. Using a measure of market
concentration called the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (``HHI'') (defined
and explained in Appendix A), the transaction will increase the HHI by
over 500 points, resulting in a post-merger HHI of approximately 3300
points.
30. This transaction will eliminate the head-to-head competition
between Baker Hughes and BJ Services to provide vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf. Baker Hughes and BJ Services have competed on
price, terms of sale and service quality, and have spurred each other's
efforts to develop and improve products, performance and technology.
Customers have benefitted from this competition.
31. Baker Hughes and BJ Services are relatively close substitutes
in the provision of vessel stimulation services. They charge similar
prices for similar types of jobs and provide vessel stimulation
services in the same water depths and at many of the same geological
locations. Baker Hughes and BJ Services have ranked first and second in
terms of numerous customers' total annual expenditures on vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf.
32. The merger would remove the constraint the parties impose on
each other's pricing. Post merger, Baker Hughes will likely find it
profitable to raise the price of vessel stimulation services. Customers
now differentiate among vessel stimulation service providers on the
basis of reputation, service quality, equipment, and other factors.
Those customers that viewed Baker Hughes and BJ Services as their first
and second choices for vessel stimulation services will lose their
next-best alternative for these services. The merged firm will have the
incentive and ability to raise its price, since it will now capture
some of the sales that would have been lost to BJ Services had Baker
Hughes raised price pre-merger. The value of these diverted sales is
likely to be high because both firms currently earn high price-variable
cost margins. Baker Hughes' incentive to raise price post-merger will
likely be recognized by the two other firms providing vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf, leading them to bid less
aggressively. As a result, customers will likely experience higher
prices for vessel stimulation services and a reduction in service
quality.
33. This transaction is also likely to reduce the number of
stimulation vessels in the Gulf, leading to higher prices for vessel
stimulation services. Absent the transaction, neither Baker Hughes nor
BJ Services would have the incentive to move any of its stimulation
vessels out of the Gulf because a firm needs two vessels in the region
to compete effectively. By consolidating the firms' four vessels under
one company's ownership, the transaction may present a profitable
opportunity to remove one or two vessels from the Gulf, an opportunity
Baker Hughes had recognized. With fewer vessels committed to provide
service in the Gulf, utilization of the remaining vessels will likely
increase, along with the likelihood that a vessel will be unavailable
at any particular time. As a consequence, given customers' need for
vessels to arrive at a precise time, firms providing vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf will likely be able to increase prices.
34. The proposed transaction, therefore, is likely to lessen
competition substantially in the provision of vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf.
VI. Entry
35. Successful entry into the provision of vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf is difficult, costly and time consuming. A
provider of vessel stimulation services must obtain or build
stimulation service vessels that are Jones Act compliant, and develop a
reputation and establish its reliability before an oil and gas company
will consider using its products or services. A problem with the vessel
stimulation service not only causes delay, which is extremely costly;
it can also damage the well, jeopardizing the customer's investment and
its access to the oil-producing formation. With so much at stake,
customers may require that the provider of vessel stimulation services
demonstrate a track record of several years or undergo lengthy and
expensive qualification inspections before being included in bids.
36. Most customers in the Gulf also require that a stimulation
service provider have two capable vessels to ensure that a vessel is
available to perform their work at the precise time required even if
one of the provider's vessels is out of service or busy on another job.
Building even one stimulation vessel for the Gulf takes a long time and
requires large capital expenditures.
37. A provider of vessel stimulation services in the Gulf must
support its operation with onshore facilities, such as technology
centers. A strong technical team, including experienced engineers and
scientists, is also essential.
38. A provider of vessel stimulation services may have a difficult
time growing its business if it does not also offer a line of sand
control tools. Many customers prefer obtaining sand control tools from
the same company that provides the vessel stimulation service. This
reduces the number of companies with which a customer must deal, often
results in a discount in the price of the services and products, and
also eliminates the possibility of ``finger-pointing'' between the
providers in the event that there is a problem or delay with the sand
control tools or stimulation services. All four providers of vessel
stimulation services in the Gulf sell sand control tools in addition to
stimulation services.
39. For these reasons, entry by an additional vessel stimulation
service provider would not be timely, likely, and sufficient to prevent
the substantial lessening of competition caused by the
[[Page 24977]]
elimination of BJ Services as an independent competitor.
VII. The Proposed Merger Violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act
40. Each and every allegation in paragraphs 1 through 39 of this
Complaint is here realleged with the same force and effect as though
said paragraphs were here set forth in full.
41. The proposed merger of BJ Services by Baker Hughes is likely to
lessen competition substantially in violation of Section 7 of the
Clayton Act in the provision of vessel stimulation services in the
Gulf.
42. Baker Hughes's merger of BJ Services likely will have the
following effects:
a. Actual and potential competition between Baker Hughes and BJ
Services in the provision of vessel stimulation services in the Gulf
will be eliminated;
b. Competition generally in the provision of vessel stimulation
services in the Gulf will be lessened substantially; and
c. Prices paid by customers for vessel stimulation services in the
Gulf will likely increase.
43. Unless restrained, the proposed merger will violate Section 7
of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 18.
VIII. Requested Relief
44. Plaintiff requests that this Court:
a. Adjudge and decree Baker Hughes' proposed merger with BJ
Services to be unlawful and in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton
Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 18;
b. Preliminarily and permanently enjoin and restrain Defendants and
all persons acting on their behalf from consummating the proposed
merger of BJ Services, or from entering into or carrying out any other
agreement, plan, or understanding by which Baker Hughes would acquire,
be acquired by, or merge with BJ Services;
c. Award the United States its costs for this action; and
d. Award the United States such other and further relief as the
Court deems just and proper.
Dated: April 27, 2010.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/--------------------------------------------------------------------
Christine A. Varney,
Assistant Attorney General, DC Bar # 411654.
/s/--------------------------------------------------------------------
Molly S. Boast,
Deputy Assistant Attorney General.
/s/--------------------------------------------------------------------
Donna N. Kooperstein,
Chief, Transportation, Energy & Agriculture Section.
/s/--------------------------------------------------------------------
William H. Stallings,
Assistant Chief, Transportation, Energy & Agriculture Section.
/s/--------------------------------------------------------------------
Patricia A. Brink,
Deputy Director, Office of Operations.
/s/--------------------------------------------------------------------
Angela L. Hughes,
DC Bar # 303420.
Susan L. Edelheit,
DC Bar # 250720,
Michelle Livingston,
DC Bar #461268,
Kathleen S. O'Neill,
John M. Snyder,
John W. Elias,
James A. Ryan,
Joseph Chandra Mazumdar,
Trial Attorneys U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division
Transportation, Energy & Agriculture Section, 450 Fifth Street, NW.,
Suite 8000, Washington, DC 20530, Telephone: (202) 307-6410, Fax No.
(202) 307-2784, angela.hughes@usdoj.gov.
Appendix A
Definition of HHI
The term ``HHI'' means the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, a commonly
accepted measure of market concentration. The HHI is calculated by
squaring the market share of each firm competing in the market and then
summing the resulting numbers. For example, for a market consisting of
four firms with shares of 30, 30, 20, and 20%, the HHI is 2,600 (30\2\
+ 30\2\ + 20\2\ + 20\2\ = 2,600). The HHI takes into account the
relative size distribution of the firms in a market. It approaches zero
when a market is occupied by a large number of firms of relatively
equal size and reaches its maximum of 10,000 points when a market is
controlled by a single firm. The HHI increases both as the number of
firms in the market decreases and as the disparity in size between
those firms increases.
Markets in which the HHI is between 1,000 and 1,800 points are
considered to be moderately concentrated, and markets in which the HHI
is in excess of 1,800 points are considered to be highly concentrated.
See Horizontal Merger Guidelines ] 1.51 (revised Apr. 8, 1997).
Transactions that increase the HHI by more than 100 points in highly
concentrated markets presumptively raise antitrust concerns under the
Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued by the Department of Justice and
the Federal Trade Commission. See id.
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
United States of America, Plaintiff, v. Baker Hughes
Incorporated and BJ Services Company, Defendants.
Civil Action No.:
Filed:
Judge:
Date Stamped:
Proposed Final Judgment
Whereas, Plaintiff United States of America (``United States'')
filed its Complaint on April 27, 2010, the United States and defendants
Baker Hughes Incorporated and BJ Services Company, by their respective
attorneys, have consented to the entry of this Final Judgment without
trial or adjudication of any issue of fact or law, and without this
Final Judgment constituting any evidence against or admission by any
party regarding any issue of fact or law;
And whereas, Defendants agree to be bound by the provisions of this
Final Judgment pending its approval by the Court;
And Whereas, the essence of this Final Judgment is the prompt and
certain divestiture of certain rights or assets by Defendants to assure
that competition is not substantially lessened;
And whereas, the United States requires Defendants to make certain
divestitures for the purpose of remedying the loss of competition
alleged in the Complaint;
And whereas, Defendants have represented to the United States that
the divestitures required below can and will be made and that
Defendants will later raise no claim of hardship or difficulty as
grounds for asking the Court to modify any of the divestiture
provisions contained below;
Now therefore, before any testimony is taken, without trial or
adjudication of any issue of fact or law, and upon consent of the
parties, it is ordered, adjudged, and decreed:
I. Jurisdiction
This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of and each of
the parties to this action. The Complaint states a claim upon which
relief may be granted against Defendants under Section 7 of the Clayton
Act, as amended (15 U.S.C. 18).
II. Definitions
As used in this Final Judgment:
A. ``Acquirer'' means the entity to whom Defendants divest the
Divestiture assets.
B. ``Baker Hughes'' means defendant Baker Hughes Incorporated, a
Delaware corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas, its successors
and assigns, and its subsidiaries, divisions, groups, affiliates,
partnerships and joint ventures, and their directors, officers,
managers, agents, and employees.
C. ``BJ'' or ``BJ Services'' means defendant BJ Services Company, a
Delaware corporation headquartered in
[[Page 24978]]
Houston, Texas, its successors and assigns, and its subsidiaries,
divisions, groups, affiliates, partnerships and joint ventures, and
their directors, officers, managers, agents, and employees.
D. ``Blue Ray'' means the marine stimulation vessel named the Blue
Ray currently leased and operated by BJ in the Gulf, and any equipment
installed on or used to operate the Blue Ray as of March 1, 2010.
E. ``BrineStar Intangible Assets'' means Patent Application Nos.
12/030,614 and 12/365,673 and associated Intangible Assets primarily
used in connection with the design, development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing, sale, installation, or
distribution of BJ's BrineStar and BrineStar II products.
F. ``Diamond Fraq Intangible Assets'' means Patent Nos. 7,052,901;
7,343,972; 7,595,284; 7,645,724; 7,655,603; 7,347,266; 7,615,517;
7,530,393; 7,550,413; 7,543,644; 7,544,643; 7,527,102; 7,527,103; and
associated Intangible Assets primarily used in connection with the
design, development, testing, production, quality control, marketing,
servicing, sale, installation, or distribution of Baker Hughes' Diamond
Fraq products.
G. ``Divestiture Assets'' means the real property and Tangible and
Intangible Assets listed in Schedules A through C. Divestiture Assets
shall not be interpreted to include (a) any equipment installed on
stimulation vessels other than the Blue Ray or HR Hughes; (b) BJ
Services' ownership or leasehold interest in skids or non-vessel based
pumping equipment; or (c) the Tangible or Intangible Assets primarily
used in connection with the design, development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing, sale, installation, or
distribution of Baker Hughes' Sand Control Tools or BJ Services'
Stimulation Fluids other than (i) those BJ Stimulation Fluids assets
specifically set forth in Schedule C and (ii) any information, data, or
documents relating to any Divestiture Assets.
H. ``Gulf'' means the United States Gulf of Mexico.
I. ``HR Hughes'' means the marine stimulation vessel named the HR
Hughes currently leased and operated by Baker Hughes in the Gulf, and
any equipment installed on or used to operate the HR Hughes as of March
1, 2010.
J. ``Intangible Asset'' means any asset other than a Tangible
Asset, including, but not limited to:
(1) Patents or patent applications, licenses and sublicenses,
copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, trade names, service marks, and
service names, but excluding the following trade names: BJ, Baker Oil
Tools, and Baker Hughes.
(2) Know-how, including recipes, formulas, machine settings,
drawings, blueprints, designs, design protocols, design tools,
simulation capability, specifications for materials, specifications for
parts and devices,
(3) Computer software (e.g. vessel communication and remote
monitoring software), databases (e.g. databases containing technical
job histories) and related documentation;
(4) Procedures and processes related to operations, quality
assurance and control, and health, safety and environment;
(5) Data concerning historic and current research and development,
including, but not limited to, designs of experiments, and the results
of successful and unsuccessful designs and experiments;
(6) All contractual rights; and
(7) All authorizations, permits, licenses, registrations, or other
forms of permission, consent, or authority issued, granted, or
otherwise made available by or under the authority of any governmental
authority.
K. ``Latest Generation MST Intangible Assets'' means Patent Nos.
7,490,669; 7,543,647; 6,397,949; 6,722,440; 7,124,824; 7,198,109;
7,201,232; 7,152,678; RE40648; 6,405,800; 7,021,389; 7,150,326;
7,497,265, and associated Intangible Assets primarily used in
connection with the design, development, testing, production, quality
control, marketing, servicing, sale, installation, or distribution of
BJ's Multi-Zone Single Trip Well Completion System.
L. ``Relevant Employees'' means the employees listed in Schedule D.
M. ``Sand Control Tools'' means those tools used or installed in
connection with the performance of Stimulation Services at or below the
zones in which hydrocarbons are located; including but not limited to,
the components of sump packer assemblies, frac pack assemblies, and
high rate water pack assemblies; screens; fluid loss valves; blank
pipe; isolation tubing; production seals; and service tools.
N. ``Stimulation Fluids'' means acids, proppants, gels, or other
fluids or additives used to provide Stimulation Services.
O. ``Stimulation Services'' means acidizing, gravel packs, frac
packs, high rate water packs, or hydraulic fracturing services
performed from vessels or skid-mounted pumping equipment.
P. ``Tangible Asset'' means any physical asset (excluding real
property or marine stimulation vessels not specifically identified as
part of the Divestiture Assets), including, but not limited to:
(1) All machinery, equipment, hardware, spare parts, tools, dies,
jigs, molds, patterns, gauges, fixtures (including production
fixtures), business machines, computer hardware, other information
technology assets, furniture, laboratories, supplies, materials,
vehicles, spare parts in respect of any of the foregoing and other
tangible personal property;
(2) Improvements, fixed assets, and fixtures pertaining to the real
property identified as part of the Divestiture Assets;
(3) All inventories, raw materials, work-in-process, finished
goods, supplies, stock, parts, packaging materials and other
accessories related thereto; and
(4) Business records including financial records, accounting and
credit records, tax records, governmental licenses and permits, bid
records, customer lists, customer contracts, supplier contracts,
service agreements; operations records including vessel logs,
calendars, and schedules; job records, research and development
records, health, environment and safety records, repair and performance
records, training records, and all manuals and technical information
Defendants provide to their own employees, customers, suppliers, agents
or licensees.
Q. ``Transaction'' means Baker Hughes' proposed merger with BJ
Services, which was the subject of Hart-Scott-Rodino Report No. 2009-
0748, filed with the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department
of Justice on September 14, 2009.
III. Applicability
A. This Final Judgment applies to Baker Hughes and BJ Services, as
defined above, and all other persons in active concert or participation
with any of them who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by
personal service or otherwise.
B. If, prior to complying with Section IV and VI of this Final
Judgment, Defendants sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially
all of their assets or of lesser business units that include the
Divestiture Assets, they shall require the acquirer to be bound by the
provisions of this Final Judgment. Defendants need not obtain such an
agreement from the Acquirer of the assets divested pursuant to this
Final Judgment.
C. Defendants shall require, as a condition of the sale of the
Divestiture Assets, that the Acquirer agree to be bound by Section XI
of this Final Judgment.
[[Page 24979]]
IV. Divestitures
A. Defendants are ordered and directed, within sixty (60) calendar
days after the filing of the Complaint in this matter, or five (5)
calendar days after notice of the entry of this Final Judgment by the
Court, whichever is later, to divest the Divestiture Assets in a manner
consistent with this Final Judgment to an Acquirer acceptable to the
United States, in its sole discretion. The United States, in its sole
discretion, may agree to one or more extensions of this time period not
to exceed sixty (60) calendar days in total, and shall notify the Court
in such circumstances. Defendants agree to divest the Divestiture
Assets as expeditiously as possible.
B. In accomplishing the divestitures ordered by this Final
Judgment, Defendants promptly shall make known widely the availability
of the Divestiture Assets. Defendants shall inform any person making
inquiry regarding a possible purchase of the Divestiture Assets that
they are being divested pursuant to this Final Judgment and provide
that person with a copy of this Final Judgment. Defendants shall offer
to furnish to all prospective Acquirers, subject to customary
confidentiality assurances, all information and documents relating to
the Divestiture Assets customarily provided in a due diligence process,
except such information or documents subject to the attorney-client
privilege or work-product doctrine. Defendants shall make available
such information to the United States at the same time that such
information is made available to any other person.
C. Defendants shall permit prospective Acquirers of the Divestiture
Assets to have reasonable access to personnel and to make inspections
of the physical facilities associated with the Divestiture Assets;
access to any and all environmental, zoning, and other permit documents
and information; and access to any and all financial, operational, or
other documents and information customarily provided as part of a due
diligence process.
D. Defendants shall warrant to the Acquirer that each asset will be
operational on the date of sale. Defendants shall maintain and enforce
all intellectual property rights licensed to the Acquirer pursuant to
the proposed Final Judgment.
E. Defendants shall not take any action that will impede in any way
the permitting, operation, use, or divestiture of the Divestiture
Assets.
F. Defendants shall warrant to the Acquirer that there are no
material defects in the environmental, zoning or other permits
pertaining to the operation of each asset, and that following the sale
of the Divestiture Assets, Defendants will not undertake, directly or
indirectly, any challenges to the environmental, zoning, or other
permits relating to the operation of the Divestiture Assets.
G. Defendants shall take all necessary steps to accomplish the
transfer of all interests the Defendants have in the HR Hughes, the
Blue Ray, and any other Divestiture Asset in which the Defendants have
an ownership or leasehold interest, including, but not limited to,
obtaining authorization from Edison Chouest Offshore and Hornbeck
Offshore Services LLC to assign Defendants' leasehold interests in the
HR Hughes and the Blue Ray, respectively. Defendants agree to take all
necessary steps, including paying all costs, to install the same
communication, stimulation and instrumentation control software on the
HR Hughes that is on the Blue Ray, or vice versa, at the preference of
the Acquirer. Defendants will provide to the Acquirer copies of all
manuals and training materials relating to the communication,
stimulation and instrumentation control software on the HR Hughes and
the Blue Ray and rights to training or service under any agreements
Defendants have with third parties.
H. Except for assets discussed in IV G. above, Defendants shall use
commercially reasonable efforts to obtain any necessary consent to
assign contractual rights that are included in the Divestiture Assets,
including, but not limited to, contractual rights to provide
Stimulation Services, Sand Control Tools, or Stimulation Fluids for
wells located in the Gulf, and contractual rights to purchase any
inputs or components to those Services, Tools, or Fluids.
I. Where the Acquirer has the option to acquire specific facilities
but chooses not to exercise that option:
(1) Defendants shall bear the expense of relocating to the location
of the Acquirer's choice Tangible Assets that are part of the
Divestiture Assets from any of those facilities.
(2) If the Acquirer chooses not to purchase the entire Completion
Tool Technology Center of BJ (see Schedule B), Defendants shall, at the
option of the Acquirer, make structural changes, at Defendants'
expense, to Building E at the Completion Tool Technology Center, or to
another location of the Acquirer's choosing, to enable the Acquirer to
conduct testing of sand control tools. The structural changes will
include the construction of up to two test cells that will be the
equivalent in size, capabilities, technology, and rating of the test
cells currently located at the Completion Tool Technology Center. Until
the test cells are completed, and upon two business days notice, the
purchaser will have the right to exclusive use, at no charge, of
Building A at the Completion Tool Technology Center (in which test
cells are currently located) for up to 14 days in any calendar month.
(3) If the Acquirer chooses not to purchase BJ's Southpark facility
in Lafayette, Louisiana, Defendants shall add to the Completion Tool
Technology Center, or to another location of the Acquirer's choosing, a
sand control laboratory equivalent to Defendant Baker Hughes' sand
control laboratory at its Lafayette Supercenter.
J. Unless the United States otherwise consents in writing, the
divestiture pursuant to Section IV, or by the trustee appointed
pursuant to Section VI, of the Final Judgment, shall include all of the
Divestiture Assets, and the divestiture shall be accomplished in such a
way as to satisfy the United States, in its sole discretion, that the
Divestiture Assets can and will be used by the Acquirer as part of a
viable, ongoing business engaged in the design, development,
production, marketing, servicing, distribution, and sale of the
Stimulation Services, Sand Control Tools, and Stimulation Fluids for
wells located in the Gulf, and that such divestiture will remedy the
competitive harm alleged in the Complaint. The divestiture, whether
pursuant to Section IV or Section VI of this Final Judgment:
(1) Shall be made to an Acquirer that, in the United States' sole
judgment, has the intent and capability (including the necessary
managerial, operational, technical and financial capability) of
competing effectively as a supplier of Stimulation Services, Sand
Control Tools, and Stimulation Fluids for customers in the Gulf; and
(2) Shall be accomplished so as to satisfy the United States, in
its sole discretion, that none of the terms of any agreement between
the Acquirer and Defendants give Defendants the ability unreasonably to
raise the Acquirer's costs, to lower the Acquirer's efficiency, or
otherwise to interfere in the ability of the Acquirer to compete
effectively.
V. Right To Hire
A. To enable the Acquirer to make offers of employment, Defendants
shall provide the Acquirer and the United States with organization
charts and information relating to Relevant Employees, including name,
job title,
[[Page 24980]]
responsibilities as of March 1, 2010, training and educational history,
relevant certifications, and, to the extent permissible by law, job
performance evaluations, and current salary and benefits information.
B. Upon request, Defendants shall make Relevant Employees available
for interviews with the Acquirer during normal business hours at a
mutually agreeable location and will not interfere with any
negotiations by the Acquirer to employ Relevant Employees. Interference
with respect to this paragraph includes, but is not limited to,
offering to increase the salary or benefits of Relevant Employees other
than as a part of a company-wide increase in salary or benefits granted
in the ordinary course of business.
C. For Relevant Employees who elect employment by the Acquirer,
Defendants shall waive all noncompete agreements and all nondisclosure
agreements, except as specified in V D. below, vest all unvested
pension and other equity rights, and provide all benefits to which the
Relevant Employees would generally be provided if transferred to a
buyer of an ongoing business.
D. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit Defendants from
maintaining any reasonable restrictions on the disclosure by an
employee who accepts an offer of employment with the Acquirer of the
Defendants' proprietary non-public information that is (1) not
otherwise required to be disclosed by this Final Judgment, (2) related
solely to the Defendants' businesses and clients, and (3) unrelated to
the Divestiture Assets.
VI. Appointment of Trustee
A. If Defendants have not divested the Divestiture Assets within
the time period specified in Section IVA. of this Final Judgment,
Defendants shall notify the United States of that fact in writing. Upon
application of the United States, the Court shall appoint a trustee
selected by the United States and approved by the Court to effect the
divestiture of the Divestiture Assets.
B. After the appointment of a trustee becomes effective, only the
trustee shall have the right to sell the Divestiture Assets. The
trustee shall have the power and authority to accomplish the
divestiture to an Acquirer acceptable to the United States at such
price and on such terms as are then obtainable upon reasonable effort
by the trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections IV, V, and VI of
this Final Judgment, and shall have such other powers as this Court
deems appropriate. Subject to Section VI D. of this Final Judgment, the
trustee may hire at the cost and expense of Defendants any investment
bankers, attorneys, accountants or other agents, who shall be solely
accountable to the trustee, reasonably necessary in the trustee's
judgment to assist in the divestiture.
C. Defendants shall not object to a sale by the trustee on any
ground other than the trustee's malfeasance. Any such objections by
Defendants must be conveyed in writing to the United States and the
trustee within ten (10) calendar days after the trustee has provided
the notice required under Section VII.
D. The trustee shall serve at the cost and expense of Defendants,
on such terms and conditions as the United States approves. The trustee
shall account for all monies derived from the sale of the assets sold
by the trustee and all costs and expenses so incurred. After payment of
fees for the trustee's services and those of investment bankers,
attorneys, accountants or other agents retained by it, all remaining
money shall be paid to Defendants. After the trustee submits its final
report, including the final accounting, to the court, the trust shall
then be terminated. The compensation of the trustee and any
professionals and agents retained by the trustee shall be reasonable in
light of the value of the Divestiture Assets and based on a fee
arrangement providing the trustee with an incentive based on the price
and terms of the divestiture and the speed with which it is
accomplished, but timeliness is paramount. Defendants shall
expeditiously reach agreement with the trustee on the trustee's fee
arrangement.
E. Defendants shall use their best efforts to assist the trustee in
accomplishing the required divestitures. The trustee and any
consultants, accountants, attorneys, and other persons retained by the
trustee shall have full and complete access to the personnel, books,
records, and facilities of the Divestiture Assets, and Defendants shall
develop financial and other information relevant to the Divestiture
Assets as the trustee may reasonably request, subject to reasonable
protection for trade secret or other confidential research,
development, or commercial information. Defendants shall take no action
to interfere with, delay, or impede the trustee's accomplishment of the
divestitures.
F. After its appointment, the trustee shall file monthly reports
with the United States setting forth the trustee's efforts to
accomplish the divestitures ordered under this Final Judgment. Such
reports shall include the name, address, and telephone number of each
person who, during the preceding month, made an offer to acquire,
expressed an interest in acquiring, entered into negotiations to
acquire, or was contacted or made an inquiry about acquiring, any
interest in the Divestiture Assets, and shall describe in detail each
contact with any such person. The trustee shall maintain full records
of all efforts made to divest the Divestiture Assets.
G. If the trustee has not accomplished the divestitures ordered
under this Final Judgment within six (6) months after his or her
appointment, the trustee shall promptly file with the Court a report
setting forth: (1) The trustee's efforts to accomplish the required
divestitures; (2) the reasons, in the trustee's judgment, why the
required divestitures have not been accomplished; and (3) the trustee's
recommendations. To the extent such reports contain information that
the trustee deems confidential, such reports shall not be filed in the
public docket of the Court. The trustee shall at the same time furnish
such report to the United States, which shall have the right to make
additional recommendations consistent with the purpose of the trust.
The Court thereafter shall enter such orders as it shall deem
appropriate to carry out the purpose of the Final Judgment, which may,
if necessary, include extending the trust and the term of the trustee's
appointment by a period requested by the United States.
VII. Notice of Proposed Divestiture
A. Within two (2) business days following execution of a definitive
divestiture agreement, Defendants shall notify the United States of any
proposed divestiture required by Section IV of this Final Judgment.
Within two (2) business days following execution of a definitive
divestiture agreement, the trustee shall notify the United States and
Defendants of any proposed divestiture required by Section VI of this
Final Judgment. The notice provided to the United States shall set
forth the details of the proposed divestiture and list the name,
address, and telephone number of each person not previously identified
who offered or expressed an interest in or desire to acquire any
ownership interest in the Divestiture Assets, together with full
details of the same.
B. Within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt by the United
States of such notice, the United States may request from Defendants,
the proposed Acquirer, any other third party, or the trustee, if
applicable, additional information concerning the proposed divestiture,
the proposed Acquirer, and any other potential Acquirer.
[[Page 24981]]
Defendants and the trustee shall furnish any additional information
requested within fifteen (15) calendar days of the receipt of the
request, unless the parties shall otherwise agree.
C. Within forty-five (45) calendar days after receipt of the notice
or within thirty (30) calendar days after the United States has been
provided the additional information requested from Defendants, the
proposed Acquirer, any third party, and the trustee, whichever is
later, the United States shall provide written notice to Defendants and
the trustee, if there is one, stating whether or not it objects to the
proposed divestiture. If the United States provides written notice that
it does not object, the divestiture may be consummated, subject only to
Defendants' limited right to object to the sale under Section VI C. of
this Final Judgment. Absent written notice that the United States does
not object to the proposed Acquirer or upon objection by the United
States, a divestiture proposed under Section IV or Section VI shall not
be consummated. Upon objection by Defendants under Section VI C., a
divestiture proposed under Section VI shall not be consummated unless
approved by the Court.
VIII. Financing
Defendants shall not finance all or any part of any purchase made
pursuant to Section IV or VI of this Final Judgment.
IX. Hold Separate
Until the divestitures required by this Final Judgment have been
accomplished, Defendants shall take all steps necessary to comply with
the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order entered by this Court.
Defendants shall take no action that would jeopardize the divestitures
ordered by this Court.
X. Affidavits
A. Within twenty (20) calendar days of the filing of the Complaint
in this matter, and every thirty (30) calendar days thereafter until
the divestitures have been completed under Section IV or VI, Defendants
shall deliver to the United States an affidavit as to the fact and
manner of their compliance with Section IV or VI of this Final
Judgment. Each such affidavit shall include the name, address, and
telephone number of each person who, during the preceding thirty (30)
calendar days, made an offer to acquire, expressed an interest in
acquiring, entered into negotiations to acquire, or was contacted or
made an inquiry about acquiring, any interest in the Divestiture
Assets, and shall describe in detail each contact with any such person
during that period. Each such affidavit shall also include a
description of the efforts Defendants have taken to solicit buyers for
the Divestiture Assets, and to provide required information to
prospective Acquirers, including the limitations, if any, on such
information. Assuming the information set forth in the affidavit is
true and complete, any objection by the United States to information
provided by Defendants, including limitations on information, shall be
made within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of such affidavit.
B. Within twenty (20) calendar days of the filing of the Complaint
in this matter, Defendants shall deliver to the United States an
affidavit that describes in reasonable detail all actions Defendants
have taken and all steps Defendants have implemented on an ongoing
basis to comply with Section IX of this Final Judgment. Defendants
shall deliver to the United States an affidavit describing any changes
to the efforts and actions outlined in Defendants' earlier affidavits
filed pursuant to this Section within fifteen (15) calendar days after
the change is implemented.
C. Defendants shall keep all records of all efforts made to
preserve and divest the Divestiture Assets until one year after such
divestiture has been completed.
XI. Conditions Placed Upon the Acquirer
A. For five years from the entry of this Final Judgment, unless
such transaction is otherwise subject to the reporting and waiting
period requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act
of 1976, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 18a (the ``HSR Act''), the Acquirer,
without providing advance notification to the Antitrust Division, shall
not directly or indirectly sell any of the Divestiture Assets or any
interest (including, but not limited to, any financial, security, loan,
equity, or management interest) in any of the Divestiture Assets to
Halliburton Company or Schlumberger Ltd. Such notification shall be
provided to the Antitrust Division in the same format as, and per the
instructions relating to the Notification and Report Form set forth in
the Appendix to Part 803 of Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations
as amended. Notification shall be provided at least thirty (30)
calendar days prior to completion of any such transaction, and shall
include, beyond what may be required by the applicable instructions,
the names of the principal representatives of the parties to the
agreement who negotiated the agreement, and any management or strategic
plans discussing the proposed transaction. If within the 30-day period
after notification, representatives of the Antitrust Division make a
written request for additional information, the Acquirer shall not
consummate the proposed transaction or agreement until thirty (30)
calendar days after submitting all such additional information. Early
termination of the waiting periods in this paragraph may be requested
and, where appropriate, granted in the same manner as is applicable
under the requirements and provisions of the HSR Act and rules
promulgated thereunder. This Section shall be broadly construed and any
ambiguity or uncertainty regarding the filing of notice under this
Section shall be resolved in favor of filing notice.
B. The Acquirer shall not move the HR Hughes or the Blue Ray out of
the Gulf for two years from the entry of this Final Judgment without
the prior written consent of the Antitrust Division.
XII. Compliance Inspection
A. For the purposes of determining or securing compliance with this
Final Judgment, or of determining whether the Final Judgment should be
modified or vacated, and subject to any legally recognized privilege,
from time to time authorized representatives of the United States
Department of Justice Antitrust Division, including consultants and
other persons retained by the United States, shall, upon written
request of an authorized representative of the Assistant Attorney
General in charge of the Antitrust Division, and on reasonable notice
to Defendants, be permitted:
(1) Access during Defendants' office hours to inspect and copy, or
at the option of the United States, to require Defendants to provide
hard copy or electronic copies of, all books, ledgers, accounts,
records, data, and documents in the possession, custody, or control of
Defendants, relating to any matters contained in this Final Judgment;
and
(2) to interview, either informally or on the record, Defendants'
officers, employees, or agents, who may have their individual counsel
present, regarding such matters. The interviews shall be subject to the
reasonable convenience of the interviewee and without restraint or
interference by Defendants.
B. Upon the written request of an authorized representative of the
Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division,
Defendants shall submit written reports or responses to written
interrogatories, under oath if requested, relating to any of the
matters
[[Page 24982]]
contained in this Final Judgment as may be requested.
C. No information or documents obtained by the means provided in
this Section shall be divulged by the United States to any person other
than an authorized representative of the executive branch of the United
States, except in the course of legal proceedings to which the United
States is a party (including grand jury proceedings), for the purpose
of securing compliance with this Final Judgment, or as otherwise
required by law.
D. If, at the time information or documents are furnished by
Defendants to the United States, Defendants represent and identify in
writing the material in any such information or documents to which a
claim of protection may be asserted under Rule 26(c)(1)(G) of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and Defendants mark each pertinent
page of such material, ``Subject to claim of protection under Rule
26(c)(1)(G) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,'' then the United
States shall give Defendants ten (10) calendar days notice prior to
divulging such material in any legal proceeding (other than a grand
jury proceeding).
XIII. No Reacquisition
Defendants may not reacquire an ownership interest in any part of
the Divestiture Assets during the term of this Final Judgment.
XIV. Retention of Jurisdiction
This Court retains jurisdiction to enable any party to this Final
Judgment to apply to this Court at any time for further orders and
directions as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out or construe
this Final Judgment, to modify any of its provisions, to enforce
compliance, and to punish violations of its provisions.
XV. Expiration of Final Judgment
Unless this Court grants an extension, this Final Judgment shall
expire ten (10) years from the date of its entry.
XVI. Public Interest Determination
Entry of this Final Judgment is in the public interest. The parties
have complied with the requirements of the Antitrust Procedures and
Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. 16, including making copies available to the
public of this Final Judgment, the Competitive Impact Statement, and
any comments thereon and the United States' responses to comments.
Based upon the record before the Court, which includes the Competitive
Impact Statement and any comments and responses to comments filed with
the Court, entry of this Final Judgment is in the public interest.
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Date: Court approval subject to procedures of Antitrust Procedures
and Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
United States District Judge
Schedule A
Stimulation Services
BJ Services Assets
1. BJ Tangible Assets and Real Property:
a. BJ's ownership and leasehold interest in the Blue Ray.
b. At the option of the Acquirer, BJ's ownership and leasehold
interest in one or more of the following facilities:
i. BJ's Crowley facility at West Highway 90 and Roller Road in
Crowley, Louisiana 70526.
ii. BJ's Sales Offices at 1515 Poydras Street, Suite 2000, New
Orleans, Louisiana 70508;
iii. BJ's Sales Offices at 5005 Mitchelldale Street, Suite 250,
Houston, Texas 77092.
c. All Tangible Assets owned, leased or licensed by BJ that are
used in connection with the design, development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing, sale, installation, or provision
of Stimulation Services for wells located in the Gulf.
2. BJ Intangible Assets:
a. All Intangible Assets owned, leased or licensed by BJ that are
used in connection with the design, development, testing, production,
quality control, marketing, servicing, sale, installation, or provision
of Stimulation Services for wells located in the Gulf.
b. Exclusions:
i. Excluded from this Schedule A is BJ's proprietary communication,
stimulation, or instrumentation control software used in connection
with the operation of the Blue Ray, provided that, if the Acquirer
elects pursuant to Section IV G. to have Defendants install the same
communication, stimulation and instrumentation control software on the
HR Hughes that is installed on the Blue Ray, Defendants shall provide
to Acquirer a non-exclusive right to such software, including,
(1) A worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual,
transferable license to all patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and
other Intangible Assets in which Defendants assert intellectual
property rights; such license shall grant the Acquirer the right (a) to
make, have made, use, sell or offer for sale, copy, create derivative
works, modify, improve, display, perform, and enhance the licensed
Intangible Assets; and (b) to own any Intangible Assets the Acquirer
generates pursuant to this license; and (c) to have end-user customers
of the Acquirer enjoy the benefit of the Intangible Assets provided by
the Acquirer pursuant to this