United States v. General Electric Company, et al.; Proposed Final Judgment and Competitive Impact Statement, 57205-57216 [2015-24044]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 183 / Tuesday, September 22, 2015 / Notices
FILED: 09/08/2015
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Antitrust Division
United States v. General Electric
Company, et al.; Proposed Final
Judgment and Competitive Impact
Statement
Notice is hereby given pursuant to the
Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act,
15 U.S.C. 16(b)–(h), that a proposed
Final Judgment, Stipulation, and
Competitive Impact Statement have
been filed with the United States
District Court for the District of
Columbia in United States of America v.
General Electric Company, et. al., Civil
Action No. 15–1460. On September 8,
2015, the United States filed a
Complaint alleging that General
Electric’s proposed acquisition of
Alstom S.A.’s power-related businesses
would violate Section 7 of the Clayton
Act, 15 U.S.C. 18. The proposed Final
Judgment, filed at the same time as the
Complaint, requires General Electric to
divest Power Systems Mfg., LLC.
Copies of the Complaint, proposed
Final Judgment, and Competitive Impact
Statement are available for inspection
on the Antitrust Division’s Web site at
https://www.justice.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, including the name of the
submitter, and responses thereto, will be
posted on the Antitrust Division’s Web
site, filed with the Court, and, under
certain circumstances, published in the
Federal Register. Comments should be
directed to Maribeth Petrizzi, Chief,
Litigation II Section, Antitrust Division,
Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street
NW., Suite 8700, Washington, DC 20530
(telephone: 202–307–0924).
Patricia A. Brink,
Director of Civil Enforcement.
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, U.S.
Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, 450
Fifth Street NW., Suite 8700, Washington, DC
20530, Plaintiff, v. GENERAL ELECTRIC
COMPANY, 3135 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield,
Connecticut 06828, ALSTOM S.A., 3, Avenue
´
Andre Malraux, 92309 Levallois-Perret
Cedex, France, and POWER SYSTEMS MFG.,
LLC, 1440 West Indiantown Road, Jupiter,
Florida 33458, Defendants.
CASE NO.: 1:15–cv–01460–RMC
JUDGE: Amy Berman Jackson
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COMPLAINT
The United States of America
(‘‘United States’’), acting under the
direction of the Attorney General of the
United States, brings this civil antitrust
action to enjoin the proposed
acquisition of Alstom S.A. and Power
Systems Mfg., LLC (‘‘PSM’’) by General
Electric Company (‘‘GE’’) and to obtain
other equitable relief. The United States
alleges as follows:
I. NATURE OF THE ACTION
1. GE proposes to acquire PSM, a
Florida-based wholly owned subsidiary
of Alstom. GE is a leading producer of
large gas turbines used in the United
States for the production of electricity.
GE and PSM are the two leading
providers of aftermarket parts and
service for the most common gas turbine
model used for power generation in the
United States, the GE 7FA, which
represents nearly 70 percent of the GE
installed base of gas turbines.
2. The proposed acquisition would
eliminate head-to-head competition
between GE and PSM. For a significant
number of customers, typically power
generation companies, GE and PSM are
by far the two best sources of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines, with a combined market
share of approximately 92 percent. The
proposed acquisition likely would give
GE the ability to raise prices or decrease
the quality of service provided to these
customers. In addition, the proposed
acquisition would eliminate PSM as a
vigorous product innovator for the GE
installed base and likely would reduce
GE’s incentive to innovate in response
to PSM. As a result, the proposed
acquisition likely would substantially
lessen competition in the development,
manufacture, and sale of gas turbine
aftermarket parts and service in the
United States, in violation of Section 7
of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. 18.
II. THE DEFENDANTS AND THE
TRANSACTION
3. Defendant General Electric
Company is a New York corporation
with its principal offices in Fairfield,
Connecticut. GE is a global
manufacturing, technology and services
company. GE’s subsidiary, GE Power
and Water, provides power generation,
energy delivery, and water process
technologies in a number of areas of the
energy industry, including wind and
solar, biogas and alternative fuels, and
coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear
energy. GE offers a wide spectrum of
heavy-duty gas turbines. GE also is the
dominant supplier of aftermarket parts
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and service for GE gas turbines. In 2014,
GE’s worldwide revenues were $148.6
billion, and its U.S. revenues from
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines were approximately $730
million.
4. Defendant Power Systems Mfg.,
LLC, a Delaware corporation
headquartered in Jupiter, Florida, is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Alstom, a
French corporation headquartered in
Levallois-Perret, France. Alstom offers
global power generation, electric grid,
and rail solution products and services.
PSM provides aftermarket parts and
service for a variety of engines
manufactured by other companies and
for GE gas turbine engines, including
the GE 7FA model. In 2014, PSM’s
worldwide revenues were
approximately $226 million, and its
U.S. revenues for aftermarket parts and
service for GE 7FA gas turbines were
approximately $90 million.
5. Pursuant to a set of agreements
dated November 4, 2014, GE intends to
enter a multi-stage transaction with
Alstom. First, GE will purchase
Alstom’s thermal and renewable power
and grid business. Then, Alstom will
acquire GE’s rail signaling business.
Finally, GE and Alstom will enter three
joint ventures, each 51 percent owned
by GE, involving the renewable energy
businesses, the grid, and a global
nuclear and French steam turbine
business, in which the French
government subsequently will obtain
preferred shares and governance rights.
GE will maintain complete ownership of
the thermal power business, including
PSM, acquired from Alstom. The value
of the multi-stage transaction is
approximately $13.8 billion.
III. JURISDICTION AND VENUE
6. The United States brings this action
pursuant to Section 15 of the Clayton
Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 25, to
prevent and restrain defendants from
violating Section 7 of the Clayton
Action, 15 U.S.C. 18.
7. Defendants GE and PSM develop,
manufacture, and sell aftermarket parts
and service for GE 7FA gas turbines in
the flow of interstate commerce.
Defendants’ activities in the
development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines substantially affect
interstate commerce. The 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.
8. Defendants have consented to
venue and personal jurisdiction in the
District of Columbia. Venue is therefore
proper in this District under Section 12
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of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. 22, and 28
U.S.C. 1391(c).
IV. TRADE AND COMMERCE
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A. Industry Background
9. Gas turbines are a type of internal
combustion engine in which burning of
an air-fuel mixture produces hot gases
that spin a turbine to produce power.
Gas turbines have been used to generate
electricity since the 1930s. Today, gas
turbines are widely used for power
generation throughout the United States.
10. The key internal working parts of
a gas turbine engine are the rotor, the
buckets (also known as blades), and the
nozzles (also known as vanes). The rotor
is the main rotating component of the
turbine. The buckets and nozzles are
located in the combustion chamber and
for the GE 7FA are configured in three
stages. Stage one parts are the most
difficult to design and manufacture, due
to required heat tolerances, and are the
most costly. The combustion chamber of
the turbine is super-heated during its
operation and the bucket and nozzle
parts must be cooled to prevent melting
the alloy materials that comprise the
chamber. A full set of replacement parts
typically can range in price from several
million dollars up to $15 million.
11. Gas turbines may be classified as
mature or non-mature. Maturity relates
to whether the gas turbine has been in
operation long enough for aftermarket
firms to reverse engineer and
manufacture formerly proprietary
replacement parts. Generally, a turbine
is considered mature within 10 to 15
years after it is introduced into the
market or installed. Mature turbines,
like other mechanical equipment,
require servicing and new or
refurbished replacement parts.
12. GE 7FA gas turbines have life
spans of approximately 30 years.
Service is needed every three to eight
years, with major overhauls required
every 10 to 16 years. Gas turbine
aftermarket parts and service can be
provided by the original equipment
manufacturer (‘‘OEM’’) that
manufactured the original equipment or
by an independent service provider.
With the initial sale of the gas turbine,
the OEM and the customer usually enter
into a long-term service agreement
(‘‘LTSA’’), which may range from five to
15 years in duration. LTSAs, which are
typically based on total hours of
operation, cover the provision of
replacement parts and service after the
installation of the turbine. If a customer
enters into a LTSA with the OEM,
typically an independent service
provider is unable to compete for the
replacement parts or service business of
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that customer for the length of that
LTSA. Independent service providers
may compete for a customer’s
replacement parts and service business
only upon the expiration of the LTSA.
The OEM, however, often seeks to enter
another LTSA when the first LTSA
expires.
13. Some independent service
providers offer only aftermarket service
or a limited range of aftermarket parts.
Generally, more firms provide older
parts or basic services; fewer are able to
provide parts or services that satisfy the
heat tolerances of the first stage of the
hot gas portion of the gas turbine. GE’s
7FA gas turbine was first installed in
1990 and remains the most common and
one of the most technologically
advanced GE models installed today.
Only a limited number of firms have the
capability and experience to reverse
engineer, manufacture, and improve the
formerly proprietary parts.
14. Currently, GE’s U.S. installed base
numbers more than 1220 machines and
comprises approximately 68 percent of
all gas turbines in service in the power
generation industry (generally, large gas
turbines over 90 megawatts). Of this
installed base, GE 7FAs represent 54
percent.
B. The Relevant Product Market
15. Gas turbine aftermarket parts and
service are distinct for each brand and
model. A rotor for a non-GE machine
could not be used on a GE 7FA, and a
nozzle for a GE 7FA engine likely could
not be used on another GE model
machine. Moreover, other types of parts
and service cannot be substituted for GE
7FA aftermarket parts and service. For
instance, aftermarket parts and service
for steam or wind turbines cannot be
used for GE 7FA gas turbines.
16. A small but significant increase in
the price of aftermarket parts and
service for GE 7FA gas turbines would
not cause customers of those parts and
service to substitute a different kind of
aftermarket part or service, or to reduce
purchases of aftermarket parts or service
for GE 7FA gas turbines, in volumes
sufficient to make such a price increase
unprofitable. Accordingly, the
development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines is a line of commerce and
relevant market within the meaning of
Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
C. The Relevant Geographic Market
17. Although aftermarket parts for GE
7FA gas turbines may be manufactured
outside of the United States, suppliers
of aftermarket parts for GE 7FA gas
turbines typically deliver them to their
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customer’s locations in the United
States.
18. Most U.S. customers of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines consider only those
qualified suppliers with a strong
national presence and local support,
including regional parts distribution
centers. U.S. customers insist on
facilities located in the United States for
timely delivery of parts and prompt
deployment of personnel.
19. A small but significant increase in
the price of aftermarket parts and
service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the
United States would not cause a
sufficient number of U.S. customers to
turn to providers of those parts and
service that do not have a substantial
presence in the United States so as to
make such a price increase unprofitable.
Accordingly, the United States is a
relevant geographic market within the
meaning of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
D. Anticompetitive Effects of the
Proposed Acquisition
20. GE’s acquisition of PSM would
eliminate competition between GE and
PSM for aftermarket parts and service
for GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States. The competition between GE and
PSM in the development, manufacture,
and sale of aftermarket parts and service
for GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States has benefitted customers. GE and
PSM compete directly on price,
innovation, and quality of service.
21. Only three competitors, including
GE and PSM, develop, manufacture, and
sell aftermarket parts to offer with their
service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the
United States. GE and PSM have market
shares of 83 and nine percent
respectively. A third firm, which
manufactures some aftermarket parts,
has a market share of two percent. The
remaining fringe participants in
aftermarket service in the United States
do not manufacture their own parts and
must provide either refurbished parts or
parts made by PSM or the third firm
because GE does not make parts
available to third-party service
providers.
22. Customers with an expiring GE
LTSA who want a provider of new
aftermarket parts other than GE have
two options, PSM or the third firm.
Accordingly, the acquisition would
reduce the number of competitors for
the development, manufacture, and sale
of aftermarket parts and service for GE
7FAs from three to two.
23. The third firm does not provide a
complete line of 7FA aftermarket parts.
In addition, the third firm does not meet
the supplier qualification standards of
some customers. For a customer trying
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to purchase a 7FA part not sold by the
third firm or who has qualification
standards not met by the third firm, the
acquisition would reduce the number of
suppliers for the development,
manufacture, and sale of aftermarket
parts and service for GE 7FAs to only
one.
24. The response of the third firm and
the fringe participants in aftermarket
service would not be sufficient to
constrain a unilateral exercise of market
power by GE after the acquisition. The
effect of PSM’s entry on prices shows
the impact of its presence in the market.
Since 1998, when PSM began competing
with GE to provide aftermarket parts
and service for GE 7FA gas turbines,
prices of GE 7FA replacement parts
dropped by 60 to 70 percent. Further,
gas turbine life-cycle costs (prices for GE
LTSAs and renewed GE LTSAs)
dropped by as much as 50 percent when
PSM began to offer replacement parts
for the GE 7FA gas turbines. Although
other firms, including the third firm,
since have entered the market with
some aftermarket parts and services
offerings, no firm, or combination of
firms, is positioned to constrain a
unilateral exercise of market power by
GE after the acquisition.
25. A merged GE and PSM also likely
would reduce innovation in the
development of improved aftermarket
parts for GE gas turbines. PSM has led
innovation for aftermarket parts for GE
7FA turbines. Some of the aftermarket
parts developed by PSM for GE turbines
are superior in performance to GE parts.
26. As articulated in the Horizontal
Merger Guidelines issued by the
Department of Justice and the Federal
Trade Commission, the HerfindahlHirschman Index (‘‘HHI’’), discussed in
Appendix A, is a measure of market
concentration. Market concentration is
often a useful indicator of the level of
competitive vigor in a market and the
likely competitive effects of a merger.
The more concentrated a market, the
more likely it is that a transaction would
result in a meaningful reduction in
competition, harming consumers.
27. In the U.S. market for the
development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines, the pre-merger HHI is
6,994; the post-merger HHI is 8,448,
with an increase in the HHI of 1,494.
Consistent with the Horizontal Merger
Guidelines, this market is highly
concentrated and would become
significantly more concentrated as a
result of the proposed acquisition.
28. The proposed transaction,
therefore, likely would substantially
lessen competition in the development,
manufacture, and sale of aftermarket
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parts and service for GE 7FA gas
turbines in the United States and lead
to higher prices and decreased
innovation and quality of service in
violation of Section 7 of the Clayton
Act.
E. Difficulty of Entry
29. Entry of additional competitors
into the development, manufacture, and
sale of aftermarket parts and service for
GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States is unlikely to be timely or
sufficient to prevent the harm to
competition caused by the elimination
of PSM as a supplier of aftermarket
products and service for the GE 7FA gas
turbine.
30. Firms attempting to enter into the
development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines face substantial entry
barriers in terms of cost and time. While
many of the patents have expired on
older GE 7FA models, a competitor
must have the capability to produce the
most complex replacement parts.
31. First, entrants must have the
technical capabilities necessary to
design and manufacture the parts.
Specific, unique buckets and nozzles are
cast, and highly customized coatings are
required to protect these metal alloy
parts from melting in the combustion
chamber. The required capabilities
include design expertise, metals casting
technology, and metals coating
technology.
32. Second, customers of aftermarket
parts or service that involve a shutdown
of the gas turbine (‘‘outage’’) often
require the provider to have a
comprehensive list of parts, expertise
with the specific gas turbine model and
parts or service, and a superior record
and reputation with customers. Such
shutdowns involve significant expense
and effort, so customers minimize the
risk of extended or additional outages.
Customers often take advantage of
planned service outages to invite
potential suppliers to obtain
measurements and conduct inspections
required for bids for the next round of
planned aftermarket parts and service.
Obtaining each of the qualifications
required for aftermarket parts or service
that involves outages is a significant
challenge for a new entrant.
33. As a result of these barriers, entry
into the development, manufacture, and
sale of aftermarket parts and service for
GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States would not be timely, likely, or
sufficient to defeat the substantial
lessening of competition that likely
would result from GE’s acquisition of
PSM.
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V. VIOLATION ALLEGED
34. The acquisition of PSM by GE
likely would substantially lessen
competition for the development,
manufacture, and sale of aftermarket
parts and service for GE 7FA gas
turbines in the United States in
violation of Section 7 of the Clayton
Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18.
35. Unless enjoined, the transaction
likely would have the following
anticompetitive effects, among others:
a. actual and potential competition
between GE and PSM in the market for
the development, manufacture, and sale
of aftermarket parts and service for GE
7FA gas turbines in the United States
would be eliminated;
b. competition generally in the market
for the development, manufacture, and
sale of aftermarket parts and service for
GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States would be substantially lessened;
c. prices for aftermarket parts and
service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the
United States likely would be less
favorable, and innovation and quality of
service relating to aftermarket parts and
service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the
United States likely would decline.
VI. REQUESTED RELIEF
36. The United States requests that
this Court:
a. adjudge and decree GE’s proposed
acquisition of PSM to be unlawful and
in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton
Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18;
b. preliminarily and permanently
enjoin and restrain defendants and all
persons acting on their behalf from
consummating the proposed acquisition
of PSM by GE or from entering into or
carrying out any contract, agreement,
plan, or understanding, the effect of
which would be to combine PSM with
the operations of GE;
c. award the United States its costs of
this action; and
d. award the United States such other
and further relief as the Court deems
just and proper.
Respectfully submitted,
FOR PLAINTIFF UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA
/s/
llllllllllllllllll
l
Renata B. Hesse
Acting Assistant Attorney General
/s/
llllllllllllllllll
l
Maribeth Petrizzi
Chief, Litigation II Section
D.C. Bar # 435204
/s/
llllllllllllllllll
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David I. Gelfand
Deputy Assistant Attorney General
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D.C. Bar # 416596
/s/
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Dorothy B. Fountain
Assistant Chief, Litigation II Section
D.C. Bar # 439469
/s/
llllllllllllllllll
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Patricia A. Brink
Director of Civil Enforcement
/s/
llllllllllllllllll
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James K. Foster
Stephen A. Harris
Kerrie J. Freeborn (D.C. Bar # 503143)
Doha G. Mekki
Attorneys
U.S. Department of Justice
Antitrust Division, Litigation II Section
450 Fifth Street, NW., Suite 8700
Washington, DC 20530
Tel.: (202) 514–8362
Fax: (202) 514–9033
Email: james.foster@;usdoj.gov
Dated: September 8, 2015
APPENDIX A
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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
percent, the HHI is 2,600 (302 + 302 +
202 + 202 = 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 a maximum of 10,000
points when it 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
1,500 and 2,500 points are considered to
be moderately concentrated and markets
in which the HHI is in excess of 2,500
points are considered to be highly
concentrated. See Horizontal Merger
Guidelines § 5.3 (issued by the U.S.
Department of Justice and the Federal
Trade Commission on August 19, 2010).
Transactions that increase the HHI by
more than 200 points in highly
concentrated markets will be presumed
likely to enhance market power. Id.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
v.
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,
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ALSTOM S.A., and
POWER SYSTEMS MFG., LLC,
Defendants.
CASE NO.: 1:15–cv–01460–RMC
JUDGE: Amy Berman Jackson
FILED: 09/08/2015
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
to the proposed Final Judgment
submitted for entry in this civil antitrust
proceeding.
I. NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE
PROCEEDING
Defendant General Electric Company
(‘‘GE’’) and defendant Alstom S.A.
entered into a set of agreements, dated
November 4, 2014, pursuant to which
GE intends to enter a multi-stage
transaction with Alstom in which GE
will acquire all of Alstom’s powerrelated businesses, including Alstom’s
wholly owned subsidiary, defendant
Power Systems Mfg., LLC (‘‘PSM’’). The
value of the multi-stage transaction is
approximately $13.8 billion.
The United States filed a civil
antitrust Complaint on September 8,
2015, seeking to enjoin the proposed
acquisition. The Complaint alleges that
the likely effect of the acquisition would
be to lessen competition substantially in
the development, manufacture, and sale
of aftermarket parts and service for GE
7FA gas turbines in the United States in
violation of Section 7 of the Clayton
Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18. This loss of
competition likely would give GE the
ability to raise prices, lessen innovation,
and lower the quality of service for
customers in the United States.
At the same time the Complaint was
filed, the United States also filed a Hold
Separate Stipulation and Order and
proposed Final Judgment, which are
designed to eliminate the
anticompetitive effects of the
acquisition. Under the proposed Final
Judgment, which is explained more
fully below, GE is required to divest
PSM, which includes the research,
development, manufacturing, and repair
and reconditioning facilities located in
Jupiter, Florida, and Missouri City,
Texas, and all of PSM’s tangible and
intangible assets. Under the terms of the
Hold Separate Stipulation and Order,
defendants will take certain steps to
ensure that PSM is operated as a
competitively independent,
economically viable and ongoing
business concern that will remain
independent and uninfluenced by the
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consummation of the acquisition, and
that competition is maintained during
the pendency of the ordered divestiture.
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 proposed Final
Judgment and to punish violations
thereof.
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS
GIVING RISE TO THE ALLEGED
VIOLATION
A. The Defendants and the Transaction
Defendant GE is a New York
corporation with its principal offices in
Fairfield, Connecticut. GE is a global
manufacturing, technology and services
company. GE’s subsidiary, GE Power
and Water, provides power generation,
energy delivery, and water process
technologies in a number of areas of the
energy industry, including wind and
solar, biogas and alternative fuels, and
coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear
energy. GE offers a wide spectrum of
heavy-duty gas turbines. GE also is the
dominant supplier of aftermarket parts
and service for GE gas turbines. In 2014,
GE’s worldwide revenues were $148.6
billion, and its revenues from
aftermarket parts and service for the
relevant GE gas turbines were
approximately $730 million.
Defendant PSM, a Delaware
corporation headquartered in Jupiter,
Florida, is a wholly and directly owned
subsidiary of defendant Alstom, a
French corporation headquartered in
Levallois-Perret, France. Alstom offers
global power generation, electric grid,
and rail solution products and services.
PSM provides aftermarket parts and
service for a variety of engines
manufactured by other companies and
for GE gas turbine engines, including
the GE 7FA model (described below). In
2014, PSM’s worldwide revenues were
approximately $226 million, and
revenues for aftermarket parts and
service for the GE 7FA gas turbines were
approximately $90 million.
Pursuant to a set of agreements dated
November 4, 2014, GE intends to enter
a multi-stage transaction with Alstom.
First, GE will purchase Alstom’s
thermal and renewable power and grid
business. Then, Alstom will acquire
GE’s rail signaling business. Finally, GE
and Alstom will enter three joint
ventures, each 51 percent owned by GE,
involving the renewable energy
businesses, the grid, and a global
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nuclear and French steam turbine
business, in which the French
government will hold preferred shares
and governance rights. GE will maintain
complete ownership of the thermal
power business, including PSM,
acquired from Alstom. The value of the
multi-stage transaction is approximately
$13.8 billion.
B. Competitive Effects of the
Transaction
An extensive investigation by the
Department revealed that PSM is GE’s
primary competitor in the aftermarket
sale of parts and services for the
installed base of GE gas turbines in the
United States, and that GE’s acquisition
of PSM likely would eliminate
competition between GE and PSM in
this market. A substantial number of
power generation customers indicated
that they currently experience the
advantages of vigorous competition
between PSM and GE, and the status of
PSM as GE’s primary competitor is
confirmed in the firms’ respective
business documents. The competition
between GE and PSM in the
development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service,
particularly for GE 7FA gas turbines,
clearly has benefitted customers on
price, quality of service, and innovation.
Gas turbines are a type of internal
combustion engine in which burning of
an air-fuel mixture produces hot gases
that spin a turbine to produce power.
Gas turbines have been used to generate
electricity since the 1930s. Today, gas
turbines are widely used for power
generation throughout the United States.
The key internal working parts of a gas
turbine engine are the rotor, the buckets
(also known as blades), and the nozzles
(also known as vanes). A full set of
replacement parts typically can range in
price from several million dollars up to
$15 million.
Mature turbines, like other
mechanical equipment, require
servicing and new or refurbished
replacement parts. Service is needed
every three to eight years, with major
overhauls required every 10 to 16 years.
Gas turbine aftermarket parts and
service are provided by the original
equipment manufacturer or by an
independent service provider. GE 7FA
gas turbines have life spans of
approximately 30 years. With the initial
sale of the gas turbine, the OEM and the
customer usually enter into a long-term
service agreement (LTSA), which may
range from five to 15 years in duration.
LTSAs, which are typically based on
total hours of operation, cover the
provision of replacement parts and
service after the installation of the
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turbine. If a customer enters into a
LTSA with the original equipment
manufacturer, typically an independent
service provider is unable to compete
for the replacement parts or service
business of that customer for the length
of that LTSA. The original equipment
manufacturer, however, often seeks to
enter another LTSA when the first LTSA
expires, and at that time competes with
independent service providers.
GE’s 7FA gas turbines remain the
most common and one of the most
technologically advanced GE models
installed today. Only a limited number
of firms have the capability and
experience to reverse engineer,
manufacture, and improve the formerly
proprietary parts. Currently, GE’s U.S.
installed base is approximately 68
percent of all gas turbines in service in
the power generation industry
(generally, large gas turbines over 90
megawatts) and numbers over 1,220
machines; of these, 663 are GE 7FAs.
The Complaint alleges that, because
gas turbine aftermarket parts and service
are used exclusively for gas turbines,
and because aftermarket parts and
service for use in other types of
turbines, such as steam or wind
turbines, cannot be used in gas turbines,
a small but significant increase in the
price of aftermarket parts and service for
GE 7FA gas turbines would not cause
customers of those parts and service to
substitute a different kind of aftermarket
part or service, or to reduce purchases
of aftermarket parts or service for GE
7FA gas turbines, in volumes sufficient
to make such a price increase
unprofitable. Accordingly, the
development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines is a line of commerce and
relevant market within the meaning of
Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
Further, according to the Complaint,
most U.S. customers of aftermarket parts
and service for GE 7FA gas turbines
consider only those qualified suppliers
with a strong national presence and
local support, including regional parts
distribution centers. U.S. customers
insist on facilities located in the United
States for timely delivery of parts and
prompt deployment of personnel. A
small but significant increase in the
price of aftermarket parts and service for
GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States would not cause a sufficient
number of U.S. customers to turn to
providers of those parts and service that
do not have a substantial presence in
the United States so as to make such a
price increase unprofitable.
Accordingly, the United States is a
relevant geographic market within the
meaning of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
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The Complaint also alleges that
currently only three competitors,
including GE and PSM, develop,
manufacture, and sell new aftermarket
parts to offer with their service for GE
7FA gas turbines in the United States.
GE and PSM have market shares of 83
and nine percent respectively. A third
firm, which manufactures some
aftermarket parts, has a market share of
only two percent. The remaining fringe
participants in aftermarket service in the
United States do not manufacture their
own new parts and must provide either
refurbished parts or parts made by PSM
or the third firm because GE does not
make parts available to third-party
service providers.
According to the Complaint, the
response of the third firm and the fringe
participants in aftermarket parts and
service would not be sufficient to
constrain a unilateral exercise of market
power by GE after the acquisition, nor
would entry deter the expected
competitive harm. Firms attempting to
enter or expand into the development,
manufacture, and sale of new
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines face substantial entry
barriers in terms of cost and time. While
many of the patents have expired on
older GE 7FA models, a competitor
must have the capability to produce the
most complex replacement parts.
Entrants must have extensive technical
capabilities necessary to design and
manufacture the parts, for example,
unique buckets and nozzles are cast,
and highly customized coatings are
required to protect these metal alloy
parts from melting in the combustion
chamber. The required capabilities
include design expertise, metals casting
technology, and metals coating
technology. Moreover, proven quality,
extensive testing, and certification from
customers is required before a new firm
would be acceptable to customers.
The Complaint also alleges that the
effect of PSM’s successful entry on
prices shows the beneficial impact of its
presence in the market. Since 1998,
when PSM began competing with GE to
provide aftermarket parts and service for
GE 7FA gas turbines, prices of GE 7FA
replacement parts dropped by 60 to 70
percent. Further, gas turbine life-cycle
costs (prices for GE LTSAs and renewed
GE LTSAs) dropped by as much as 50
percent when PSM began to offer
replacement parts for the GE 7FA gas
turbines. Although other firms since
have entered the market with some
aftermarket parts and services, no firm,
or combination of firms, is now
positioned to constrain a unilateral
exercise of market power by GE after the
acquisition.
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The Complaint also alleges that a
merged GE and PSM likely would
reduce innovation in the development
of improved aftermarket parts for GE gas
turbines.
III. EXPLANATION OF THE
PROPOSED FINAL JUDGMENT
The divestiture requirement of the
proposed Final Judgment will eliminate
the anticompetitive effects of the
acquisition in the sale aftermarket parts
and service used in the installed base of
GE 7FA gas turbines by preserving an
independent and economically viable
competitor. Section IV of the proposed
Final Judgment requires GE, within 90
days after the filing of the Complaint, or
5 days after notice of the entry of the
Final Judgment by the Court, whichever
is later, to divest PSM as a viable
ongoing business. PSM must be divested
in such a way as to satisfy the United
States, in its sole discretion, that the
operations can and will be operated by
the purchaser as a viable, ongoing
business that can compete effectively in
the relevant market. Defendants must
take all reasonable steps necessary to
accomplish the divestiture quickly and
shall cooperate with prospective
purchasers.
Pursuant to Paragraph IV(H), final
approval of the divestiture of PSM,
including the identity of the acquirer, is
left to the sole discretion of the United
States to ensure the continued
independence and viability of PSM in
the relevant market. Ansaldo Energia
S.P.A has been identified by GE as the
expected purchaser of PSM and is
currently in negotiations with GE for a
final purchase agreement. As provided
in Paragraph IV(B), in the event Ansaldo
is not approved by the Department as
the acquirer, another acquirer may buy
PSM, also subject to approval by the
Department in its sole discretion.
In Section X, the proposed Final
Judgment also provides that the United
States may appoint a Monitoring
Trustee with the power and authority to
investigate and report on defendants’
compliance with the terms of the
proposed Final Judgment and the Hold
Separate Stipulation and Order during
the pendency of the divestiture,
including regular reports on the process
of the divestiture. In this matter, the
European Commission also expects to
appoint a Monitoring Trustee to
facilitate the accomplishment of a
divestiture of assets relating to
competitive issues outside the United
States. Coordination between the
Department and the European
Commission relating to of the
appointment of a Monitoring Trustee
will help ensure that the agencies’
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respective divestitures will be
consistent and will be accomplished
effectively.
The Monitoring Trustee would not
have any responsibility or obligation for
the operation of the parties’ businesses.
The Monitoring Trustee would serve at
GE’s expense, on such terms and
conditions as the United States
approves, and defendants must assist
the trustee in fulfilling its obligations.
The Monitoring Trustee would file
monthly reports and would serve until
the divestiture is complete. The
Monitoring Trustee would serve until
the divestiture of PSM is finalized
pursuant to either Section IV or Section
V of the proposed Final Judgment.
According to Section V of the
proposed Final Judgment, in the event
that GE does not accomplish the
divestiture within the periods
prescribed in the proposed Final
Judgment, the Final Judgment provides
that the Court will appoint a Divestiture
Trustee selected by the United States to
effect the divestiture. If a Divestiture
Trustee is appointed, the proposed Final
Judgment provides that GE will pay all
costs and expenses of the trustee. The
Divestiture Trustee’s commission will
be structured so as to provide an
incentive for the trustee based on the
price obtained and the speed with
which the divestiture is accomplished.
After its appointment becomes effective,
the Divestiture Trustee will file monthly
reports with the Court and the United
States setting forth its efforts to
accomplish the divestiture. At the end
of six months, if the divestiture has not
been accomplished, the Divestiture
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 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
acquisition in the provision of
aftermarket parts and service used in the
installed base of GE 7FA gas turbines by
preserving PSM as an independent and
vigorous competitor to GE.
IV. 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
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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.
V. 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. In addition, comments will be
posted on the U.S. Department of
Justice, Antitrust Division’s internet
Web site and, under certain
circumstances, published in the Federal
Register.
Written comments should be
submitted to:
Maribeth Petrizzi
Chief, Litigation II Section
Antitrust Division
United States Department of Justice
450 Fifth Street, NW.
Washington, DC 20530
The proposed Final Judgment provides
that the Court retains jurisdiction over
this action, and the parties may apply to
the Court for any order necessary or
appropriate for the modification,
interpretation, or enforcement of the
Final Judgment.
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO THE
PROPOSED FINAL JUDGMENT
The United States considered, as an
alternative to the proposed Final
Judgment, a full trial on the merits
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against defendants. The United States
could have litigated and sought
preliminary and permanent injunctions
against GE’s acquisition of Alstom’s
entre power business. The United States
is satisfied, however, that the divestiture
of PSM described in the proposed Final
Judgment will preserve competition for
the provision of aftermarket parts and
service for the installed base of GE 7FA
gas turbines in the United States. 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.
VII. 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.
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
(D.C. Cir. 1995); see generally United
States v. SBC Commc’ns, Inc., 489 F.
Supp. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 2007) (assessing
public interest standard under the
Tunney Act); United States v, U.S.
Airways Group, Inc., No. 13-cv-1236
(CKK), 2014–1 Trade Cas. (CCH) ¶ 78,
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748, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57801, at *7
(D.D.C. Apr. 25, 2014) (noting the court
has broad discretion of the adequacy of
the relief at issue); United States v.
InBev N.V./S.A., No. 08–1965 (JR),
2009–2 Trade Cas. (CCH) ¶ 76,736, 2009
U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84787, at *3, (D.D.C.
Aug. 11, 2009) (noting that the court’s
review of a consent judgment is limited
and only inquires ‘‘into whether the
government’s determination that the
proposed remedies will cure the
antitrust violations alleged in the
complaint was reasonable, and whether
the mechanism to enforce the final
judgment are clear and manageable.’’).1
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
States v. BNS, Inc., 858 F.2d 456, 462
(9th Cir. 1988) (quoting 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.D.C. 2001);
InBev, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84787, at
*3. 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.
1 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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Bechtel, 648 F.2d at 666 (emphasis
added) (citations omitted).2 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 U.S. Airways, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
57801, at *16 (noting that a court should
not reject the proposed remedies
because it believes others are
preferable); 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-Daniels-Midland Co., 272 F.
Supp. 2d 1, 6 (D.D.C. 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.D.C. 1982) (citations
omitted) (quoting United States v.
Gillette Co., 406 F. Supp. 713, 716 (D.
Mass. 1975)), aff’d sub nom. Maryland
v. United States, 460 U.S. 1001 (1983);
see also U.S. Airways, 2014 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 57801, at *8 (noting that room
must be made for the government to
grant concessions in the negotiation
process for settlements (citing Microsoft,
56 F.3d at 1461); 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.
2 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’’’).
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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; see also U.S. Airways,
2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57801, at *9
(noting that the court must simply
determine whether there is a factual
foundation for the government’s
decisions such that its conclusions
regarding the proposed settlements are
reasonable; InBev, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
84787, at *20 (‘‘the ‘public interest’ is
not to be measured by comparing the
violations alleged in the complaint
against those the court believes could
have, or even should have, been
alleged’’). 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. Microsoft, 56 F.3d 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); see also
U.S. Airways, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
57801, at *9 (indicating that a court is
not required to hold an evidentiary
hearing or to permit intervenors as part
of its review under the Tunney Act).
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 Sen. 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
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sharply proscribed by precedent and the
nature of Tunney Act proceedings.’’
SBC Commc’ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 11.3
A court can make its public interest
determination based on the competitive
impact statement and response to public
comments alone. U.S. Airways, 2014
U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57801, at *9.
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
VIII. DETERMINATIVE DOCUMENTS
Final Judgment is the prompt and
There are no determinative materials
certain divestiture of certain rights or
or documents within the meaning of the assets by the defendants to assure that
APPA that were considered by the
competition is not substantially
United States in formulating the
lessened;
proposed Final Judgment.
AND WHEREAS, the United States
Dated: September 8, 2015
requires defendants to make certain
Respectfully submitted,
divestitures for the purpose of
/s/
remedying the loss of competition
llllllllllllllllll
l alleged in the Complaint;
James K. Foster
AND WHEREAS, defendants have
United States Department of Justice
represented to the United States that the
Antitrust Division, Litigation II Section
divestitures required below can and will
450 Fifth Street, NW
be made and that defendants will later
Suite 8700
raise no claim of hardship or difficulty
Washington, DC 20530
as grounds for asking the Court to
Tel.: (202) 514–8362
modify any of the divestiture provisions
Fax: (202) 514–9033
contained below;
Email: james.foster@usdoj.gov
NOW THEREFORE, before any
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
testimony is taken, without trial or
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
adjudication of any issue of fact or law,
and upon consent of the parties, it is
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED:
Plaintiff,
v.
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,
ALSTOM S.A., and
POWER SYSTEMS MFG., LLC,
Defendants.
CASE NO.: 1:15–cv–01460–RMC
JUDGE: Amy Berman Jackson
FILED: 09/08/2015
I. JURISDICTION
PROPOSED FINAL JUDGMENT
WHEREAS, Plaintiff, United States of
America, filed its Complaint on
September 8, 2015, the United States
and defendants, General Electric
Company, Alstom S.A., and Power
Systems Mfg., LLC, by their respective
attorneys, have consented to the entry of
this Final Judgment without trial or
adjudication of any issue of fact or law,
3 See United States v. Enova Corp., 107 F. Supp.
2d 10, 17 (D.D.C. 2000) (noting that the ‘‘Tunney
Act expressly allows the court to make its public
interest determination on the basis of the
competitive impact statement and response to
comments alone’’); United States v. Mid-Am.
Dairymen, Inc., No. 73–CV–681–W–1, 1977–1 Trade
Cas. (CCH) ¶ 61,508, at 71,980, *22 (W.D. Mo. 1977)
(‘‘Absent a showing of corrupt failure of the
government to discharge its duty, the Court, in
making its public interest finding, should . . .
carefully consider the explanations of the
government in the competitive impact statement
and its responses to comments in order to
determine whether those explanations are
reasonable under the circumstances.’’); S. Rep. No.
93–298, at 6 (1973) (‘‘Where the public interest can
be meaningfully evaluated simply on the basis of
briefs and oral arguments, that is the approach that
should be utilized.’’).
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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 Ansaldo or
another entity to which defendants
divest the Divestiture Assets.
B. ‘‘GE’’ means defendant General
Electric Company, a New York
corporation with its headquarters in
Fairfield, Connecticut, its successors
and assigns, and its subsidiaries,
divisions, groups, affiliates,
partnerships and joint ventures, and
their directors, officers, managers,
agents, and employees.
C. ‘‘Alstom’’ means defendant Alstom
S.A., a French corporation with its
headquarters in Levallois-Perret, France,
its successors and assigns, and its
subsidiaries, divisions, groups,
affiliates, partnerships and joint
ventures, and their directors, officers,
managers, agents, and employees.
D. ‘‘Closing’’ means the
consummation of the divestiture of all
the Divestiture Assets pursuant to either
Section IV or V of this Final Judgment.
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E. ‘‘Completion of the Transaction’’
means the closing of GE’s acquisition of
Alstom.
F. ‘‘PSM’’ means defendant Power
Systems Mfg., LLC, a Delaware company
with its headquarters in Jupiter, Florida,
its successors and assigns, and its
subsidiaries, divisions, groups,
affiliates, partnerships and joint
ventures, and their directors, officers,
managers, agents, and employees.
G. ‘‘Ansaldo’’ means Ansaldo Energia
S.P.A., an Italian corporation with its
headquarters in Genoa, Italy, its
successors and assigns, and its
subsidiaries, divisions, groups,
affiliates, partnerships and joint
ventures, and their directors, officers,
managers, agents, and employees.
H. ‘‘Divestiture Assets’’ means PSM
and the assets owned or under the
control of PSM, including, but not
limited to:
1. PSM’s rights with respect to the
facilities located at 1440 West
Indiantown Road, Jupiter, Florida 33458
and 4318 South Dr., Missouri City,
Texas 77489;
2. All tangible assets, including
research and development activities; all
manufacturing equipment, tooling and
fixed assets, personal property,
inventory, office furniture, materials,
supplies, and other tangible property;
all licenses, permits and authorizations
issued by any governmental
organization; all contracts, teaming
arrangements, agreements, leases,
commitments, certifications, and
understandings, including supply
agreements; all customer lists, contracts,
accounts, and credit records; all repair
and performance records and all other
records; and
3. All intangible assets, including, but
not limited to, all patents, licenses and
sublicenses, intellectual property,
copyrights, trademarks, trade names,
service marks, service names, technical
information, computer software and
related documentation, know-how,
trade secrets, drawings, blueprints,
designs, design protocols, specifications
for materials, specifications for parts
and devices, safety procedures for the
handling of materials and substances,
quality assurance and control
procedures, design tools and simulation
capability, all manuals and technical
information PSM provides to its own
employees, customers, suppliers, agents
or licensees, and all research data
relating to PSM, including, but not
limited to, designs of experiments, and
the results of successful and
unsuccessful designs and experiments.
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III. APPLICABILITY
A. This Final Judgment applies to GE,
Alstom, and PSM, 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 V 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
purchaser 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.
IV. DIVESTITURES
A. GE is ordered and directed, within
ninety (90) 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 use their best efforts to divest the
Divestiture Assets as expeditiously as
possible.
B. In the event that Ansaldo is not the
Acquirer, GE shall make known, by
usual and customary means, the
availability of the Divestiture Assets.
Defendants shall inform any person
making an 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 privileges
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 provide the
Acquirer and the United States
information relating to PSM personnel
to enable the Acquirer to make offers of
employment. Defendants will not
interfere with any negotiations by the
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Acquirer to employ any PSM employee
or any Alstom employee whose primary
responsibility is the production,
development and sale of aftermarket
parts and service for GE 7FA gas
turbines.
D. Defendants shall permit
prospective acquirers of the Divestiture
Assets to have reasonable access to
personnel and to make inspections of
the physical facilities of PSM; 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.
E. Defendant GE shall warrant to the
Acquirer that the Divestiture Assets will
be operational on the Closing date.
F. Defendants shall not take any
action that will impede in any way the
permitting, operation, or divestiture of
the Divestiture Assets.
G. Defendant GE 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.
H. Unless the United States otherwise
consents in writing, the divestiture
pursuant to Section IV, or by Divestiture
Trustee appointed pursuant to Section
V, of this Final Judgment, shall include
the entire Divestiture Assets, and 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 in the
development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines. The divestitures, whether
pursuant to Section IV or V of this Final
Judgment,
(1) shall be made to an Acquirer that,
in the United States’s sole judgment, has
the intent and capability (including the
necessary managerial, operational,
technical and financial capability) of
competing effectively in the
development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines; 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 an Acquirer and
defendants give defendants the ability
unreasonably to raise the Acquirer’s
costs, to lower the Acquirer’s efficiency,
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or otherwise to interfere in the ability of
the Acquirer to compete effectively.
V. APPOINTMENT OF DIVESTITURE
TRUSTEE
A. If GE has not divested the
Divestiture Assets within the time
period specified in Paragraph IV(A),
defendants shall notify the United
States of that fact in writing. Upon
application of the United States, the
Court shall appoint a Divestiture
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
Divestiture Trustee becomes effective,
only the Divestiture Trustee shall have
the right to sell the Divestiture Assets.
The Divestiture 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 Divestiture
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 Paragraph V(D) of this Final
Judgment, the Divestiture Trustee may
hire at the cost and expense of
defendants any investment bankers,
attorneys, or other agents, who shall be
solely accountable to the Divestiture
Trustee, reasonably necessary in the
Divestiture Trustee’s judgment to assist
in the divestiture. Any such investment
bankers, attorneys, or other agents shall
serve on such terms and conditions as
the United States approves including
confidentiality requirements and
conflict of interest certifications.
C. Defendants shall not object to a sale
by the Divestiture Trustee on any
ground other than the Divestiture
Trustee’s malfeasance. Any such
objections by defendants must be
conveyed in writing to the United States
and the Divestiture Trustee within ten
(10) calendar days after the Divestiture
Trustee has provided the notice
required under Section VI.
D. The Divestiture Trustee shall serve
at the cost and expense of GE pursuant
to a written agreement, on such terms
and conditions as the United States
approves, including confidentiality
requirements and conflict of interest
certifications. The Divestiture Trustee
shall account for all monies derived
from the sale of the assets sold by the
Divestiture Trustee and all costs and
expenses so incurred. After approval by
the Court of the Divestiture Trustee’s
accounting, including fees for its
services yet unpaid and those of any
professionals and agents retained by the
Divestiture Trustee, all remaining
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money shall be paid to GE and the trust
shall then be terminated. The
compensation of the Divestiture Trustee
and any professionals and agents
retained by the Divestiture Trustee shall
be reasonable in light of the value of the
Divestiture Assets and based on a fee
arrangement providing the Divestiture
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. If the Divestiture Trustee
and GE are unable to reach agreement
on the Divestiture Trustee’s or any
agent’s or consultant’s compensation or
other terms and conditions of
engagement within fourteen (14)
calendar days of appointment of the
Divestiture Trustee, the United States
may, in its sole discretion, take
appropriate action, including making a
recommendation to the Court. The
Divestiture Trustee shall, within three
(3) business days of hiring any other
professionals or agents, provide written
notice of such hiring and the rate of
compensation to defendants and the
United States.
E. Defendants shall use their best
efforts to assist the Divestiture Trustee
in accomplishing the required
divestiture. The Divestiture Trustee and
any consultants, accountants, attorneys,
and other agents retained by the
Divestiture Trustee shall have full and
complete access to the personnel, books,
records, and facilities of the business to
be divested, and defendants shall
develop financial and other information
relevant to such business as the
Divestiture Trustee may reasonably
request, subject to reasonable protection
for trade secret or other confidential
research, development, or commercial
information or any applicable
privileges. Defendants shall take no
action to interfere with or to impede the
Divestiture Trustee’s accomplishment of
the divestiture.
F. After its appointment, the
Divestiture Trustee shall file monthly
reports with the United States and, as
appropriate, the Court setting forth the
Divestiture Trustee’s efforts to
accomplish the divestiture ordered
under this Final Judgment. To the extent
such reports contain information that
the Divestiture Trustee deems
confidential, such reports shall not be
filed in the public docket of the Court.
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
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Assets, and shall describe in detail each
contact with any such person. The
Divestiture Trustee shall maintain full
records of all efforts made to divest the
Divestiture Assets.
G. If the Divestiture Trustee has not
accomplished the divestiture ordered
under this Final Judgment within six
months after its appointment, the
Divestiture Trustee shall promptly file
with the Court a report setting forth (1)
the Divestiture Trustee’s efforts to
accomplish the required divestiture, (2)
the reasons, in the Divestiture Trustee’s
judgment, why the required divestiture
has not been accomplished, and (3) the
Divestiture Trustee’s recommendations.
To the extent such report’s contains
information that the Divestiture Trustee
deems confidential, such report’s shall
not be filed in the public docket of the
Court. The Divestiture 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 Divestiture Trustee’s appointment
by a period requested by the United
States.
H. If the United States determines that
the Divestiture Trustee has ceased to act
or failed to act diligently or in a
reasonably cost-effective manner, it may
recommend the Court appoint a
substitute Divestiture Trustee.
VI. NOTICE OF PROPOSED
DIVESTITURE
A. Within two (2) business days
following execution of a definitive
divestiture agreement, GE or the
Divestiture Trustee, whichever is then
responsible for effecting the divestiture
required herein, shall notify the United
States of any proposed divestiture
required by Section IV or V of this Final
Judgment. If the Divestiture Trustee is
responsible, it shall similarly notify
defendants. The notice 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 GE and PSM, the proposed
Acquirer, any other third party, or the
Divestiture Trustee, if applicable,
additional information concerning the
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proposed divestiture, the proposed
Acquirer, and any other potential
Acquirer. Defendants and the
Divestiture 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 thirty (30) calendar days
after receipt of the notice or within
twenty (20) calendar days after the
United States has been provided the
additional information requested from
defendants, the proposed Acquirer, any
third party, and the Divestiture Trustee,
whichever is later, the United States
shall provide written notice to
defendants and the Divestiture 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 Paragraph
V(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 V shall not be consummated. Upon
objection by defendants under
Paragraph V(C), a divestiture proposed
under Section V shall not be
consummated unless approved by the
Court.
VII. FINANCING
Defendants shall not finance all or
any part of any purchase made pursuant
to Section IV or V of this Final
Judgment.
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VIII. HOLD SEPARATE
Until the divestiture required by this
Final Judgment has been accomplished,
Alstom shall until the Completion of the
Transaction, and GE shall until Closing,
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
divestiture ordered by this Court.
IX. 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 divestiture has
been completed under Section IV or V,
Alstom shall until the Completion of the
Transaction, and GE shall until Closing,
deliver to the United States an affidavit
as to the fact and manner of its
compliance with Section IV or V of this
Final Judgment. Each such affidavit
shall include the name, address, and
telephone number of each person who,
during the preceding thirty (30)
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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 limitation 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, Alstom shall until the
Completion of the Transaction, and GE
shall until Closing, 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 VIII 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.
X. APPOINTMENT OF MONITORING
TRUSTEE
A. Upon application of the United
States, the Court shall appoint a
Monitoring Trustee selected by the
United States and approved by the
Court.
B. The Monitoring Trustee shall have
the power and authority to monitor
defendants’ compliance with the terms
of this Final Judgment and the Hold
Separate Stipulation and Order entered
by this Court, and shall have such other
powers as this Court deems appropriate.
The Monitoring Trustee shall be
required to investigate and report on the
defendants’ compliance with this Final
Judgment and the Hold Separate
Stipulation and Order and the
defendants’ progress toward effectuating
the purposes of this Final Judgment.
C. Subject to Paragraph X(E) of this
Final Judgment, the Monitoring Trustee
may hire at the cost and expense of GE
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any consultants, accountants, attorneys,
or other agents, who shall be solely
accountable to the Monitoring Trustee,
reasonably necessary in the Monitoring
Trustee’s judgment. Any such
consultants, accountants, attorneys, or
other agents shall serve on such terms
and conditions as the United States
approves, including confidentiality
requirements and conflict of interest
certifications.
D. Defendants shall not object to
actions taken by the Monitoring Trustee
in fulfillment of the Monitoring
Trustee’s responsibilities under any
Order of this Court on any ground other
than the Monitoring Trustee’s
malfeasance. Any such objections by
defendants must be conveyed in writing
to the United States and the Monitoring
Trustee within ten (10) calendar days
after the action taken by the Monitoring
Trustee giving rise to the defendants’
objection.
E. The Monitoring Trustee shall serve
at the cost and expense of GE pursuant
to a written agreement with defendants
and on such terms and conditions as the
United States approves, including
confidentiality requirements and
conflict of interest certifications. The
compensation of the Monitoring Trustee
and any consultants, accountants,
attorneys, and other agents retained by
the Monitoring Trustee shall be on
reasonable and customary terms
commensurate with the individuals’
experience and responsibilities. If the
Monitoring Trustee and GE are unable
to reach agreement on the Monitoring
Trustee’s or any agent’s or consultant’s
compensation or other terms and
conditions of engagement within
fourteen (14) calendar days of
appointment of the Monitoring Trustee,
the United States may, in its sole
discretion, take appropriate action,
including making a recommendation to
the Court. The Monitoring Trustee shall,
within three (3) business days of hiring
any consultants, accountants, attorneys,
or other agents, provide written notice
of such hiring and the rate of
compensation to defendants and the
United States.
F. The Monitoring Trustee shall have
no responsibility or obligation for the
operation of defendants’ businesses.
G. Defendants shall use their best
efforts to assist the Monitoring Trustee
in monitoring defendants’ compliance
with their individual obligations under
this Final Judgment and under the Hold
Separate Stipulation and Order. The
Monitoring Trustee and any consultants,
accountants, attorneys, and other agents
retained by the Monitoring Trustee shall
have full and complete access to the
personnel, books, records, and facilities
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relating to compliance with this Final
Judgment, subject to reasonable
protection for trade secret or other
confidential research, development, or
commercial information or any
applicable privileges. Defendants shall
take no action to interfere with or to
impede the Monitoring Trustee’s
accomplishment of its responsibilities.
H. After its appointment, the
Monitoring Trustee shall file reports
monthly, or more frequently as needed,
with the United States, and, as
appropriate, the Court setting forth
defendants’ efforts to comply with their
obligations under this Final Judgment
and under the Hold Separate Stipulation
and Order. To the extent such reports
contain information that the Monitoring
Trustee deems confidential, such
reports shall not be filed in the public
docket of the Court.
I. The Monitoring Trustee shall serve
until the divestiture of all the
Divestiture Assets is finalized pursuant
to either Section IV or V of this Final
Judgment.
J. If the United States determines that
the Monitoring Trustee has ceased to act
or failed to act diligently or in a
reasonably cost-effective manner, it may
recommend the Court appoint a
substitute Monitoring Trustee.
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XI. COMPLIANCE INSPECTION
A. For the purposes of determining or
securing compliance with this Final
Judgment, or of any related orders such
as any Hold Separate Order, 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, 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
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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 response to
written interrogatories, under oath if
requested, relating to any of the matters
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), or
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).
XII. NO REACQUISITION
Defendants may not reacquire any
part of the Divestiture Assets during the
term of this Final Judgment.
XIII. 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.
XIV. EXPIRATION OF FINAL
JUDGMENT
Unless this Court grants an extension,
this Final Judgment shall expire ten
years from the date of its entry.
XV. 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,
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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 response to comments
filed with the Court, entry of this Final
Judgment is in the public interest.
Date: llllllllllllllll
Court approval subject to procedures of
Antitrust Procedures and Penalties
Act, 15 U.S.C. 16
llllllllllllllllll
l
United States District Judge
[FR Doc. 2015–24044 Filed 9–21–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Justice Programs
[OJP (OVC) Docket No. 1696]
Meeting of the National Coordination
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ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
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E:\FR\FM\22SEN1.SGM
22SEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 183 (Tuesday, September 22, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57205-57216]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24044]
[[Page 57205]]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Antitrust Division
United States v. General Electric Company, et al.; Proposed Final
Judgment and Competitive Impact Statement
Notice is hereby given pursuant to the Antitrust Procedures and
Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. 16(b)-(h), that a proposed Final Judgment,
Stipulation, and Competitive Impact Statement have been filed with the
United States District Court for the District of Columbia in United
States of America v. General Electric Company, et. al., Civil Action
No. 15-1460. On September 8, 2015, the United States filed a Complaint
alleging that General Electric's proposed acquisition of Alstom S.A.'s
power-related businesses would violate Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15
U.S.C. 18. The proposed Final Judgment, filed at the same time as the
Complaint, requires General Electric to divest Power Systems Mfg., LLC.
Copies of the Complaint, proposed Final Judgment, and Competitive
Impact Statement are available for inspection on the Antitrust
Division's Web site at https://www.justice.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, including the name of the submitter, and
responses thereto, will be posted on the Antitrust Division's Web site,
filed with the Court, and, under certain circumstances, published in
the Federal Register. Comments should be directed to Maribeth Petrizzi,
Chief, Litigation II Section, Antitrust Division, Department of
Justice, 450 Fifth Street NW., Suite 8700, Washington, DC 20530
(telephone: 202-307-0924).
Patricia A. Brink,
Director of Civil Enforcement.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust
Division, 450 Fifth Street NW., Suite 8700, Washington, DC 20530,
Plaintiff, v. GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, 3135 Easton Turnpike,
Fairfield, Connecticut 06828, ALSTOM S.A., 3, Avenue Andr[eacute]
Malraux, 92309 Levallois-Perret Cedex, France, and POWER SYSTEMS
MFG., LLC, 1440 West Indiantown Road, Jupiter, Florida 33458,
Defendants.
CASE NO.: 1:15-cv-01460-RMC
JUDGE: Amy Berman Jackson
FILED: 09/08/2015
COMPLAINT
The United States of America (``United States''), acting under the
direction of the Attorney General of the United States, brings this
civil antitrust action to enjoin the proposed acquisition of Alstom
S.A. and Power Systems Mfg., LLC (``PSM'') by General Electric Company
(``GE'') and to obtain other equitable relief. The United States
alleges as follows:
I. NATURE OF THE ACTION
1. GE proposes to acquire PSM, a Florida-based wholly owned
subsidiary of Alstom. GE is a leading producer of large gas turbines
used in the United States for the production of electricity. GE and PSM
are the two leading providers of aftermarket parts and service for the
most common gas turbine model used for power generation in the United
States, the GE 7FA, which represents nearly 70 percent of the GE
installed base of gas turbines.
2. The proposed acquisition would eliminate head-to-head
competition between GE and PSM. For a significant number of customers,
typically power generation companies, GE and PSM are by far the two
best sources of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines,
with a combined market share of approximately 92 percent. The proposed
acquisition likely would give GE the ability to raise prices or
decrease the quality of service provided to these customers. In
addition, the proposed acquisition would eliminate PSM as a vigorous
product innovator for the GE installed base and likely would reduce
GE's incentive to innovate in response to PSM. As a result, the
proposed acquisition likely would substantially lessen competition in
the development, manufacture, and sale of gas turbine aftermarket parts
and service in the United States, in violation of Section 7 of the
Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. 18.
II. THE DEFENDANTS AND THE TRANSACTION
3. Defendant General Electric Company is a New York corporation
with its principal offices in Fairfield, Connecticut. GE is a global
manufacturing, technology and services company. GE's subsidiary, GE
Power and Water, provides power generation, energy delivery, and water
process technologies in a number of areas of the energy industry,
including wind and solar, biogas and alternative fuels, and coal, oil,
natural gas, and nuclear energy. GE offers a wide spectrum of heavy-
duty gas turbines. GE also is the dominant supplier of aftermarket
parts and service for GE gas turbines. In 2014, GE's worldwide revenues
were $148.6 billion, and its U.S. revenues from aftermarket parts and
service for GE 7FA gas turbines were approximately $730 million.
4. Defendant Power Systems Mfg., LLC, a Delaware corporation
headquartered in Jupiter, Florida, is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Alstom, a French corporation headquartered in Levallois-Perret, France.
Alstom offers global power generation, electric grid, and rail solution
products and services. PSM provides aftermarket parts and service for a
variety of engines manufactured by other companies and for GE gas
turbine engines, including the GE 7FA model. In 2014, PSM's worldwide
revenues were approximately $226 million, and its U.S. revenues for
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines were
approximately $90 million.
5. Pursuant to a set of agreements dated November 4, 2014, GE
intends to enter a multi-stage transaction with Alstom. First, GE will
purchase Alstom's thermal and renewable power and grid business. Then,
Alstom will acquire GE's rail signaling business. Finally, GE and
Alstom will enter three joint ventures, each 51 percent owned by GE,
involving the renewable energy businesses, the grid, and a global
nuclear and French steam turbine business, in which the French
government subsequently will obtain preferred shares and governance
rights. GE will maintain complete ownership of the thermal power
business, including PSM, acquired from Alstom. The value of the multi-
stage transaction is approximately $13.8 billion.
III. JURISDICTION AND VENUE
6. The United States brings this action pursuant to Section 15 of
the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 25, to prevent and restrain
defendants from violating Section 7 of the Clayton Action, 15 U.S.C.
18.
7. Defendants GE and PSM develop, manufacture, and sell aftermarket
parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the flow of interstate
commerce. Defendants' activities in the development, manufacture, and
sale of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines
substantially affect interstate commerce. The 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.
8. Defendants have consented to venue and personal jurisdiction in
the District of Columbia. Venue is therefore proper in this District
under Section 12
[[Page 57206]]
of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. 22, and 28 U.S.C. 1391(c).
IV. TRADE AND COMMERCE
A. Industry Background
9. Gas turbines are a type of internal combustion engine in which
burning of an air-fuel mixture produces hot gases that spin a turbine
to produce power. Gas turbines have been used to generate electricity
since the 1930s. Today, gas turbines are widely used for power
generation throughout the United States.
10. The key internal working parts of a gas turbine engine are the
rotor, the buckets (also known as blades), and the nozzles (also known
as vanes). The rotor is the main rotating component of the turbine. The
buckets and nozzles are located in the combustion chamber and for the
GE 7FA are configured in three stages. Stage one parts are the most
difficult to design and manufacture, due to required heat tolerances,
and are the most costly. The combustion chamber of the turbine is
super-heated during its operation and the bucket and nozzle parts must
be cooled to prevent melting the alloy materials that comprise the
chamber. A full set of replacement parts typically can range in price
from several million dollars up to $15 million.
11. Gas turbines may be classified as mature or non-mature.
Maturity relates to whether the gas turbine has been in operation long
enough for aftermarket firms to reverse engineer and manufacture
formerly proprietary replacement parts. Generally, a turbine is
considered mature within 10 to 15 years after it is introduced into the
market or installed. Mature turbines, like other mechanical equipment,
require servicing and new or refurbished replacement parts.
12. GE 7FA gas turbines have life spans of approximately 30 years.
Service is needed every three to eight years, with major overhauls
required every 10 to 16 years. Gas turbine aftermarket parts and
service can be provided by the original equipment manufacturer
(``OEM'') that manufactured the original equipment or by an independent
service provider. With the initial sale of the gas turbine, the OEM and
the customer usually enter into a long-term service agreement
(``LTSA''), which may range from five to 15 years in duration. LTSAs,
which are typically based on total hours of operation, cover the
provision of replacement parts and service after the installation of
the turbine. If a customer enters into a LTSA with the OEM, typically
an independent service provider is unable to compete for the
replacement parts or service business of that customer for the length
of that LTSA. Independent service providers may compete for a
customer's replacement parts and service business only upon the
expiration of the LTSA. The OEM, however, often seeks to enter another
LTSA when the first LTSA expires.
13. Some independent service providers offer only aftermarket
service or a limited range of aftermarket parts. Generally, more firms
provide older parts or basic services; fewer are able to provide parts
or services that satisfy the heat tolerances of the first stage of the
hot gas portion of the gas turbine. GE's 7FA gas turbine was first
installed in 1990 and remains the most common and one of the most
technologically advanced GE models installed today. Only a limited
number of firms have the capability and experience to reverse engineer,
manufacture, and improve the formerly proprietary parts.
14. Currently, GE's U.S. installed base numbers more than 1220
machines and comprises approximately 68 percent of all gas turbines in
service in the power generation industry (generally, large gas turbines
over 90 megawatts). Of this installed base, GE 7FAs represent 54
percent.
B. The Relevant Product Market
15. Gas turbine aftermarket parts and service are distinct for each
brand and model. A rotor for a non-GE machine could not be used on a GE
7FA, and a nozzle for a GE 7FA engine likely could not be used on
another GE model machine. Moreover, other types of parts and service
cannot be substituted for GE 7FA aftermarket parts and service. For
instance, aftermarket parts and service for steam or wind turbines
cannot be used for GE 7FA gas turbines.
16. A small but significant increase in the price of aftermarket
parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines would not cause customers of
those parts and service to substitute a different kind of aftermarket
part or service, or to reduce purchases of aftermarket parts or service
for GE 7FA gas turbines, in volumes sufficient to make such a price
increase unprofitable. Accordingly, the development, manufacture, and
sale of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines is a line
of commerce and relevant market within the meaning of Section 7 of the
Clayton Act.
C. The Relevant Geographic Market
17. Although aftermarket parts for GE 7FA gas turbines may be
manufactured outside of the United States, suppliers of aftermarket
parts for GE 7FA gas turbines typically deliver them to their
customer's locations in the United States.
18. Most U.S. customers of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines consider only those qualified suppliers with a strong
national presence and local support, including regional parts
distribution centers. U.S. customers insist on facilities located in
the United States for timely delivery of parts and prompt deployment of
personnel.
19. A small but significant increase in the price of aftermarket
parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the United States would
not cause a sufficient number of U.S. customers to turn to providers of
those parts and service that do not have a substantial presence in the
United States so as to make such a price increase unprofitable.
Accordingly, the United States is a relevant geographic market within
the meaning of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
D. Anticompetitive Effects of the Proposed Acquisition
20. GE's acquisition of PSM would eliminate competition between GE
and PSM for aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines in
the United States. The competition between GE and PSM in the
development, manufacture, and sale of aftermarket parts and service for
GE 7FA gas turbines in the United States has benefitted customers. GE
and PSM compete directly on price, innovation, and quality of service.
21. Only three competitors, including GE and PSM, develop,
manufacture, and sell aftermarket parts to offer with their service for
GE 7FA gas turbines in the United States. GE and PSM have market shares
of 83 and nine percent respectively. A third firm, which manufactures
some aftermarket parts, has a market share of two percent. The
remaining fringe participants in aftermarket service in the United
States do not manufacture their own parts and must provide either
refurbished parts or parts made by PSM or the third firm because GE
does not make parts available to third-party service providers.
22. Customers with an expiring GE LTSA who want a provider of new
aftermarket parts other than GE have two options, PSM or the third
firm. Accordingly, the acquisition would reduce the number of
competitors for the development, manufacture, and sale of aftermarket
parts and service for GE 7FAs from three to two.
23. The third firm does not provide a complete line of 7FA
aftermarket parts. In addition, the third firm does not meet the
supplier qualification standards of some customers. For a customer
trying
[[Page 57207]]
to purchase a 7FA part not sold by the third firm or who has
qualification standards not met by the third firm, the acquisition
would reduce the number of suppliers for the development, manufacture,
and sale of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FAs to only one.
24. The response of the third firm and the fringe participants in
aftermarket service would not be sufficient to constrain a unilateral
exercise of market power by GE after the acquisition. The effect of
PSM's entry on prices shows the impact of its presence in the market.
Since 1998, when PSM began competing with GE to provide aftermarket
parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines, prices of GE 7FA replacement
parts dropped by 60 to 70 percent. Further, gas turbine life-cycle
costs (prices for GE LTSAs and renewed GE LTSAs) dropped by as much as
50 percent when PSM began to offer replacement parts for the GE 7FA gas
turbines. Although other firms, including the third firm, since have
entered the market with some aftermarket parts and services offerings,
no firm, or combination of firms, is positioned to constrain a
unilateral exercise of market power by GE after the acquisition.
25. A merged GE and PSM also likely would reduce innovation in the
development of improved aftermarket parts for GE gas turbines. PSM has
led innovation for aftermarket parts for GE 7FA turbines. Some of the
aftermarket parts developed by PSM for GE turbines are superior in
performance to GE parts.
26. As articulated in the Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued by
the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, the
Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (``HHI''), discussed in Appendix A, is a
measure of market concentration. Market concentration is often a useful
indicator of the level of competitive vigor in a market and the likely
competitive effects of a merger. The more concentrated a market, the
more likely it is that a transaction would result in a meaningful
reduction in competition, harming consumers.
27. In the U.S. market for the development, manufacture, and sale
of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines, the pre-
merger HHI is 6,994; the post-merger HHI is 8,448, with an increase in
the HHI of 1,494. Consistent with the Horizontal Merger Guidelines,
this market is highly concentrated and would become significantly more
concentrated as a result of the proposed acquisition.
28. The proposed transaction, therefore, likely would substantially
lessen competition in the development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States and lead to higher prices and decreased innovation and quality
of service in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
E. Difficulty of Entry
29. Entry of additional competitors into the development,
manufacture, and sale of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas
turbines in the United States is unlikely to be timely or sufficient to
prevent the harm to competition caused by the elimination of PSM as a
supplier of aftermarket products and service for the GE 7FA gas
turbine.
30. Firms attempting to enter into the development, manufacture,
and sale of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines face
substantial entry barriers in terms of cost and time. While many of the
patents have expired on older GE 7FA models, a competitor must have the
capability to produce the most complex replacement parts.
31. First, entrants must have the technical capabilities necessary
to design and manufacture the parts. Specific, unique buckets and
nozzles are cast, and highly customized coatings are required to
protect these metal alloy parts from melting in the combustion chamber.
The required capabilities include design expertise, metals casting
technology, and metals coating technology.
32. Second, customers of aftermarket parts or service that involve
a shutdown of the gas turbine (``outage'') often require the provider
to have a comprehensive list of parts, expertise with the specific gas
turbine model and parts or service, and a superior record and
reputation with customers. Such shutdowns involve significant expense
and effort, so customers minimize the risk of extended or additional
outages. Customers often take advantage of planned service outages to
invite potential suppliers to obtain measurements and conduct
inspections required for bids for the next round of planned aftermarket
parts and service. Obtaining each of the qualifications required for
aftermarket parts or service that involves outages is a significant
challenge for a new entrant.
33. As a result of these barriers, entry into the development,
manufacture, and sale of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas
turbines in the United States would not be timely, likely, or
sufficient to defeat the substantial lessening of competition that
likely would result from GE's acquisition of PSM.
V. VIOLATION ALLEGED
34. The acquisition of PSM by GE likely would substantially lessen
competition for the development, manufacture, and sale of aftermarket
parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the United States in
violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 18.
35. Unless enjoined, the transaction likely would have the
following anticompetitive effects, among others:
a. actual and potential competition between GE and PSM in the
market for the development, manufacture, and sale of aftermarket parts
and service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the United States would be
eliminated;
b. competition generally in the market for the development,
manufacture, and sale of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas
turbines in the United States would be substantially lessened;
c. prices for aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines
in the United States likely would be less favorable, and innovation and
quality of service relating to aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines in the United States likely would decline.
VI. REQUESTED RELIEF
36. The United States requests that this Court:
a. adjudge and decree GE's proposed acquisition of PSM to be
unlawful and in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C.
Sec. 18;
b. preliminarily and permanently enjoin and restrain defendants and
all persons acting on their behalf from consummating the proposed
acquisition of PSM by GE or from entering into or carrying out any
contract, agreement, plan, or understanding, the effect of which would
be to combine PSM with the operations of GE;
c. award the United States its costs of this action; and
d. award the United States such other and further relief as the
Court deems just and proper.
Respectfully submitted,
FOR PLAINTIFF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
/s/
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Renata B. Hesse
Acting Assistant Attorney General
/s/
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Maribeth Petrizzi
Chief, Litigation II Section
D.C. Bar # 435204
/s/
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David I. Gelfand
Deputy Assistant Attorney General
[[Page 57208]]
D.C. Bar # 416596
/s/
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Dorothy B. Fountain
Assistant Chief, Litigation II Section
D.C. Bar # 439469
/s/
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Patricia A. Brink
Director of Civil Enforcement
/s/
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James K. Foster
Stephen A. Harris
Kerrie J. Freeborn (D.C. Bar # 503143)
Doha G. Mekki
Attorneys
U.S. Department of Justice
Antitrust Division, Litigation II Section
450 Fifth Street, NW., Suite 8700
Washington, DC 20530
Tel.: (202) 514-8362
Fax: (202) 514-9033
Email: james.foster@;usdoj.gov
Dated: September 8, 2015
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 percent, 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 a maximum of 10,000 points when it 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 1,500 and 2,500 points are
considered to be moderately concentrated and markets in which the HHI
is in excess of 2,500 points are considered to be highly concentrated.
See Horizontal Merger Guidelines Sec. 5.3 (issued by the U.S.
Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on August 19,
2010). Transactions that increase the HHI by more than 200 points in
highly concentrated markets will be presumed likely to enhance market
power. Id.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
v.
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,
ALSTOM S.A., and
POWER SYSTEMS MFG., LLC,
Defendants.
CASE NO.: 1:15-cv-01460-RMC
JUDGE: Amy Berman Jackson
FILED: 09/08/2015
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. Sec. 16(b)-(h), files this Competitive
Impact Statement relating to the proposed Final Judgment submitted for
entry in this civil antitrust proceeding.
I. NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE PROCEEDING
Defendant General Electric Company (``GE'') and defendant Alstom
S.A. entered into a set of agreements, dated November 4, 2014, pursuant
to which GE intends to enter a multi-stage transaction with Alstom in
which GE will acquire all of Alstom's power-related businesses,
including Alstom's wholly owned subsidiary, defendant Power Systems
Mfg., LLC (``PSM''). The value of the multi-stage transaction is
approximately $13.8 billion.
The United States filed a civil antitrust Complaint on September 8,
2015, seeking to enjoin the proposed acquisition. The Complaint alleges
that the likely effect of the acquisition would be to lessen
competition substantially in the development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. Sec.
18. This loss of competition likely would give GE the ability to raise
prices, lessen innovation, and lower the quality of service for
customers in the United States.
At the same time the Complaint was filed, the United States also
filed a Hold Separate Stipulation and Order and proposed Final
Judgment, which are designed to eliminate the anticompetitive effects
of the acquisition. Under the proposed Final Judgment, which is
explained more fully below, GE is required to divest PSM, which
includes the research, development, manufacturing, and repair and
reconditioning facilities located in Jupiter, Florida, and Missouri
City, Texas, and all of PSM's tangible and intangible assets. Under the
terms of the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order, defendants will take
certain steps to ensure that PSM is operated as a competitively
independent, economically viable and ongoing business concern that will
remain independent and uninfluenced by the consummation of the
acquisition, and that competition is maintained during the pendency of
the ordered divestiture.
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 proposed Final Judgment and to punish violations
thereof.
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS GIVING RISE TO THE ALLEGED VIOLATION
A. The Defendants and the Transaction
Defendant GE is a New York corporation with its principal offices
in Fairfield, Connecticut. GE is a global manufacturing, technology and
services company. GE's subsidiary, GE Power and Water, provides power
generation, energy delivery, and water process technologies in a number
of areas of the energy industry, including wind and solar, biogas and
alternative fuels, and coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy. GE
offers a wide spectrum of heavy-duty gas turbines. GE also is the
dominant supplier of aftermarket parts and service for GE gas turbines.
In 2014, GE's worldwide revenues were $148.6 billion, and its revenues
from aftermarket parts and service for the relevant GE gas turbines
were approximately $730 million.
Defendant PSM, a Delaware corporation headquartered in Jupiter,
Florida, is a wholly and directly owned subsidiary of defendant Alstom,
a French corporation headquartered in Levallois-Perret, France. Alstom
offers global power generation, electric grid, and rail solution
products and services. PSM provides aftermarket parts and service for a
variety of engines manufactured by other companies and for GE gas
turbine engines, including the GE 7FA model (described below). In 2014,
PSM's worldwide revenues were approximately $226 million, and revenues
for aftermarket parts and service for the GE 7FA gas turbines were
approximately $90 million.
Pursuant to a set of agreements dated November 4, 2014, GE intends
to enter a multi-stage transaction with Alstom. First, GE will purchase
Alstom's thermal and renewable power and grid business. Then, Alstom
will acquire GE's rail signaling business. Finally, GE and Alstom will
enter three joint ventures, each 51 percent owned by GE, involving the
renewable energy businesses, the grid, and a global
[[Page 57209]]
nuclear and French steam turbine business, in which the French
government will hold preferred shares and governance rights. GE will
maintain complete ownership of the thermal power business, including
PSM, acquired from Alstom. The value of the multi-stage transaction is
approximately $13.8 billion.
B. Competitive Effects of the Transaction
An extensive investigation by the Department revealed that PSM is
GE's primary competitor in the aftermarket sale of parts and services
for the installed base of GE gas turbines in the United States, and
that GE's acquisition of PSM likely would eliminate competition between
GE and PSM in this market. A substantial number of power generation
customers indicated that they currently experience the advantages of
vigorous competition between PSM and GE, and the status of PSM as GE's
primary competitor is confirmed in the firms' respective business
documents. The competition between GE and PSM in the development,
manufacture, and sale of aftermarket parts and service, particularly
for GE 7FA gas turbines, clearly has benefitted customers on price,
quality of service, and innovation.
Gas turbines are a type of internal combustion engine in which
burning of an air-fuel mixture produces hot gases that spin a turbine
to produce power. Gas turbines have been used to generate electricity
since the 1930s. Today, gas turbines are widely used for power
generation throughout the United States. The key internal working parts
of a gas turbine engine are the rotor, the buckets (also known as
blades), and the nozzles (also known as vanes). A full set of
replacement parts typically can range in price from several million
dollars up to $15 million.
Mature turbines, like other mechanical equipment, require servicing
and new or refurbished replacement parts. Service is needed every three
to eight years, with major overhauls required every 10 to 16 years. Gas
turbine aftermarket parts and service are provided by the original
equipment manufacturer or by an independent service provider. GE 7FA
gas turbines have life spans of approximately 30 years. With the
initial sale of the gas turbine, the OEM and the customer usually enter
into a long-term service agreement (LTSA), which may range from five to
15 years in duration. LTSAs, which are typically based on total hours
of operation, cover the provision of replacement parts and service
after the installation of the turbine. If a customer enters into a LTSA
with the original equipment manufacturer, typically an independent
service provider is unable to compete for the replacement parts or
service business of that customer for the length of that LTSA. The
original equipment manufacturer, however, often seeks to enter another
LTSA when the first LTSA expires, and at that time competes with
independent service providers.
GE's 7FA gas turbines remain the most common and one of the most
technologically advanced GE models installed today. Only a limited
number of firms have the capability and experience to reverse engineer,
manufacture, and improve the formerly proprietary parts. Currently,
GE's U.S. installed base is approximately 68 percent of all gas
turbines in service in the power generation industry (generally, large
gas turbines over 90 megawatts) and numbers over 1,220 machines; of
these, 663 are GE 7FAs.
The Complaint alleges that, because gas turbine aftermarket parts
and service are used exclusively for gas turbines, and because
aftermarket parts and service for use in other types of turbines, such
as steam or wind turbines, cannot be used in gas turbines, a small but
significant increase in the price of aftermarket parts and service for
GE 7FA gas turbines would not cause customers of those parts and
service to substitute a different kind of aftermarket part or service,
or to reduce purchases of aftermarket parts or service for GE 7FA gas
turbines, in volumes sufficient to make such a price increase
unprofitable. Accordingly, the development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines is a line of
commerce and relevant market within the meaning of Section 7 of the
Clayton Act.
Further, according to the Complaint, most U.S. customers of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines consider only
those qualified suppliers with a strong national presence and local
support, including regional parts distribution centers. U.S. customers
insist on facilities located in the United States for timely delivery
of parts and prompt deployment of personnel. A small but significant
increase in the price of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas
turbines in the United States would not cause a sufficient number of
U.S. customers to turn to providers of those parts and service that do
not have a substantial presence in the United States so as to make such
a price increase unprofitable. Accordingly, the United States is a
relevant geographic market within the meaning of Section 7 of the
Clayton Act.
The Complaint also alleges that currently only three competitors,
including GE and PSM, develop, manufacture, and sell new aftermarket
parts to offer with their service for GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States. GE and PSM have market shares of 83 and nine percent
respectively. A third firm, which manufactures some aftermarket parts,
has a market share of only two percent. The remaining fringe
participants in aftermarket service in the United States do not
manufacture their own new parts and must provide either refurbished
parts or parts made by PSM or the third firm because GE does not make
parts available to third-party service providers.
According to the Complaint, the response of the third firm and the
fringe participants in aftermarket parts and service would not be
sufficient to constrain a unilateral exercise of market power by GE
after the acquisition, nor would entry deter the expected competitive
harm. Firms attempting to enter or expand into the development,
manufacture, and sale of new aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA
gas turbines face substantial entry barriers in terms of cost and time.
While many of the patents have expired on older GE 7FA models, a
competitor must have the capability to produce the most complex
replacement parts. Entrants must have extensive technical capabilities
necessary to design and manufacture the parts, for example, unique
buckets and nozzles are cast, and highly customized coatings are
required to protect these metal alloy parts from melting in the
combustion chamber. The required capabilities include design expertise,
metals casting technology, and metals coating technology. Moreover,
proven quality, extensive testing, and certification from customers is
required before a new firm would be acceptable to customers.
The Complaint also alleges that the effect of PSM's successful
entry on prices shows the beneficial impact of its presence in the
market. Since 1998, when PSM began competing with GE to provide
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines, prices of GE 7FA
replacement parts dropped by 60 to 70 percent. Further, gas turbine
life-cycle costs (prices for GE LTSAs and renewed GE LTSAs) dropped by
as much as 50 percent when PSM began to offer replacement parts for the
GE 7FA gas turbines. Although other firms since have entered the market
with some aftermarket parts and services, no firm, or combination of
firms, is now positioned to constrain a unilateral exercise of market
power by GE after the acquisition.
[[Page 57210]]
The Complaint also alleges that a merged GE and PSM likely would
reduce innovation in the development of improved aftermarket parts for
GE gas turbines.
III. EXPLANATION OF THE PROPOSED FINAL JUDGMENT
The divestiture requirement of the proposed Final Judgment will
eliminate the anticompetitive effects of the acquisition in the sale
aftermarket parts and service used in the installed base of GE 7FA gas
turbines by preserving an independent and economically viable
competitor. Section IV of the proposed Final Judgment requires GE,
within 90 days after the filing of the Complaint, or 5 days after
notice of the entry of the Final Judgment by the Court, whichever is
later, to divest PSM as a viable ongoing business. PSM must be divested
in such a way as to satisfy the United States, in its sole discretion,
that the operations can and will be operated by the purchaser as a
viable, ongoing business that can compete effectively in the relevant
market. Defendants must take all reasonable steps necessary to
accomplish the divestiture quickly and shall cooperate with prospective
purchasers.
Pursuant to Paragraph IV(H), final approval of the divestiture of
PSM, including the identity of the acquirer, is left to the sole
discretion of the United States to ensure the continued independence
and viability of PSM in the relevant market. Ansaldo Energia S.P.A has
been identified by GE as the expected purchaser of PSM and is currently
in negotiations with GE for a final purchase agreement. As provided in
Paragraph IV(B), in the event Ansaldo is not approved by the Department
as the acquirer, another acquirer may buy PSM, also subject to approval
by the Department in its sole discretion.
In Section X, the proposed Final Judgment also provides that the
United States may appoint a Monitoring Trustee with the power and
authority to investigate and report on defendants' compliance with the
terms of the proposed Final Judgment and the Hold Separate Stipulation
and Order during the pendency of the divestiture, including regular
reports on the process of the divestiture. In this matter, the European
Commission also expects to appoint a Monitoring Trustee to facilitate
the accomplishment of a divestiture of assets relating to competitive
issues outside the United States. Coordination between the Department
and the European Commission relating to of the appointment of a
Monitoring Trustee will help ensure that the agencies' respective
divestitures will be consistent and will be accomplished effectively.
The Monitoring Trustee would not have any responsibility or
obligation for the operation of the parties' businesses. The Monitoring
Trustee would serve at GE's expense, on such terms and conditions as
the United States approves, and defendants must assist the trustee in
fulfilling its obligations. The Monitoring Trustee would file monthly
reports and would serve until the divestiture is complete. The
Monitoring Trustee would serve until the divestiture of PSM is
finalized pursuant to either Section IV or Section V of the proposed
Final Judgment.
According to Section V of the proposed Final Judgment, in the event
that GE does not accomplish the divestiture within the periods
prescribed in the proposed Final Judgment, the Final Judgment provides
that the Court will appoint a Divestiture Trustee selected by the
United States to effect the divestiture. If a Divestiture Trustee is
appointed, the proposed Final Judgment provides that GE will pay all
costs and expenses of the trustee. The Divestiture Trustee's commission
will be structured so as to provide an incentive for the trustee based
on the price obtained and the speed with which the divestiture is
accomplished. After its appointment becomes effective, the Divestiture
Trustee will file monthly reports with the Court and the United States
setting forth its efforts to accomplish the divestiture. At the end of
six months, if the divestiture has not been accomplished, the
Divestiture 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 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 acquisition in the
provision of aftermarket parts and service used in the installed base
of GE 7FA gas turbines by preserving PSM as an independent and vigorous
competitor to GE.
IV. 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.
V. 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. In
addition, comments will be posted on the U.S. Department of Justice,
Antitrust Division's internet Web site and, under certain
circumstances, published in the Federal Register.
Written comments should be submitted to:
Maribeth Petrizzi
Chief, Litigation II Section
Antitrust Division
United States Department of Justice
450 Fifth Street, NW.
Washington, DC 20530
The proposed Final Judgment provides that the Court retains
jurisdiction over this action, and the parties may apply to the Court
for any order necessary or appropriate for the modification,
interpretation, or enforcement of the Final Judgment.
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED FINAL JUDGMENT
The United States considered, as an alternative to the proposed
Final Judgment, a full trial on the merits
[[Page 57211]]
against defendants. The United States could have litigated and sought
preliminary and permanent injunctions against GE's acquisition of
Alstom's entre power business. The United States is satisfied, however,
that the divestiture of PSM described in the proposed Final Judgment
will preserve competition for the provision of aftermarket parts and
service for the installed base of GE 7FA gas turbines in the United
States. 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.
VII. 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 sixty-day 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.
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 (D.C. Cir. 1995); see generally United States v. SBC
Commc'ns, Inc., 489 F. Supp. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 2007) (assessing public
interest standard under the Tunney Act); United States v, U.S. Airways
Group, Inc., No. 13-cv-1236 (CKK), 2014-1 Trade Cas. (CCH) ] 78, 748,
2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57801, at *7 (D.D.C. Apr. 25, 2014) (noting the
court has broad discretion of the adequacy of the relief at issue);
United States v. InBev N.V./S.A., No. 08-1965 (JR), 2009-2 Trade Cas.
(CCH) ] 76,736, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84787, at *3, (D.D.C. Aug. 11,
2009) (noting that the court's review of a consent judgment is limited
and only inquires ``into whether the government's determination that
the proposed remedies will cure the antitrust violations alleged in the
complaint was reasonable, and whether the mechanism to enforce the
final judgment are clear and manageable.'').\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 States v. BNS, Inc., 858 F.2d 456, 462 (9th Cir. 1988) (quoting
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.D.C. 2001); InBev, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84787,
at *3. 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).\2\ 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 U.S. Airways, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57801, at
*16 (noting that a court should not reject the proposed remedies
because it believes others are preferable); 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-Daniels-Midland Co., 272 F. Supp. 2d 1, 6 (D.D.C. 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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ 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''').
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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.D.C. 1982) (citations omitted) (quoting United
States v. Gillette Co., 406 F. Supp. 713, 716 (D. Mass. 1975)), aff'd
sub nom. Maryland v. United States, 460 U.S. 1001 (1983); see also U.S.
Airways, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57801, at *8 (noting that room must be
made for the government to grant concessions in the negotiation process
for settlements (citing Microsoft, 56 F.3d at 1461); 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.
[[Page 57212]]
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; see also U.S. Airways,
2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57801, at *9 (noting that the court must simply
determine whether there is a factual foundation for the government's
decisions such that its conclusions regarding the proposed settlements
are reasonable; InBev, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84787, at *20 (``the
`public interest' is not to be measured by comparing the violations
alleged in the complaint against those the court believes could have,
or even should have, been alleged''). 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. Microsoft, 56
F.3d 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); see also U.S. Airways, 2014 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 57801, at *9 (indicating that a court is not required to hold an
evidentiary hearing or to permit intervenors as part of its review
under the Tunney Act). 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
Sen. 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 of Tunney Act proceedings.'' SBC
Commc'ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 11.\3\ A court can make its public
interest determination based on the competitive impact statement and
response to public comments alone. U.S. Airways, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
57801, at *9.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ See United States v. Enova Corp., 107 F. Supp. 2d 10, 17
(D.D.C. 2000) (noting that the ``Tunney Act expressly allows the
court to make its public interest determination on the basis of the
competitive impact statement and response to comments alone'');
United States v. Mid-Am. Dairymen, Inc., No. 73-CV-681-W-1, 1977-1
Trade Cas. (CCH) ] 61,508, at 71,980, *22 (W.D. Mo. 1977) (``Absent
a showing of corrupt failure of the government to discharge its
duty, the Court, in making its public interest finding, should . . .
carefully consider the explanations of the government in the
competitive impact statement and its responses to comments in order
to determine whether those explanations are reasonable under the
circumstances.''); S. Rep. No. 93-298, at 6 (1973) (``Where the
public interest can be meaningfully evaluated simply on the basis of
briefs and oral arguments, that is the approach that should be
utilized.'').
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VIII. DETERMINATIVE DOCUMENTS
There are no determinative materials or documents within the
meaning of the APPA that were considered by the United States in
formulating the proposed Final Judgment.
Dated: September 8, 2015
Respectfully submitted,
/s/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
James K. Foster
United States Department of Justice
Antitrust Division, Litigation II Section
450 Fifth Street, NW
Suite 8700
Washington, DC 20530
Tel.: (202) 514-8362
Fax: (202) 514-9033
Email: usdoj.gov">james.foster@usdoj.gov
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
v.
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,
ALSTOM S.A., and
POWER SYSTEMS MFG., LLC,
Defendants.
CASE NO.: 1:15-cv-01460-RMC
JUDGE: Amy Berman Jackson
FILED: 09/08/2015
PROPOSED FINAL JUDGMENT
WHEREAS, Plaintiff, United States of America, filed its Complaint
on September 8, 2015, the United States and defendants, General
Electric Company, Alstom S.A., and Power Systems Mfg., LLC, 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 the 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 Ansaldo or another entity to which defendants
divest the Divestiture Assets.
B. ``GE'' means defendant General Electric Company, a New York
corporation with its headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut, its
successors and assigns, and its subsidiaries, divisions, groups,
affiliates, partnerships and joint ventures, and their directors,
officers, managers, agents, and employees.
C. ``Alstom'' means defendant Alstom S.A., a French corporation
with its headquarters in Levallois-Perret, France, its successors and
assigns, and its subsidiaries, divisions, groups, affiliates,
partnerships and joint ventures, and their directors, officers,
managers, agents, and employees.
D. ``Closing'' means the consummation of the divestiture of all the
Divestiture Assets pursuant to either Section IV or V of this Final
Judgment.
[[Page 57213]]
E. ``Completion of the Transaction'' means the closing of GE's
acquisition of Alstom.
F. ``PSM'' means defendant Power Systems Mfg., LLC, a Delaware
company with its headquarters in Jupiter, Florida, its successors and
assigns, and its subsidiaries, divisions, groups, affiliates,
partnerships and joint ventures, and their directors, officers,
managers, agents, and employees.
G. ``Ansaldo'' means Ansaldo Energia S.P.A., an Italian corporation
with its headquarters in Genoa, Italy, its successors and assigns, and
its subsidiaries, divisions, groups, affiliates, partnerships and joint
ventures, and their directors, officers, managers, agents, and
employees.
H. ``Divestiture Assets'' means PSM and the assets owned or under
the control of PSM, including, but not limited to:
1. PSM's rights with respect to the facilities located at 1440 West
Indiantown Road, Jupiter, Florida 33458 and 4318 South Dr., Missouri
City, Texas 77489;
2. All tangible assets, including research and development
activities; all manufacturing equipment, tooling and fixed assets,
personal property, inventory, office furniture, materials, supplies,
and other tangible property; all licenses, permits and authorizations
issued by any governmental organization; all contracts, teaming
arrangements, agreements, leases, commitments, certifications, and
understandings, including supply agreements; all customer lists,
contracts, accounts, and credit records; all repair and performance
records and all other records; and
3. All intangible assets, including, but not limited to, all
patents, licenses and sublicenses, intellectual property, copyrights,
trademarks, trade names, service marks, service names, technical
information, computer software and related documentation, know-how,
trade secrets, drawings, blueprints, designs, design protocols,
specifications for materials, specifications for parts and devices,
safety procedures for the handling of materials and substances, quality
assurance and control procedures, design tools and simulation
capability, all manuals and technical information PSM provides to its
own employees, customers, suppliers, agents or licensees, and all
research data relating to PSM, including, but not limited to, designs
of experiments, and the results of successful and unsuccessful designs
and experiments.
III. APPLICABILITY
A. This Final Judgment applies to GE, Alstom, and PSM, 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 V 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 purchaser 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.
IV. DIVESTITURES
A. GE is ordered and directed, within ninety (90) 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 use their best efforts to
divest the Divestiture Assets as expeditiously as possible.
B. In the event that Ansaldo is not the Acquirer, GE shall make
known, by usual and customary means, the availability of the
Divestiture Assets. Defendants shall inform any person making an
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
privileges 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 provide the Acquirer and the United States
information relating to PSM personnel to enable the Acquirer to make
offers of employment. Defendants will not interfere with any
negotiations by the Acquirer to employ any PSM employee or any Alstom
employee whose primary responsibility is the production, development
and sale of aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines.
D. Defendants shall permit prospective acquirers of the Divestiture
Assets to have reasonable access to personnel and to make inspections
of the physical facilities of PSM; 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.
E. Defendant GE shall warrant to the Acquirer that the Divestiture
Assets will be operational on the Closing date.
F. Defendants shall not take any action that will impede in any way
the permitting, operation, or divestiture of the Divestiture Assets.
G. Defendant GE 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.
H. Unless the United States otherwise consents in writing, the
divestiture pursuant to Section IV, or by Divestiture Trustee appointed
pursuant to Section V, of this Final Judgment, shall include the entire
Divestiture Assets, and 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 in the development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines. The
divestitures, whether pursuant to Section IV or V of this Final
Judgment,
(1) shall be made to an Acquirer that, in the United States's sole
judgment, has the intent and capability (including the necessary
managerial, operational, technical and financial capability) of
competing effectively in the development, manufacture, and sale of
aftermarket parts and service for GE 7FA gas turbines; 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 an
Acquirer and defendants give defendants the ability unreasonably to
raise the Acquirer's costs, to lower the Acquirer's efficiency,
[[Page 57214]]
or otherwise to interfere in the ability of the Acquirer to compete
effectively.
V. APPOINTMENT OF DIVESTITURE TRUSTEE
A. If GE has not divested the Divestiture Assets within the time
period specified in Paragraph IV(A), defendants shall notify the United
States of that fact in writing. Upon application of the United States,
the Court shall appoint a Divestiture 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 Divestiture Trustee becomes
effective, only the Divestiture Trustee shall have the right to sell
the Divestiture Assets. The Divestiture 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 Divestiture 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 Paragraph V(D) of this Final Judgment, the Divestiture Trustee may
hire at the cost and expense of defendants any investment bankers,
attorneys, or other agents, who shall be solely accountable to the
Divestiture Trustee, reasonably necessary in the Divestiture Trustee's
judgment to assist in the divestiture. Any such investment bankers,
attorneys, or other agents shall serve on such terms and conditions as
the United States approves including confidentiality requirements and
conflict of interest certifications.
C. Defendants shall not object to a sale by the Divestiture Trustee
on any ground other than the Divestiture Trustee's malfeasance. Any
such objections by defendants must be conveyed in writing to the United
States and the Divestiture Trustee within ten (10) calendar days after
the Divestiture Trustee has provided the notice required under Section
VI.
D. The Divestiture Trustee shall serve at the cost and expense of
GE pursuant to a written agreement, on such terms and conditions as the
United States approves, including confidentiality requirements and
conflict of interest certifications. The Divestiture Trustee shall
account for all monies derived from the sale of the assets sold by the
Divestiture Trustee and all costs and expenses so incurred. After
approval by the Court of the Divestiture Trustee's accounting,
including fees for its services yet unpaid and those of any
professionals and agents retained by the Divestiture Trustee, all
remaining money shall be paid to GE and the trust shall then be
terminated. The compensation of the Divestiture Trustee and any
professionals and agents retained by the Divestiture Trustee shall be
reasonable in light of the value of the Divestiture Assets and based on
a fee arrangement providing the Divestiture 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. If the
Divestiture Trustee and GE are unable to reach agreement on the
Divestiture Trustee's or any agent's or consultant's compensation or
other terms and conditions of engagement within fourteen (14) calendar
days of appointment of the Divestiture Trustee, the United States may,
in its sole discretion, take appropriate action, including making a
recommendation to the Court. The Divestiture Trustee shall, within
three (3) business days of hiring any other professionals or agents,
provide written notice of such hiring and the rate of compensation to
defendants and the United States.
E. Defendants shall use their best efforts to assist the
Divestiture Trustee in accomplishing the required divestiture. The
Divestiture Trustee and any consultants, accountants, attorneys, and
other agents retained by the Divestiture Trustee shall have full and
complete access to the personnel, books, records, and facilities of the
business to be divested, and defendants shall develop financial and
other information relevant to such business as the Divestiture Trustee
may reasonably request, subject to reasonable protection for trade
secret or other confidential research, development, or commercial
information or any applicable privileges. Defendants shall take no
action to interfere with or to impede the Divestiture Trustee's
accomplishment of the divestiture.
F. After its appointment, the Divestiture Trustee shall file
monthly reports with the United States and, as appropriate, the Court
setting forth the Divestiture Trustee's efforts to accomplish the
divestiture ordered under this Final Judgment. To the extent such
reports contain information that the Divestiture Trustee deems
confidential, such reports shall not be filed in the public docket of
the Court. 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 Divestiture Trustee shall maintain
full records of all efforts made to divest the Divestiture Assets.
G. If the Divestiture Trustee has not accomplished the divestiture
ordered under this Final Judgment within six months after its
appointment, the Divestiture Trustee shall promptly file with the Court
a report setting forth (1) the Divestiture Trustee's efforts to
accomplish the required divestiture, (2) the reasons, in the
Divestiture Trustee's judgment, why the required divestiture has not
been accomplished, and (3) the Divestiture Trustee's recommendations.
To the extent such report's contains information that the Divestiture
Trustee deems confidential, such report's shall not be filed in the
public docket of the Court. The Divestiture 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
Divestiture Trustee's appointment by a period requested by the United
States.
H. If the United States determines that the Divestiture Trustee has
ceased to act or failed to act diligently or in a reasonably cost-
effective manner, it may recommend the Court appoint a substitute
Divestiture Trustee.
VI. NOTICE OF PROPOSED DIVESTITURE
A. Within two (2) business days following execution of a definitive
divestiture agreement, GE or the Divestiture Trustee, whichever is then
responsible for effecting the divestiture required herein, shall notify
the United States of any proposed divestiture required by Section IV or
V of this Final Judgment. If the Divestiture Trustee is responsible, it
shall similarly notify defendants. The notice 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 GE and PSM,
the proposed Acquirer, any other third party, or the Divestiture
Trustee, if applicable, additional information concerning the
[[Page 57215]]
proposed divestiture, the proposed Acquirer, and any other potential
Acquirer. Defendants and the Divestiture 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 thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of the notice or
within twenty (20) calendar days after the United States has been
provided the additional information requested from defendants, the
proposed Acquirer, any third party, and the Divestiture Trustee,
whichever is later, the United States shall provide written notice to
defendants and the Divestiture 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 Paragraph V(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 V shall not be consummated. Upon objection by defendants
under Paragraph V(C), a divestiture proposed under Section V shall not
be consummated unless approved by the Court.
VII. FINANCING
Defendants shall not finance all or any part of any purchase made
pursuant to Section IV or V of this Final Judgment.
VIII. HOLD SEPARATE
Until the divestiture required by this Final Judgment has been
accomplished, Alstom shall until the Completion of the Transaction, and
GE shall until Closing, 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 divestiture ordered by
this Court.
IX. 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 divestiture has been completed under Section IV or V, Alstom shall
until the Completion of the Transaction, and GE shall until Closing,
deliver to the United States an affidavit as to the fact and manner of
its compliance with Section IV or V 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
limitation 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, Alstom shall until the Completion of the Transaction,
and GE shall until Closing, 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 VIII 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.
X. APPOINTMENT OF MONITORING TRUSTEE
A. Upon application of the United States, the Court shall appoint a
Monitoring Trustee selected by the United States and approved by the
Court.
B. The Monitoring Trustee shall have the power and authority to
monitor defendants' compliance with the terms of this Final Judgment
and the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order entered by this Court, and
shall have such other powers as this Court deems appropriate. The
Monitoring Trustee shall be required to investigate and report on the
defendants' compliance with this Final Judgment and the Hold Separate
Stipulation and Order and the defendants' progress toward effectuating
the purposes of this Final Judgment.
C. Subject to Paragraph X(E) of this Final Judgment, the Monitoring
Trustee may hire at the cost and expense of GE any consultants,
accountants, attorneys, or other agents, who shall be solely
accountable to the Monitoring Trustee, reasonably necessary in the
Monitoring Trustee's judgment. Any such consultants, accountants,
attorneys, or other agents shall serve on such terms and conditions as
the United States approves, including confidentiality requirements and
conflict of interest certifications.
D. Defendants shall not object to actions taken by the Monitoring
Trustee in fulfillment of the Monitoring Trustee's responsibilities
under any Order of this Court on any ground other than the Monitoring
Trustee's malfeasance. Any such objections by defendants must be
conveyed in writing to the United States and the Monitoring Trustee
within ten (10) calendar days after the action taken by the Monitoring
Trustee giving rise to the defendants' objection.
E. The Monitoring Trustee shall serve at the cost and expense of GE
pursuant to a written agreement with defendants and on such terms and
conditions as the United States approves, including confidentiality
requirements and conflict of interest certifications. The compensation
of the Monitoring Trustee and any consultants, accountants, attorneys,
and other agents retained by the Monitoring Trustee shall be on
reasonable and customary terms commensurate with the individuals'
experience and responsibilities. If the Monitoring Trustee and GE are
unable to reach agreement on the Monitoring Trustee's or any agent's or
consultant's compensation or other terms and conditions of engagement
within fourteen (14) calendar days of appointment of the Monitoring
Trustee, the United States may, in its sole discretion, take
appropriate action, including making a recommendation to the Court. The
Monitoring Trustee shall, within three (3) business days of hiring any
consultants, accountants, attorneys, or other agents, provide written
notice of such hiring and the rate of compensation to defendants and
the United States.
F. The Monitoring Trustee shall have no responsibility or
obligation for the operation of defendants' businesses.
G. Defendants shall use their best efforts to assist the Monitoring
Trustee in monitoring defendants' compliance with their individual
obligations under this Final Judgment and under the Hold Separate
Stipulation and Order. The Monitoring Trustee and any consultants,
accountants, attorneys, and other agents retained by the Monitoring
Trustee shall have full and complete access to the personnel, books,
records, and facilities
[[Page 57216]]
relating to compliance with this Final Judgment, subject to reasonable
protection for trade secret or other confidential research,
development, or commercial information or any applicable privileges.
Defendants shall take no action to interfere with or to impede the
Monitoring Trustee's accomplishment of its responsibilities.
H. After its appointment, the Monitoring Trustee shall file reports
monthly, or more frequently as needed, with the United States, and, as
appropriate, the Court setting forth defendants' efforts to comply with
their obligations under this Final Judgment and under the Hold Separate
Stipulation and Order. To the extent such reports contain information
that the Monitoring Trustee deems confidential, such reports shall not
be filed in the public docket of the Court.
I. The Monitoring Trustee shall serve until the divestiture of all
the Divestiture Assets is finalized pursuant to either Section IV or V
of this Final Judgment.
J. If the United States determines that the Monitoring Trustee has
ceased to act or failed to act diligently or in a reasonably cost-
effective manner, it may recommend the Court appoint a substitute
Monitoring Trustee.
XI. COMPLIANCE INSPECTION
A. For the purposes of determining or securing compliance with this
Final Judgment, or of any related orders such as any Hold Separate
Order, 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, 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 response to written
interrogatories, under oath if requested, relating to any of the
matters 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), or 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).
XII. NO REACQUISITION
Defendants may not reacquire any part of the Divestiture Assets
during the term of this Final Judgment.
XIII. 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.
XIV. EXPIRATION OF FINAL JUDGMENT
Unless this Court grants an extension, this Final Judgment shall
expire ten years from the date of its entry.
XV. 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 response to comments filed with
the Court, entry of this Final Judgment is in the public interest.
Date:------------------------------------------------------------------
Court approval subject to procedures of Antitrust Procedures and
Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. 16
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United States District Judge
[FR Doc. 2015-24044 Filed 9-21-15; 8:45 am]
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