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- Home
- Practices and Industries
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- Antitrust / Competition
- Cartel Defense and Investigations
Cartel enforcement continues to be a top priority for competition regulators around the world, with reports of global cartel fines surging in recent years.
With stakes this high, you need a global strategy that is sensitive to legal risks across jurisdictions while positioning you to achieve business goals.
Through the full life cycle of civil and criminal cartel and abuse of dominance investigations, we seamlessly manage parallel investigations in multiple jurisdictions and provide critical insight on agency goals.
We drive to the core of the facts in every case to identify possible defenses and have successfully asserted novel jurisdictional and market-based arguments with enforcers. Our aggressive defense of our clients’ legal rights has helped them avoid adverse government action in many cases.
Our team has defended clients in almost every major global cartel investigation in recent history:
- automotive parts
- air cargo
- air passenger
- car glass
- shipping container
- DRAM
- freight forwarding
- LIBOR
- Forex
- marine hose
- power cables
- TFT-LCD
We also conduct internal investigations, design compliance programs and perform audits, and provide “second opinions” in high-stakes matters.
Criminal investigation of European manufacturer
Defending a large European manufacturer of power cables in a criminal antitrust investigation by the DOJ.
Criminal investigations of automotive manufacturers
Represent several Japanese and European manufacturers of automotive parts in investigations of alleged anticompetitive activity.
Defending automotive executives in criminal investigations
Defending senior executives in auto parts-related investigations.
Represented electronics manufacturer in EU TFT-LCD investigations
Represented a global electronics manufacturer concerning all aspects of the European investigation into alleged collusion in TFT-LCD (1&2).
Defended airline executive in criminal investigations
Represented executives of various airlines in investigations in the air cargo and passenger industries in several jurisdictions.
Represented electronics manufacturer in EU DRAM investigation
Represented a global electronics manufacturer in the European investigation into alleged collusion in DRAM.
EU investigation regarding abusive search related conduct
Representation of Microsoft, Expedia, and Trip Advisor in the U.S. and Europe in connection with investigations regarding Google’s abusive search-related conduct.
EU Commission container liner shipping investigation
We represent a major European carrier in the European Commission’s container liner shipping investigation into alleged collusion/abuse of dominance.
Hatch-Waxman settlement investigation and class action
AstraZeneca in an FTC investigation and private antitrust class action litigation concerning settlements of Hatch-Waxman patent litigation involving Nexium.
Represent Microsoft in anticompetitive patent complaint against Motorola Mobility
Representation of Microsoft in connection with its complaint regarding the anticompetitive patent licensing practices of Motorola Mobility.
Represented major financial services company in FTC investigation
Represented a major financial services company in an investigation by the FTC of alleged exclusionary conduct with no action being taken against our client.
Represented a tech firm in FTC investigation of a standard setting organization
Represented technology firm in connection with a FTC investigation of a standard setting organization.
Represented a major U.S. transportation company in DOJ investigation
Represented a major U.S. transportation company in a DOJ investigation with no action taken against our client.
Represented a company in DOJ investigation of employee recruiting
Represented company in DOJ investigation of employee recruiting practices.
Covington Named to GCR's Global Elite
January 16, 2018
WASHINGTON—Global Competition Review has once again named Covington to its 2018 "Global Elite," a list of the top 25 antitrust practices worldwide, as well as including the firm in the list of top ten practices globally for both Mergers and Antitrust Litigation. Each year, GCR undertakes extensive analysis of antitrust and competition law groups in 50 ...
November 22, 2017, PaRR
Johan Ysewyn is quoted in a PaRR article examining whether the recent judgment in the Intel case will impact future cartel cases. While Ysewyn does not expect the Intel decision to be a “game-changer” in how cartel proceedings are conducted going forward, “it’s not bad for the Commission to be reminded what the rules are.”
Q&A with Deborah Garza
March 23, 2017, Global Competition Review
Deborah Garza discusses antitrust cartel enforcement ahead of GCR Live Cartels in an interview with Global Competition Review.
Confessions of a Scuba Diver
February 14, 2017, Competition Law Insight
Andrea Zulli discusses his career, interests, and competition law in an interview with Competition Law Insight.
Navigating anti-competition enforcement globally
January 31, 2017, Compliance Week
Michael Fanelli and Kevin Coates are quoted in a Compliance Week article examining how companies are navigating the global enforcement landscape. Commenting on global antitrust investigations, Fanelli says, “[Cooperation] involves a real thorough investigation to show you’re doing everything you can to root out the problem.” Applying for leniency may not always ...
Two Covington Partners on GCR’s Women in Antitrust List
December 2, 2016
LONDON—Global Competition Review has named two Covington partners to its Women in Antitrust list. Now in its fifth year, the report aims to identify and celebrate achievements of elite female antitrust professionals in private practice, as well as expert economists, in-house counsel, enforcers, and academics around the world. Miranda Cole is a partner based in ...
Latest developments in anti-cartel enforcement in the European Union (June 2015 - June 2016)
September 2016, Competition Law & Policy Debate
Interview with Kevin Coates
July 26, 2016, Competition Law Insight
Kevin Coates discusses his career highlights and the legal landscape in this interview with Competition Law Insight.
July 20, 2016, Global Competition Review
Phillip Warren participated in the American Bar Association’s bi-monthly criminal antitrust update and is quoted in a GCR article regarding the lower amount of criminal antitrust fines this year. According to Warren, “More than anything, the drop in numbers results from the winding down of the current financial sector and auto parts matters.” He continued, “It ...
EC truck cartel case signals policy change- ABA event
July 19, 2016, PaRR
Kevin Coates spoke at an American Bar Association webinar entitled “Cartel and Criminal Practice Update” and is quoted in a PaRR article regarding the significance of the European Commission’s July truck cartel decision. According to Coates, this is the first case in which the EC issued a normal procedure statement of objections (SO) to parties, and then agreed ...
April 5, 2016, Global Competition Review
Robert Wick recently spoke at “GCR Live: Cartels” and was quoted extensively in an article about the event. Without government enforcers coordinating during cartel investigations and follow-on actions, Wick says there is a risk of disproportionate punishment, “whether it’s criminal sentences or whether it’s fines that could be disproportionate.”
April 5, 2016, Global Competition Review
Eric Holder’s remarks from “GCR Live: Cartels” are quoted extensively in this GCR article. Holder said, “Regardless what the election holds in November, my strong belief is that the antitrust division will continue to focus on cartel enforcement. This is a priority for the Justice Department now, and will continue to be for the next attorney general.”
Covington hires EU cartel enforcer Coates
April 4, 2016, Global Competition Review
Kevin Coates, Johan Ysewyn and Deborah Garza are quoted in this GCR article announcing the arrival of Coates as a partner in the firm’s European competition practice.
An interview with Peter Camesasca
March 31, 2016, Global Competition Review
Peter Camesasca discusses private cartel actions in the European Union in this interview with GCR.
March 18, 2016, BNA's Antitrust & Trade Regulation Report
Competition: raising the anti
February 22, 2016, The Law Society Gazette
Johan Ysewyn is quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article discussing changes in competition policy and enforcement, and what these changes mean for lawyers. “The commission likes its fines, but I think it takes a balanced view that it also likes companies changing their trading behaviour,” says Ysewyn. Ysewyn continues by commenting on the changing nature ...
Covington Named to GCR's Global Elite
January 15, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC — Global Competition Review has again named Covington to its 2016 “Global Elite,” a list of the top 25 antitrust practices worldwide. Each year, GCR undertakes extensive analysis of antitrust and competition law groups in 50 jurisdictions around the world. In its profile of the firm, GCR calls Covington’s antitrust and competition practice an ...
Covington Honored at GCR Awards 2015
April 20, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC, April 20, 2015 — Global Competition Review has selected matters led by Covington lawyers as winners of two 2015 GCR Awards. Litigation of the Year, Cartel Defense was awarded for the defendants’ win in Motorola Mobility v AU Optronics, et al. Covington partners Robert Wick and Derek Ludwin in Washington, DC, and Jeffrey Davidson in San ...
March 20, 2015, Covington E-Alert
December 22, 2014
WASHINGTON, December 22, 2014 — The Global Competition Review (GCR) has named Covington & Burling to its Global Elite, a list of the top 20 competition practices worldwide, ranking it among the top practices in both Brussels and Washington, D.C. Each year, GCR undertakes extensive analysis of competition law groups in 50 jurisdictions around the world. In ...
Covington Named to GCR’s Global Elite
February 6, 2012
BRUSSELS, 6 February, 2012 — The Global Competition Review has named Covington & Burling to the Global Elite, a list of the top 20 competition practices worldwide recognised in its annual GCR 100 rankings. The 2012 edition of the publication’s GCR 100 provides extensive analysis of antitrust groups in 41 jurisdictions around the world. In honoring Covington, ...
Summer 2009, Antitrust