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[DOCID: f:s520is.txt]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 520
To amend the Clayton Act, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 13, 2001
Mr. DeWine (for himself, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Grassley, and Mr. Reid)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Clayton Act, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CLAYTON ACT AMENDMENTS.
The Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. 12 et seq.) is amended to read as
follows:
``That (a) `antitrust laws,' as used herein, includes the Act entitled
`An Act to protect trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and
monopolies,' approved July second, eighteen hundred and ninety;
sections seventy-three to seventy-seven, inclusive, of an Act entitled
`An Act to reduce taxation, to provide revenue for the Government, and
for other purposes,' of August twenty-seventh, eighteen hundred and
ninety-four; an Act entitled `An Act to amend sections seventy-three
and seventy-six of the Act of August twenty-seventh, eighteen hundred
and ninety-four, entitled ``An Act to reduce taxation, to provide
revenue for the Government, and for other purposes,''' approved
February twelfth, nineteen hundred and thirteen; and also this Act.
```Commerce,' as used herein, means trade or commerce among the
several States and with foreign nations, or between the District of
Columbia or any Territory of the United States and any State,
Territory, or foreign nation, or between any insular possessions or
other places under the jurisdiction of the United States, or between
any such possession or place and any State or Territory of the United
States or the District of Columbia or any foreign nation, or within the
District of Columbia or any Territory or any insular possession or
other place under the jurisdiction of the United States: Provided, That
nothing in this Act contained shall apply to the Philippine Islands.
``The word `person' or `persons' wherever used in this Act shall be
deemed to include corporations and associations existing under or
authorized by the laws of either the United States, the laws of any of
the Territories, the laws of any State, or the laws of any foreign
country.
``(b) This Act may be cited as the `Clayton Act'.
``Sec. 2. (a) That it shall be unlawful for any person engaged in
commerce, in the course of such commerce, either directly or
indirectly, to discriminate in price between different purchasers of
commodities of like grade and quality, where either or any of the
purchases involved in such discrimination are in commerce, where such
commodities are sold for use, consumption, or resale within the United
States or any Territory thereof or the District of Columbia or any
insular possession or other place under the jurisdiction of the United
States, and where the effect of such discrimination may be
substantially to lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in any
line of commerce, or to injure, destroy, or prevent competition with
any person who either grants or knowingly receives the benefits of such
discrimination, or with customers of either of them: Provided, That
nothing herein contained shall prevent differentials which make only
due allowance for differences in the cost of manufacture, sale, or
delivery resulting from the differing methods or quantities in which
such commodities are to such purchasers sold or delivered: Provided,
however, That the Federal Trade Commission may, after due investigation
and hearing to all interested parties, fix and establish quantity
limits, and revise the same as it finds necessary, as to particular
commodities or classes of commodities, where it finds that available
purchasers in greater quantities are so few as to render differentials
on account thereof unjustly discriminatory or promotive of monopoly in
any line of commerce; and the foregoing shall then not be construed to
permit differentials based on differences in quantities greater than
those so fixed and established: And provided further, That nothing
herein contained shall prevent persons engaged in selling goods, wares,
or merchandise in commerce from selecting their own customers in bona
fide transactions and not in restraint of trade: And provided further,
That nothing herein contained shall prevent price changes from time to
time where in response to changing conditions affecting the market for
or the marketability of the goods concerned, such as but not limited to
actual or imminent deterioration of perishable goods, obsolescence of
seasonal goods, distress sales under court process, or sales in good
faith in discontinuance of business in the goods concerned.
``(b) Upon proof being made, at any hearing on a complaint under
this section, that there has been discrimination in price or services
or facilities furnished, the burden of rebutting the prima-facie case
thus made by showing justification shall be upon the person charged
with a violation of this section, and unless justification shall be
affirmatively shown, the Commission is authorized to issue an order
terminating the discrimination: Provided, however, That nothing herein
contained shall prevent a seller rebutting the prima-facie case thus
made by showing that his lower price or the furnishing of services or
facilities to any purchaser or purchasers was made in good faith to
meet an equally low price of a competitor, or the services or
facilities furnished by a competitor.
``(c) That it shall be unlawful for any person engaged in commerce,
in the course of such commerce, to pay or grant, or to receive or
accept, anything of value as a commission, brokerage, or other
compensation, or any allowance or discount in lieu thereof, except for
services rendered in connection with the sale or purchase of goods,
wares, or merchandise, either to the other party to such transaction or
to an agent, representative, or other intermediary therein where such
intermediary is acting in fact for or in behalf, or is subject to the
direct or indirect control, of any party to such transaction other than
the person by whom such compensation is so granted or paid.
``(d) That it shall be unlawful for any person engaged in commerce
to pay or contract for the payment of anything of value to or for the
benefit of a customer of such person in the course of such commerce as
compensation or in consideration for any services or facilities
furnished by or through such customer in connection with the
processing, handling, sale, or offering for sale of any products or
commodities manufactured, sold, or offered for sale by such person,
unless such payment or consideration is available on proportionally
equal terms to all other customers competing in the distribution of
such products or commodities.
``(e) That it shall be unlawful for any person to discriminate in
favor of one purchaser against another purchaser or purchasers of a
commodity bought for resale, with or without processing, by contracting
to furnish or furnishing, or by contributing to the furnishing of, any
services or facilities connected with the processing, handling, sale,
or offering for sale of such commodity so purchased upon terms not
accorded to all purchasers on proportionally equal terms.
``(f) That it shall be unlawful for any person engaged in commerce,
in the course of such commerce, knowingly to induce or receive a
discrimination in price which is prohibited by this section.
``Sec. 3. That it shall be unlawful for any person engaged in
commerce, in the course of such commerce, to lease or make a sale or
contract for sale of goods, wares, merchandise,
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machinery, supplies or
other commodities, whether patented or unpatented, for use, consumption
or resale within the United States or any Territory thereof or the
District of Columbia or any insular possession or other place under the
jurisdiction of the United States, or fix a price charged therefor, or
discount from, or rebate upon, such price, on the condition, agreement
or understanding that the lessee or purchaser thereof shall not use or
deal in the goods, wares, merchandise, machinery, supplies or other
commodities of a competitor or competitors of the lessor or seller,
where the effect of such lease, sale, or contract for sale or such
condition, agreement or understanding may be to substantially lessen
competition or tend to create a monopoly in any line of commerce.
``Sec. 4. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), any person who
shall be injured in his business or property by reason of anything
forbidden in the antitrust laws may sue therefor in any district court
of the United States in the district in which the defendant resides or
is found or has an agent, without respect to the amount in controversy,
and shall recover threefold the damages by him sustained, and the cost
of suit, including a reasonable attorney's fee. The court may award
under this section, pursuant to a motion by such person promptly made,
simple interest on actual damages for the period beginning on the date
of service of such person's pleading setting forth a claim under the
antitrust laws and ending on the date of judgment, or for any shorter
period therein, if the court finds that the award of such interest for
such period is just in the circumstances. In determining whether an
award of interest under this section for any period is just in the
circumstances, the court shall consider only--
``(1) whether such person or the opposing party, or either
party's representative, made motions or asserted claims or
defenses so lacking in merit as to show that such party or
representative acted intentionally for delay, or otherwise
acted in bad faith;
``(2) whether, in the course of the action involved, such
person or the opposing party, or either party's representative,
violated any applicable rule, statute, or court order providing
for sanctions for dilatory behavior or otherwise providing for
expeditious proceedings; and
``(3) whether such person or the opposing party, or either
party's representative, engaged in conduct primarily for the
purpose of delaying the litigation or increasing the cost
thereof.
``(b)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), any person who is a
foreign state may not recover under subsection (a) an amount in excess
of the actual damages sustained by it and the cost of suit, including a
reasonable attorney's fee.
``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a foreign state if--
``(A) such foreign state would be denied, under section
1605(a)(2) of title 28 of the United States Code, immunity in a
case in which the action is based upon a commercial activity,
or an act, that is the subject matter of its claim under this
section;
``(B) such foreign state waives all defenses based upon or
arising out of its status as a foreign state, to any claims
brought against it in the same action;
``(C) such foreign state engages primarily in commercial
activities; and
``(D) such foreign state does not function, with respect to
the commercial activity, or the act, that is the subject matter
of its claim under this section as a procurement entity for
itself or for another foreign state.
``(c) For purposes of this section--
``(1) the term ``commercial activity'' shall have the
meaning given it in section 1603(d) of title 28, United States
Code, and
``(2) the term ``foreign state'' shall have the meaning
given it in section 1603(a) of title 28, United States Code.
``Sec. 4A. Whenever the United States is hereafter injured in its
business or property by reason of anything forbidden in the antitrust
laws it may sue therefor in the United States district court for the
district in which the defendant resides or is found or has an agent,
without respect to the amount in controversy, and shall recover
threefold the damages by it sustained and the cost of suit. The court
may award under this section, pursuant to a motion by the United States
promptly made, simple interest on actual damages for the period
beginning on the date of service of the pleading of the United States
setting forth a claim under the antitrust laws and ending on the date
of judgment, or for any shorter period therein, if the court finds that
the award of such interest for such period is just in the
circumstances. In determining whether an award of interest under this
section for any period is just in the circumstances, the court shall
consider only--
``(1) whether the United States or the opposing party, or
either party's representative, made motions or asserted claims
or defenses so lacking in merit as to show that such party or
representative acted intentionally for delay or otherwise acted
in bad faith;
``(2) whether, in the course of the action involved, the
United States or the opposing party, or either party's
representative, violated any applicable rule, statute, or court
order providing for sanctions for dilatory behavior or
otherwise providing for expeditious proceedings;
``(3) whether the United States or the opposing party, or
either party's representative, engaged in conduct primarily for
the purpose of delaying the litigation or increasing the cost
thereof; and
``(4) whether the award of such interest is necessary to
compensate the United States adequately for the injury
sustained by the United States.
``Sec. 4B. Any action to enforce any cause of action under section
4, 4A, or 4C shall be forever barred unless commenced within four years
after the cause of action accrued. No cause of action barred under
existing law on the effective date of this Act shall be revived by this
Act.
``actions by state attorneys general
``Sec. 4C. (a)(1) Any attorney general of a State may bring a civil
action in the name of such State, as parens patriae on behalf of
natural persons residing in such State, in any district court of the
United States having jurisdiction of the defendant, to secure monetary
relief as provided in this section for injury sustained by such natural
persons to their property by reason of any violation of the Sherman
Act. The court shall exclude from the amount of monetary relief awarded
in such action any amount of monetary relief (A) which duplicates
amounts which have been awarded for the same injury, or (B) which is
properly allocable to (i) natural persons who have excluded their
claims pursuant to subsection (b)(2) of this section, and (ii) any
business entity.
``(2) The court shall award the State as monetary relief threefold
the total damage sustained as described in paragraph (1) of this
subsection, and the cost of suit, including a reasonable attorney's
fee. The court may award under this paragraph, pursuant to a motion by
such State promptly made, simple interest on the total damage for the
period beginning on the date of service of such State's pleading
setting forth a claim under the antitrust laws and ending on the date
of judgment, or for any shorter period therein, if the court finds that
the award of such interest for such period is just in the
circumstances. In determining whether an award of interest under this
paragraph for any period is just in the circumstances, the court shall
consider only--
``(A) whether such State or the opposing party, or either
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party's representative, made motions or asserted claims or
defenses so lacking in merit as to show that such party or
representative acted intentionally for delay or otherwise acted
in bad faith;
``(B) whether, in the course of the action involved, such
State or the opposing party, or either party's representative,
violated any applicable rule, statute, or court order providing
for sanctions for dilatory behavior or otherwise providing for
expeditious proceedings; and
``(C) whether such State or the opposing party, or either
party's representative, engaged in conduct primarily for the
purpose of delaying the litigation or increasing the cost
thereof.
``(b)(1) In any action brought under subsection (a)(1) of this
section, the State attorney general shall, at such times, in such
manner, and with such content as the court may direct, cause notice
thereof to be given by publication. If the court finds that notice
given solely by publication would deny due process of law to any person
or persons, the court may direct further notice to such person or
persons according to the circumstances of the case.
``(2) Any person on whose behalf an action is brought under
subsection (a)(1) may elect to exclude from adjudication the portion of
the State claim for monetary relief attributable to him by filing
notice of such election with the court within such time as specified in
the notice given pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection.
``(3) The final judgment in an action under subsection (a)(1) shall
be res judiciata as to any claim under section 4 of this Act by any
person on behalf of whom such action was brought and who fails to give
such notice within the period specified in the notice given pursuant to
paragraph (1) of this subsection.
``(c) An action under subsection (a)(1) shall not be dismissed or
compromised without the approval of the court, and notice of any
proposed dismissal or compromise shall be given in such manner as the
court directs.
``(d) In any action under subsection (a)--
``(1) the amount of the plaintiffs' attorney's fee, if any,
shall be determined by the court; and
``(2) the court may, in its discretion, award a reasonable
attorney's fee to a prevailing defendant upon a finding that
the State attorney general has acted in bad faith, vexatiously,
wantonly, or for oppressive reasons.
``measurement of damages
``Sec. 4D. In any action under section 4C(a)(1), in which there has
been a determination that a defendant agreed to fix prices in violation
of the Sherman Act, damages may be proved and assessed in the aggregate
by statistical or sampling methods, by the computation of illegal
overcharges, or by such other reasonable system of estimating aggregate
damages as the court in its discretion may permit without the necessity
of separately proving the individual claim of, or amount of damage to,
persons on whose behalf the suit was brought.
``distribution of damages
``Sec. 4E. Monetary relief recovered in an action under section
4C(a)(1) shall--
``(1) be distributed in such manner as the district court
in its discretion may authorize; or
``(2) be deemed a civil penalty by the court and deposited
with the State as general revenues;
subject in either case to the requirement that any distribution
procedure adopted afford each person a reasonable opportunity to secure
his appropriate portion of the net monetary relief.
``actions by attorney general of the united states
``Sec. 4F. (a) Whenever the Attorney General of the United States
has brought an action under the antitrust laws, and he has reason to
believe that any State attorney general would be entitled to bring an
action under this Act based substantially on the same alleged violation
of the antitrust laws, he shall promptly give written notification
thereof to such State attorney general.
``(b) To assist a State attorney general in evaluating the notice
or in bringing any action under this Act, the Attorney General of the
United States shall, upon request by such State attorney general, make
available to him, to the extent permitted by law, any investigative
files or other materials which are or may be relevant or material to
the actual or potential cause of action under this Act.
``definitions
``Sec. 4G. For the purposes of sections 4C, 4D, 4E, and 4F of this
Act:
``(1) The term `State attorney general' means the chief
legal officer of a State, or any other person authorized by
State law to bring actions under section 4C of this Act, and
includes the Corporation Counsel of the District of Columbia,
except that such term does not include any person employed or
retained on--
``(A) a contingency fee based on a percentage of
the monetary relief awarded under this section; or
``(B) any other contingency fee basis, unless the
amount of the award of a reasonable attorney's fee to a
prevailing plaintiff is determined by the court under
section 4C(d)(1).
``(2) The term `State' means a State, the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other
territory or possession of the United States.
``(3) The term `natural persons' does not include
proprietorships or partnerships.
``applicability of parens patriae actions
``Sec. 4H. Sections 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, and 4G shall apply in any
State, unless such State provides by law for its nonapplicability in
such State.
``Sec. 5. (a) A final judgment or decree heretofore or hereafter
rendered in any civil or criminal proceeding brought by or on behalf of
the United States under the antitrust laws to the effect that a
defendant has violated said laws shall be prima facie evidence against
such defendant in any action or proceeding brought by any other party
against such defendant under said laws as to all matters respecting
which said judgment or decree would be an estoppel as between the
parties thereto: Provided, That this section shall not apply to consent
judgments or decrees entered before any testimony has been taken.
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to impose any
limitation on the application of collateral estoppel, except that, in
any action or proceeding brought under the antitrust laws, collateral
estoppel effect shall not be given to any finding made by the Federal
Trade Commission under the antitrust laws or under section 5 of the
Federal Trade Commission Act which could give rise to a claim for
relief under the antitrust laws.
``(b) Any proposal for a consent judgment submitted by the United
States for entry in any civil proceeding brought by or on behalf of the
United States under the antitrust laws shall be filed with the district
court before which such proceeding in pending and published by the
United States in the Federal Register at least 60 days prior to the
effective date of such judgment. Any written comments relating to such
proposal and any responses by the United States thereto, shall also be
filed with such district court and published by the United States in
the Federal Register within such sixty-day period. Copies of such
proposal and any other materials and documents which the United States
considered determinative in formulating such proposal, shall also be
made available to the public at the district court and in such other
districts as the court may subsequently direct. Simultaneously with the
filing of such proposal, unless otherwise instructed by the court, the
United States shall file with the district court, publish in the
Federal Register, and thereafter furnish to any person upon request, a
competitive impact state
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ment which shall recite--
``(1) the nature and purpose of the proceeding;
``(2) a description of the practices or events giving rise
to the alleged violation of the antitrust laws;
``(3) an explanation of the proposal for a consent
judgment, including an explanation of any unusual circumstances
giving rise to such proposal or any provision contained
therein, relief to be obtained thereby, and the anticipated
effects on competition of such relief;
``(4) the remedies available to potential private
plaintiffs damaged by the alleged violation in the event that
such proposal for the consent judgment is entered in such
proceeding;
``(5) a description of the procedures available for
modification of such proposal; and
``(6) a description and evaluation of alternatives to such
proposal actually considered by the United States.
``(c) the United States shall also cause to be published,
commencing at least 60 days prior to the effective date of the judgment
described in subsection (b) of this section, for 7 days over a period
of 2 weeks in newspapers of general circulation of the district in
which the case has been filed, in the District of Columbia, and in such
other districts as the court may direct--
``(1) a summary of the terms of the proposal for the
consent judgment,
``(2) a summary of the competitive impact statement filed
under subsection (b),
``(3) and a list of the materials and documents under
subsection (b) which the United States shall make available for
purposes of meaningful public comment, and the place where such
materials and documents are available for public inspection.
``(d) during the 60-day period as specified in subsection (b) of
this section, and such additional time as the United States may request
and the court may grant, the United States shall receive and consider
any written comments relating to the proposal for the consent judgment
submitted under subsection (b). The Attorney General or his designee
shall establish procedures to carry out the provisions of this
subsection, but such 60-day time period shall not be shortened except
by order of the district court upon a showing that (1) extraordinary
circumstances require such shortening and (2) such shortening is not
adverse to the public interest. At the close of the period during which
such comments may be received, the United States shall file with the
district court and cause to be published in the Federal Register a
response to such comments.
``(e) Before entering any consent judgment proposed by the United
States under this section, the court shall determine that entry of such
judgment is in the public interest. For the purpose of such
determination, the court may consider--
``(1) The competitive impact of such judgment, including
termination of alleged violations, provisions for enforcement
and modification, duration or relief sought, anticipated
effects of alternative remedies actually considered, and any
other considerations bearing upon the adequacy of such
judgment;
``(2) the impact of entry of such judgment 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.
``(f) In making its determination under subsection (e), the court
may--
``(1) take testimony of Government officials or experts or
such other expert witnesses, upon motion of any party or
participant or upon its own motion, as the court may deem
appropriate;
``(2) appoint a special master and such outside consultants
or expert witnesses as the court may deem appropriate; and
request and obtain the views, evaluations, or advice of any
individual, group or agency of government with respect to any
aspects of the proposed judgment or the effect of such
judgment, in such manner as the court deems appropriate;
``(3) authorize full or limited participation in
proceedings before the court by interested persons or agencies,
including appearance amicus curiae, intervention as a party
pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, examination
of witnesses or documentary materials, or participation in any
other manner and extent which serves the public interest as the
court may deem appropriate.
``(4) review any comments including any objections filed
with the United States under subsection (d) concerning the
proposed judgment and the responses of the United States to
such comments and objections; and
``(5) take such other action in the public interest as the
court may deem appropriate.
``(g) Not later than 10 days following the date of the filing of
any proposal for a consent judgment under subsection (b), each
defendant shall file with the district court a description of any and
all written or oral communications by or on behalf of such defendant,
including any and all written or oral communications on behalf of such
defendant, or other person, with any officer or employee of the United
States concerning or relevant to such proposal, except that any such
communications made by counsel of record alone with the Attorney
General or the employees of the Department of Justice alone shall be
excluded from the requirements of this subsection. Prior to the entry
of any consent judgment pursuant to the antitrust laws, each defendant
shall certify to the district court that the requirements of this
subsection have been complied with and that such filing is a true and
complete description of such communications known to the defendant or
which the defendant reasonably should have known.
``(h) Proceedings before the district court under subsections (e)
and (f) of this section, and the competitive impact statement filed
under subsection (b) of this section, shall not be admissible against
any defendant in any action or proceeding brought by any other party
against such defendant under the antitrust laws or by the United States
under section 4A of this Act nor constitute a basis for the
introduction of the consent judgment as prima facie evidence against
such defendant in any such action or proceeding.
``(i) Whenever any civil or criminal proceeding is instituted by
the United States to prevent, restrain, or punish violations of any of
the antitrust laws, but not including an action under section 4A, the
running of the statute of limitations in respect of every private or
State right of action arising under said laws and based in whole or in
part on any matter complained of in said proceeding shall be suspended
during the pendency thereof and for one year thereafter: Provided,
however, That whenever the running of the statute of limitations in
respect of a cause of action arising under section 4 or 4C is suspended
hereunder, any action to enforce such cause of action shall be forever
barred unless commenced either within the period of suspension or
within four years after the cause of action accrued.
``Sec. 6. That the labor of a human being is not a commodity or
article of commerce. Nothing contained in the antitrust laws shall be
construed to forbid the existence and operation of labor, agricultural,
or horticultural organizations, instituted for the purposes of mutual
help, and not having capital stock or conducted for profit, or to
forbid or restrain individual members of such organizations from
lawfully carrying out the legitimate objects thereof; nor shall such
organizations, or the members thereof, be held or construed to be
illegal combinations or conspiracies in restraint of trade, under the
a
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ntitrust laws.
``Sec. 7. That no person engaged in commerce or in any activity
affecting commerce shall acquire, directly or indirectly, the whole or
any part of the stock or other share capital and no person subject to
the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission shall acquire the
whole or any part of the assets of another person engaged also in
commerce or in any activity affecting commerce, where in any line of
commerce or in any activity affecting commerce in any section of the
country, the effect of such acquisition may be substantially to lessen
competition, or to tend to create a monopoly.
``No person shall acquire, directly or indirectly, the whole or any
part of the stock or other share capital and no person subject to the
jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission shall acquire the whole or
any part of the assets of one or more persons engaged in commerce or in
any activity affecting commerce, where in any line of commerce, or in
any activity affecting commerce in any section of the country, the
effect of such acquisition, of such stocks or assets, or of the use of
such stock by the voting or granting of proxies or otherwise, may be
substantially to lessen competition, or to tend to create a monopoly.
``This section shall not apply to persons purchasing such stock
solely for investment and not using the same by voting or otherwise to
bring about, or in attempting to bring about, the substantial lessening
of competition. Nor shall anything contained in this section prevent a
corporation engaged in commerce or in any activity affecting commerce
from causing the formation of subsidiary corporations for the actual
carrying on of their immediate lawful business, or the natural and
legitimate branches or extensions thereof, or from owning and holding
all or a part of the stock of such subsidiary corporations, when the
effect of such formation is not to substantially lessen competition.
``Nor shall anything herein contained be construed to prohibit any
common carrier subject to the laws to regulate commerce from aiding in
the construction of branches or short lines so located as to become
feeders to the main line of the company so aiding in such construction
or from acquiring or owning all or any part of the stock of such branch
lines, nor to prevent any such common carrier from acquiring and owning
all or any part of the stock of a branch or short line constructed by
an independent company where there is no substantial competition
between the company owning the branch line so constructed and the
company owning the main line acquiring the property or an interest
therein, nor to prevent such common carrier from extending any of its
lines through the medium of the acquisition of stock or otherwise of
any other common carrier where there is no substantial competition
between the company extending its lines and the company whose stock,
property, or an interest therein is so acquired.
``Nothing contained in this section shall be held to affect or
impair any right heretofore legally acquired: Provided, That nothing in
this section shall be held or construed to authorize or made lawful
anything heretofore prohibited or made illegal by the antitrust laws,
nor to exempt any person from the penal provisions thereof or the civil
remedies therein provided.
``Nothing contained in this section shall apply to transactions
duly consummated pursuant to authority given by the Secretary of
Transportation, Federal Power Commission, Surface Transportation Board,
the Securities and Exchange Commission in the exercise of its
jurisdiction under section 10 of the Public Utility Holding Company Act
of 1935, the United States Maritime Commission, or the Secretary of
Agriculture under any statutory provision vesting such power in such
Commission, Board, or Secretary.
``Sec. 7A. (a) Except as exempted pursuant to subsection (c), no
person shall acquire, directly or indirectly, any voting securities or
assets of any other person, unless both persons (or in the case of a
tender offer, the acquiring person) file notification pursuant to rules
under subsection (d)(1) and the waiting period described in subsection
(b)(1) has expired, if--
``(1) the acquiring person, or the person whose voting
securities or assets are being acquired, is engaged in commerce
or in any activity affecting commerce; and
``(2) as a result of such acquisition, the acquiring person
would hold an aggregate total amount of the voting securities
and assets of the acquired person--
``(A) in excess of $200,000,000 (as adjusted and
published for each fiscal year beginning after
September 30, 2004, in the same manner as provided in
section 8(a)(5) to reflect the percentage change in the
gross national product for such fiscal year compared to
the gross national product for the year ending
September 30, 2003); or
``(B)(i) in excess of $50,000,000 (as so adjusted
and published) but not in excess of $200,000,000 (as so
adjusted and published); and
``(ii)(I) any voting securities or assets of a
person engaged in manufacturing which has annual net
sales or total assets of $10,000,000 (as so adjusted
and published) or more are being acquired by any person
which has total assets or annual net sales of
$100,000,000 (as so adjusted and published) or more;
``(II) any voting securities or assets of a person
not engaged in manufacturing which has total assets of
$10,000,000 (as so adjusted and published) or more are
being acquired by any person which has total assets or
annual net sales of $100,000,000 (as so adjusted and
published) or more; or
``(III) any voting securities or assets of a person
with annual net sales or total assets of $100,000,000
(as so adjusted and published) or more are being
acquired by any person with total assets or annual net
sales of $10,000,000 (as so adjusted and published) or
more.
In the case of a tender offer, the person whose voting securities are
sought to be acquired by a person required to file notification under
this subsection shall file notification pursuant to rules under
subsection (d).
``(b)(1) The waiting period required under subsection (a) shall--
``(A) begin on the date of the receipt by the Federal Trade
Commission and the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the
Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (hereinafter
referred to in this section as the `Assistant Attorney
General') of--
``(i) the completed notification required under
subsection (a), or
``(ii) if such notification is not completed, the
notification to the extent completed and a statement of
the reasons for such noncompliance,
from both persons, or, in the case of a tender offer, the
acquiring person; and
``(B) end on the thirtieth day after the date of such
receipt (or in the case of a cash tender offer, the fifteenth
day), or on such later date as may be set under subsection
(e)(2) or (g)(2).
``(2) The Federal Trade Commission and the Assistant Attorney
General may, in individual cases, terminate the waiting period
specified in paragraph (1) and allow any person to proceed with any
acquisition subject to this section, and promptly shall cause to be
published in the Federal Register a notice that neither intends to take
any action within such period with respect to such acquisition.
``(3) As used in this section--
``(A) The term `voting secur
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ities' means any securities
which at present or upon conversion entitle the owner or holder
thereof to vote for the election of directors of the issuer or,
with respect to unincorporated issuers, persons exercising
similar functions.
``(B) The amount or percentage of voting securities or
assets of a person which are acquired or held by another person
shall be determined by aggregating the amount or percentage of
such voting securities or assets held or acquired by such other
person and each affiliate thereof.
``(c) The following classes of transactions are exempt from the
requirements of this section--
``(1) acquisitions of goods or realty transferred in the
ordinary course of business;
``(2) acquisitions of bonds, mortgages, deeds of trust, or
other obligations which are not voting securities;
``(3) acquisitions of voting securities of an issuer at
least 50 per centum of the voting securities of which are owned
by the acquiring person prior to such acquisition;
``(4) transfers to or from a Federal agency or a State or
political subdivision thereof;
``(5) transactions specifically exempted from the antitrust
laws by Federal statute;
``(6) transactions specifically exempted from the antitrust
laws by Federal statute if approved by a Federal agency, if
copies of all information and documentary material filed with
such agency are contemporaneously filed with the Federal Trade
Commission and the Assistant Attorney General;
``(7) transactions which require agency approval under
section 10(e) of the Home Owners' Loan Act, section 18(c) of
the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1828(c)), or
section 3 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C.
1842), except that a portion of a transaction is not exempt
under this paragraph if such portion of the transaction (A) is
subject to section 4(k) of the Bank Holding Company Act of
1956; and (B) does not require agency approval under section 3
of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956;
``(8) transactions which require agency approval under
section 4 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C.
1843) or section 5 of the Home Owners' Loan Act of 1933 (12
U.S.C. 1464), if copies of all information and documentary
material filed with any such agency are contemporaneously filed
with the Federal Trade Commission and the Assistant Attorney
General at least 30 days prior to consummation of the proposed
transaction, except that a portion of a transaction is not
exempt under this paragraph if such portion of the transaction
(A) is subject to section 4(k) of the Bank Holding Company Act
of 1956; and (B) does not require agency approval under section
4 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956;
``(9) acquisitions, solely for the purpose of investment,
of voting securities, if, as a result of such acquisition, the
securities acquired or held do not exceed 10 per centum of the
outstanding voting securities of the issuer;
``(10) acquisitions of voting securities, if, as a result
of such acquisition, the voting securities acquired do not
increase, directly or indirectly, the acquiring person's per
centum share of outstanding voting securities of the issuer;
``(11) acquisitions, solely for the purpose of investment,
by any bank, banking association, trust company, investment
company, or insurance company, of (A) voting securities
pursuant to a plan of reorganization or dissolution; or (B)
assets in the ordinary course of its business; and
``(12) such other acquisitions, transfers, or transactions,
as may be exempted under subsection (d)(2)(B).
``(d) The Federal Trade Commission, with the concurrence of the
Assistant Attorney General and by rule in accordance with section 553
of title 5, United States Code, consistent with the purposes of this
section--
``(1) shall require that the notification required under
subsection (a) be in such form and contain such documentary
material and information relevant to a proposed acquisition as
is necessary and appropriate to enable the Federal Trade
Commission and the Assistant Attorney General to determine
whether such acquisition may, if consummated, violate the
antitrust laws; and
``(2) may--
``(A) define the terms used in this section;
``(B) exempt, from the requirements of this
section, classes of persons, acquisitions, transfers,
or transactions which are not likely to violate the
antitrust laws; and
``(C) prescribe such other rules as may be
necessary and appropriate to carry out the purposes of
this section.
``(e)(1)(A) The Federal Trade Commission or the Assistant Attorney
General may, prior to the expiration of the 30-day waiting period (or
in the case of a cash tender offer, the 15-day waiting period)
specified in subsection (b)(1) of this section, require the submission
of additional information or documentary material relevant to the
proposed acquisition, from a person required to file notification with
respect to such acquisition under subsection (a) of this section prior
to the expiration of the waiting period specified in subsection (b)(1)
of this section, or from any officer, director, partner, agent, or
employee of such person.
``(B)(i) The Assistant Attorney General and the Federal Trade
Commission shall each designate a senior official who does not have
direct responsibility for the review of any enforcement recommendation
under this section concerning the transaction at issue, to hear any
petition filed by such person to determine--
``(I) whether the request for additional information or
documentary material is unreasonably cumulative, unduly
burdensome, or duplicative; or
``(II) whether the request for additional information or
documentary material has been substantially complied with by
the petitioning person.
``(ii) Internal review procedures for petitions filed pursuant to
clause (i) shall include reasonable deadlines for expedited review of
such petitions, after reasonable negotiations with investigative staff,
in order to avoid undue delay of the merger review process.
``(iii) Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Assistant Attorney General and the Federal Trade
Commission shall conduct an internal review and implement reforms of
the merger review process in order to eliminate unnecessary burden,
remove costly duplication, and eliminate undue delay, in order to
achieve a more effective and more efficient merger review process.
``(iv) Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Assistant Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission
shall issue or amend their respective industry guidance, regulations,
operating manuals and relevant policy documents, to the extent
appropriate, to implement each reform in this subparagraph.
``(v) Not later than 180 days after the date the of enactment of
this Act, the Assistant Attorney General and the Federal Trade
Commission shall each report to Congress--
``(I) which reforms each agency has adopted under this
subparagraph;
``(II) which steps each has taken to implement such
internal reforms; and
``(III) the effects of such reforms.
``(2) The Federal Trade Commission or the Assistant Attorney
General, in its or his discretion, may extend the 30-day waiting period
(or in the
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case of a cash tender offer, the 15-day waiting period)
specified in subsection (b)(1) of this section for an additional period
of not more than 30 days (or in the case of a cash tender offer, 10
days) after the date on which the Federal Trade Commission or the
Assistant Attorney General, as the case may be, receives from any
person to whom a request is made under paragraph (1), or in the case of
tender offers, the acquiring person, (A) all the information and
documentary material required to be submitted pursuant to such a
request, or (B) if such request is not fully complied with, the
information and documentary material submitted and a statement of the
reasons for such noncompliance. Such additional period may be further
extended only by the United States district court, upon an application
by the Federal Trade Commission or the Assistant Attorney General
pursuant to subsection (g)(2).
``(f) If a proceeding is instituted or an action is filed by the
Federal Trade Commission, alleging that a proposed acquisition violates
section 7 of this Act or section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act,
or an action is filed by the United States, alleging that a proposed
acquisition violates such section 7 or section 1 or 2 of the Sherman
Act, and the Federal Trade Commission or the Assistant Attorney General
(1) files a motion for a preliminary injunction against consummation of
such acquisition pendente lite, and (2) certifies the United States
district court for the judicial district within which the respondent
resides or carries on business, or in which the action is brought, that
it or he believes that the public interest requires relief pendente
lite pursuant to this subsection, then upon the filing of such motion
and certification, the chief judge of such district court shall
immediately notify the chief judge of the United States court of
appeals for the circuit in which such district court is located, who
shall designate a United States district judge to whom such action
shall be assigned for all purposes.
``(g)(1) Any person, or any officer, director, or partner thereof,
who fails to comply with any provision of this section shall be liable
to the United States for a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for
each day during which such person is in violation of this section. Such
penalty may be recovered in a civil action brought by the United
States.
``(2) If any person, or any officer, director, partner, agent, or
employee thereof, fails substantially to comply with the notification
requirement under subsection (a) or any request for the submission of
additional information or documentary material under subsection (e)(1)
of this section within the waiting period specified in subsection
(b)(1) and as may be extended under subsection (e)(2), the United
States district court--
``(A) may order compliance;
``(B) shall extend the waiting period specified in
subsection (b)(1) and as may have been extended under
subsection (e)(2) until there has been substantial compliance,
except that, in the case of a tender offer, the court may not
extend such waiting period on the basis of a failure, by the
person whose stock is sought to be acquired, to comply
substantially with such notification requirement or any such
request; and
``(C) may grant such other equitable relief as the court in
its discretion determines necessary or appropriate,
upon application of the Federal Trade Commission or the Assistant
Attorney General.
``(h) Any information or documentary material filed with the
Assistant Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission pursuant to
this section shall be exempt from disclosure under section 552 of title
5, United States Code, and no such information or documentary material
may be made public, except as may be relevant to any administrative or
judicial action or proceeding. Nothing in this section is intended to
prevent disclosure to either body of Congress or to any duly authorized
committee or subcommittee of the Congress.
``(i)(1) Any action taken by the Federal Trade Commission or the
Assistant Attorney General or any failure of the Federal Trade
Commission or the Assistant Attorney General to take any action under
this section shall not bar any proceeding or any action with respect to
such acquisition at any time under any other section of this Act or any
other provision of law.
``(2) Nothing contained in this section shall limit the authority
of the Assistant Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission to
secure at any time from any person documentary material, oral
testimony, or other information under the Antitrust Civil Process Act,
the Federal Trade Commission Act, or any other provision of law.
``(j) Beginning not later than January 1, 1978, the Federal Trade
Commission, with the concurrence of the Assistant Attorney General,
shall annually report to the Congress on the operation of this section.
Such report shall include an assessment of the effects of this section,
of the effects, purpose, and need for any rules promulgated pursuant
thereto, and any recommendations for revisions of this section.
``(k) If the end of any period of time provided in this section
falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal public holiday (as defined in
section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code), then such period
shall be extended to the end of the next day that is not a Saturday,
Sunday, or legal public holiday.
``Sec. 8. (a)(1) No person shall, at the same time, serve as a
director or officer in any two corporations (other than banks, banking
associations, and trust companies) that are--
``(A) engaged in whole or in part in commerce; and
``(B) by virtue of their business and location of
operation, competitors, so that the elimination of competition
by agreement between them would constitute a violation of any
of the antitrust laws;
if each of the corporations has capital, surplus, and undivided profits
aggregating more than $10,000,000 as adjusted pursuant to paragraph (5)
of this subsection.
``(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), simultaneous
service as a director or officer in any two corporations shall not be
prohibited by this section if--
``(A) the competitive sales of either corporation are less
than $1,000,000, as adjusted pursuant to paragraph (5) of this
subsection;
``(B) the competitive sales of either corporation are less
than 2 per centum of that corporation's total sales; or
``(C) the competitive sales of each corporation are less
than 4 per centum of that corporation's total sales.
For purposes of this paragraph, `competitive sales' means the gross
revenues for all products and services sold by one corporation in
competition with the other, determined on the basis of annual gross
revenues for such products and services in that corporation's last
completed fiscal year. For the purposes of this paragraph, `total
sales' means the gross revenues for all products and services sold by
one corporation over that corporation's last completed fiscal year.
``(3) The eligibility of a director or officer under the provisions
of paragraph (1) shall be determined by the capital, surplus and
undivided profits, exclusive of dividends declared but not paid to
stockholders, of each corporation at the end of that corporation's last
completed fiscal year.
``(4) For purposes of this section, the term `officer' means an
officer elected or chosen by the Board of Directors.
``(5) For each fiscal year commencing after September 30, 1990, the
$10,000,000 and $1,000,000 thresholds in this subsection shall be
increased (or decreased) as of October 1 each year by an amount equal
to the percentage increase (or decrease) in the gross national product,
as determined by the Department of Commerce or its successor, for the
year then ended over the level so established for
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the year ending
September 30, 1989. As soon as practicable, but not later than January
31 of each year, the Federal Trade Commission shall publish the
adjusted amounts required by this paragraph.
``(b) When any person elected or chosen as a director or officer of
any corporation subject to the provisions hereof is eligible at the
time of his election or selection to act for such corporation in such
capacity, his eligibility to act in such capacity shall not be affected
by any of the provisions hereof by reason of any change in the capital,
surplus and undivided profits, or affairs of such corporation from
whatever cause, until the expiration of one year from the date on which
the event causing ineligibility occurred.
``Sec. 9.
``Section 10 is repealed by P.L. 101-588, sec. 3, 104 Stat. 2880.
``Sec. 11. (a) That authority to enforce compliance with sections
2, 3, 7, and 8 of this Act by the persons respectively subject thereto
is hereby vested in the Surface Transportation Board where applicable
to common carriers subject to jurisdiction under subtitle IV of title
49, United States Code; in the Federal Communications Commission where
applicable to common carriers engaged in wire or radio communication or
radio transmission of energy; in the Secretary of Transportation where
applicable to air carriers and foreign air carriers subject to the
Federal Aviation Act of 1958; in the Federal Reserve Board where
applicable to banks, banking associations, and trust companies; and in
the Federal Trade Commission where applicable to all other character of
commerce to be exercised as follows:
``(b) Whenever the Commission, Board, or Secretary vested with
jurisdiction thereof shall have reason to believe that any person is
violating or has violated any of the provisions of sections 2, 3, 7,
and 8 of this Act, it shall issue and serve upon such person and the
Attorney General a complaint stating its charges in that respect, and
containing a notice of a hearing upon a day and at a place therein
fixed at least thirty days after the service of said complaint. The
person so complained of shall have the right to appear at the place and
time so fixed and show cause why an order should not be entered by the
Commission, Board, or Secretary requiring such person to cease and
desist from the violation of the law so charged in said complaint. The
Attorney General shall have the right to intervene and appear in said
proceeding and any person may make application, and upon good cause
shown may be allowed by the Commission, Board, or Secretary, to
intervene and appear in said proceeding by counsel or in person. The
testimony in any such proceeding shall be reduced to writing and filed
in the office of the Commission, Board, or Secretary. If upon such
hearing the Commission, Board, or Secretary, as the case may be, shall
be of the opinion that any of the provisions of said sections have been
or are being violated, it shall make a report in writing, in which it
shall state its findings as to the facts, and shall issue and cause to
be served on such person an order requiring such person to cease and
desist from such violations, and divest itself of the stock, or
other share capital, or assets, held or rid itself of the directors
chosen contrary to the provisions of sections 7 and 8 of this Act, if
any there be, in the manner and within the time fixed by said order.
Until the expiration of the time allowed for filing a petition for
review, if no such petition has been duly filed within such time, or,
if a petition for review has been filed within such time then until the
record in the proceeding has been filed in a court of appeals of the
United States, as hereinafter provided, the Commission, Board, or
Secretary may at any time, upon such notice and in such manner as it
shall deem proper, modify or set aside, in whole or in part, any report
or any order made or issued by it under this section. After the
expiration of the time allowed for filing a petition for review, if no
such petition has been duly filed within such time, the Commission,
Board, or Secretary may at any time, after notice and opportunity for
hearing, reopen and alter, modify, or set aside, in whole or in part,
any report or order made or issued by it under this section, whenever
in the opinion of the Commission, Board, or Secretary conditions of
fact or of law have so changed as to require such action or if the
public interest shall so require: Provided, however, That the said
person may, within sixty days after service upon him or it of said
report or order entered after such a reopening, obtain a review thereof
in the appropriate court of appeals of the United States, in the manner
provided in subsection (c) of this section.
``(c) Any person required by such order of the commission, board,
or Secretary to cease and desist from any such violation may obtain a
review of such order in the court of appeals of the United States for
any circuit within which such violation occurred or within which such
person resides or carries on business, by filing in the court, within
sixty days after the date of the service of such order, a written
petition praying that the order of the commission, board, or Secretary
be set aside. A copy of such petition shall be forthwith transmitted by
the clerk of the court to the commission, board, or Secretary, and
thereupon the commission, board, or Secretary shall file in the court
the record in the proceeding, as provided in section 2112 of title 28,
United States Code. Upon such filing of the petition the court shall
have jurisdiction of the proceeding and of the question determined
therein concurrently with the commission, board, or Secretary until the
filing of the record, and shall have power to make and enter a decree
affirming, modifying, or setting aside the order of the commission,
board, or Secretary, and enforcing the same to the extent that such
order is affirmed, and to issue such writs as are ancillary to its
jurisdiction or are necessary in its judgment to prevent injury to the
public or to competitors pendente lite. The findings of the commission,
board, or Secretary as to the facts, if supported by substantial
evidence, shall be conclusive. To the extent that the order of the
commission, board, or Secretary is affirmed, the court shall issue its
own order commanding obedience to the terms of such order of the
commission, board, or Secretary. If either party shall apply to the
court for leave to adduce additional evidence, and shall show to the
satisfaction of the court that such additional evidence is material and
that there were reasonable grounds for the failure to adduce such
evidence in the proceeding before the commission, board, or Secretary,
the court may order such additional evidence to be taken before the
commission, board, or Secretary, and to be adduced upon the hearing in
such manner and upon such terms and conditions as to the court may seem
proper. The commission, board, or Secretary may modify its findings as
to the facts, or make new findings, by reason of the additional
evidence so taken, and shall file such modified or new findings, which,
if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive, and its
recommendation, if any, for the modification or setting aside of its
original order, with the return of such additional evidence. The
judgment and decree of the court shall be final, except that the same
shall be subject to review by the Supreme Court upon certiorari, as
provided in section 1254 of title 28 of the United States Code.
``(d) Upon the filing of the record with it the jurisdiction of the
court of appeals to affirm, enforce, modify, or set aside orders of the
commission, board, or Secretary shall be exclusive.
``(e) No order of the commission, board, or Secretary or judgment
of the court to enforce the same shall in anywise relieve or absolve
any person from any liability under the antitrust laws.
``(f) Complaints, orders, and other processes of the commission,
board, or Secretary under
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this section may be served by anyone duly
authorized by the commission, board, or Secretary, either (1) by
delivering a copy thereof to the person to be served, or to a member of
the partnership to be served, or to the president, secretary, or other
executive officer or a director of the corporation to be served; or (2)
by leaving a copy thereof at the residence or the principal office or
place of business of such person; or (3) by mailing by registered or
certified mail a copy thereof addressed to such person at his or its
residence or principal office or place of business. The verified return
by the person so serving said complaint, order, or other process
setting forth the manner of said service shall be proof of the same,
and the return post office receipt for said complaint, order, or other
process mailed by registered or certified mail as aforesaid shall be
proof of the service of the same.
``(g) Any order issued under subsection (b) shall become final--
``(1) upon the expiration of the time allowed for filing a
petition for review, if no such petition has been duly filed
within such time; but the commission, board, or Secretary may
thereafter modify or set aside its order to the extent provided
in the last sentence of subsection (b); or
``(2) upon the expiration of the time allowed for filing a
petition for certiorari, if the order of the commission, board,
or Secretary has been affirmed, or the petition for review has
been dismissed by the court of appeals, and no petition for
certiorari has been duly filed; or
``(3) upon the denial of a petition for certiorari, if the
order of the commission, board, or Secretary has been affirmed
or the petition for review has been dismissed by the court of
appeals; or
``(4) upon the expiration of thirty days from the date of
issuance of the mandate of the Supreme Court, if such Court
directs that the order of the commission, board, or Secretary
be affirmed or the petition for review be dismissed.
``(h) If the Supreme Court directs that the order of the
commission, board, or Secretary be modified or set aside, the order of
the commission, board, or Secretary rendered in accordance with the
mandate of the Supreme Court shall become final upon the expiration of
thirty days from the time it was rendered, unless within such thirty
days either party has instituted proceedings to have such order
corrected to accord with the mandate, in which event the order of the
commission, board, or Secretary shall become final when so corrected.
``(i) If the order of the commission, board, or Secretary is
modified or set aside by the court of appeals, and if (1) the time
allowed for filing a petition for certiorari has expired and no such
petition has been duly filed, or (2) the petition for certiorari has
been denied, or (3) the decision of the court has been affirmed by the
Supreme Court, then the order of the commission, board, or Secretary
rendered in accordance with the mandate of the court of appeals shall
become final on the expiration of thirty days from the time such order
of the commission, board, or Secretary was rendered, unless within such
thirty days either party has instituted proceedings to have such order
corrected so that it will accord with the mandate, in which event the
order of the commission, board, or Secretary shall become final when so
corrected.
``(j) If the Supreme Court orders a rehearing; or if the case is
remanded by the court of appeals to the commission, board, or Secretary
for a rehearing, and if (1) the time allowed for filing a petition for
certiorari has expired, and no such petition has been duly filed, or
(2) the petition for certiorari has been denied, or (3) the decision of
the court has been affirmed by the Supreme Court, then the order of the
commission, board, or Secretary rendered upon such rehearing shall
become final in the same manner as though no prior order of the
commission, board, or Secretary had been rendered.
``(k) As used in this section the term `mandate', in case a mandate
has been recalled prior to the expiration of thirty days from the date
of issuance thereof, means the final mandate.
``(l) Any person who violates any order issued by the commission,
board, or Secretary under subsection (b) after such order has become
final, and while such order is in effect, shall forfeit and pay to the
United States a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 for each
violation, which shall accrue to the United States and may be recovered
in a civil action brought by the United States. Each separate violation
of any such order shall be a separate offense, except that in the case
of a violation through continuing failure or neglect to obey a final
order of the commission, board, or Secretary each day of continuance of
such failure or neglect shall be deemed a separate offense.
``Sec. 12. That any suit, action, or proceeding under the antitrust
laws against a corporation may be brought not only in the judicial
district whereof it is an inhabitant, but also in any district wherein
it may be found or transacts business; and all process in such cases
may be served in the district of which it is an inhabitant, or wherever
it may be found.
``Sec. 13. That in any suit, action, or proceeding brought by or on
behalf of the United States subpoenas for witnesses who are required to
attend a court of the United States in any judicial district in any
case, civil or criminal, arising under the antitrust laws may run into
any other district: Provided, That in civil cases no writ of supoena
shall issue for witnesses living out of the district in which the court
is held at a greater distance than one hundred miles from the place of
holding the same without the permission of the trial court being first
had upon proper application and cause shown.
``Sec. 14. That whenever a corporation shall violate any of the
penal provisions of the antitrust laws, such violation shall be deemed
to be also that of the individual directors, officers, or agents of
such corporation who shall have authorized, ordered, or done any of the
acts constituting in whole or in part such violation, and such
violation shall be deemed a misdemeanor, and upon conviction therefor
of any such director, officer, or agent he shall be punished by a fine
of not exceeding $5,000 or by imprisonment for not exceeding one year,
or by both, in the discretion of the court.
``Sec. 15. That the several district courts of the United States
are hereby invested with jurisdiction to prevent and restrain
violations of this Act, and it shall be the duty of the several
district attorneys of the United States, in their respective districts,
under the direction of the Attorney General, to institute proceedings
in equity to prevent and restrain such violations. Such proceedings may
be by way of petition setting forth the case and praying that such
violation shall be enjoined or otherwise prohibited. When the parties
complained of shall have been duly notified of such petition, the court
shall proceed, as soon as may be, to the hearing and determination of
the case; and pending such petition, and before final decree, the court
may at any time make such temporary restraining order or prohibition as
shall be deemed just in the premises. Whenever it shall appear to the
court before which any such proceeding may be pending that the ends of
justice require that other parties should be brought before the court,
the court may cause them to be summoned, whether they reside in the
district in which the court is held or not, and subpoenas to that end
may be served in any district by the marshal thereof.
``Sec. 16. That any person, firm, corporation, or association shall
be entitled to sue for and have injunctive relief, in any court of the
United States having jurisdiction over the parties, against threatened
loss or damage by a violation of the antitrust laws,
2000
including sections
two, three, seven and eight of this Act, when and under the same
conditions and principles as injunctive relief against threatened
conduct that will cause loss or damage is granted by courts of equity,
under the rules governing such proceedings, and upon the execution of
proper bond against damages for an injunction improvidently granted and
a showing that the danger of irreparable loss or damage is immediate, a
preliminary injunction may issue: Provided, That nothing herein
contained shall be construed to entitle any person, firm, corporation,
or association, except the United States, to bring suit for injunctive
relief against any common carrier subject to the jurisdiction of the
Surface Transportation Board under subtitle IV of title 49, United
States Code. In any action under this section in which the plaintiff
substantially prevails, the court shall award the cost of suit,
including a reasonable attorney's fee, to such plaintiff.
``Sec. 17.
``Sec. 18.
``Sec. 19.
``Sec. 20. That no restraining order or injunction shall be granted
by any court of the United States, or a judge or the judges thereof, in
any case between an employer and employees, or between employers and
employees, or between employees, or between persons employed and
persons seeking employment, involving, or growing out of, a dispute
concerning terms or conditions of employment, unless necessary to
prevent irreparable injury to property, or to a property right, of the
party making the application, for which injury there is no adequate
remedy at law, and such property or property right must be described
with particularity in the application, which must be in writing and
sworn to by the applicant or by his agent or attorney.
``And no such restraining order or injunction shall prohibit any
person or persons, whether singly or in concert, from terminating any
relation of employment, or from ceasing to perform any work or labor,
or from recommending, advising, or persuading others by peaceful means
so to do; or from attending at any place where any such person or
persons may lawfully be, for the purpose of peacefully obtaining or
communicating information, or from peacefully persuading any person to
work or to abstain from working; or from ceasing to patronize or to
employ any party to such dispute, or from recommending, advising, or
persuading others by peaceful and lawful means so to do; or from paying
or giving to, or withholding from, any person engaged in such dispute,
any strike benefits or other moneys or things of value; or from
peaceably assembling in a lawful manner, and for lawful purposes; or
from doing any act or thing which might lawfully be done in the absence
of such dispute by any party thereto; nor shall any of the acts
specified in this paragraph be considered or held to be violations of
any law of the United States.
``Sec. 21.
``Sec. 22.
``Sec. 23.
``Sec. 24.
``Sec. 25.
``Sec. 26. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), it shall be
unlawful for any person engaged in commerce, in the course of such
commerce, directly or indirectly to impose any condition, restriction,
agreement, or understanding that--
``(1) limits the use of credit instruments in any
transaction concerning the sale, resale, or transfer of gasohol
or other synthetic motor fuel of equivalent usability in any
case in which there is no similar limitation on transactions
concerning such person's conventional motor fuel; or
``(2) otherwise unreasonably discriminates against or
unreasonably limits the sale, resale, or transfer of gasohol or
other synthetic motor fuel of equivalent usability in any case
in which such synthetic or conventional motor fuel is sold for
use, consumption, or resale within the United States.
``(b)(1) Nothing in this section or in any other provision of law
in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act which is
specifically applicable to the sale of petroleum products shall
preclude any person referred to in subsection (a) from imposing a
reasonable fee for credit on the sale, resale, or transfer of the
gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel referred to in subsection (a) if
such fee equals no more than the actual costs to such person of
extending that credit.
``(2) The prohibitions in this section shall not apply to any
person who makes available sufficient supplies of gasohol and other
synthetic motor fuels of equivalent usability to satisfy his customers'
needs for such products, if the gasohol and other synthetic fuels are
made available on terms and conditions which are equivalent to the
terms and conditions on which such person's conventional motor fuel
products are made available.
``(3) Nothing in this section shall--
``(A) preclude any person referred to in subsection (a)
from requiring reasonable labeling of pumps dispensing the
gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel referred to in subsection
(a) to indicate, as appropriate, that such gasohol or other
synthetic motor fuel is not manufactured, distributed, or sold
by such person;
``(B) preclude such person from issuing appropriate
disclaimers of product liability for damage resulting from use
of the gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel;
``(C) require such person to provide advertising support
for the gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel; or
``(D) require such person to furnish or provide, at such
person's own expense, any additional pumps, tanks, or other
related facilities required for the sale of the gasohol or
other synthetic motor fuel.
``(c) As used in this section, `United States' includes the several
States, the District of Columbia, any territory of the United States,
and any insular possession or other place under the jurisdiction of the
United States.
``Sec. 27. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, or part of this Act
shall, for any reason, be adjudged by any court of competent
jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or
invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its
operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, or part thereof directly
involved in the controversy in which such judgment shall have been
rendered.
``Sec. 27. (a) Subject to subsections (b) through (d), the conduct,
acts, practices, or agreements of persons in the business of organized
professional major league baseball directly relating to or affecting
employment of major league baseball players to play baseball at the
major league level are subject to the antitrust laws to the same extent
such conduct, acts, practices, or agreements would be subject to the
antitrust laws if engaged in by persons in any other professional
sports business affecting interstate commerce.
``(b) No court shall rely on the enactment of this section as a
basis for changing the application of the antitrust laws to any
conduct, acts, practices, or agreements other than those set forth in
subsection (a). This section does not create, permit or imply a cause
of action by which to challenge under the antitrust laws, or otherwise
apply the antitrust laws to, any conduct, acts, practices, or
agreements that do not directly relate to or affect employment of major
league baseball players to play baseball at the major league level,
including but not limited to--
``(1) any conduct, acts, practices, or agreements of
persons engaging in, conducting or participating in the
business of organized professional baseball relating to or
affecting employment to play baseball at the minor league
level, any organized professional baseball amateur or first-
year player draft, or any reserve clause as applied to minor
league players;
``(2) the agreement between organized professional major
league baseball teams and the teams of the National Associ
2000
ation
of Professional Baseball Leagues, commonly known as the
`Professional Baseball Agreement', the relationship between
organized professional major league baseball and organized
professional minor league baseball, or any other matter
relating to organized professional baseball's minor leagues;
``(3) any conduct, acts, practices, or agreements of
persons engaging in, conducting or participating in the
business of organized professional baseball relating to or
affecting franchise expansion, location or relocation,
franchise ownership issues, including ownership transfers, the
relationship between the Office of the Commissioner and
franchise owners, the marketing or sales of the entertainment
product of organized professional baseball and the licensing of
intellectual property rights owned or held by organized
professional baseball teams individually or collectively;
``(4) any conduct, acts, practices, or agreements protected
by Public Law 87-331 (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1291 et seq.) (commonly
known as the `Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961');
``(5) the relationship between persons in the business of
organized professional baseball and umpires or other
individuals who are employed in the business of organized
professional baseball by such persons; or
``(6) any conduct, acts, practices, or agreements of
persons not in the business of organized professional major
league baseball.
``(c) Only a major league baseball player has standing to sue under
this section. For the purposes of this section, a major league baseball
player is--
``(1) a person who is a party to a major league player's
contract, or is playing baseball at the major league level; or
``(2) a person who was a party to a major league player's
contract or playing baseball at the major league level at the
time of the injury that is the subject of the complaint; or
``(3) a person who has been a party to a major league
player's contract or who has played baseball at the major
league level, and who claims he has been injured in his efforts
to secure a subsequent major league player's contract by an
alleged violation of the antitrust laws: Provided however, That
for the purposes of this paragraph, the alleged antitrust
violation shall not include any conduct, acts, practices, or
agreements of persons in the business of organized professional
baseball relating to or affecting employment to play baseball
at the minor league level, including any organized professional
baseball amateur or first-year player draft, or any reserve
clause as applied to minor league players; or
``(4) a person who was a party to a major league player's
contract or who was playing baseball at the major league level
at the conclusion of the last full championship season
immediately preceding the expiration of the last collective
bargaining agreement between persons in the business of
organized professional major league baseball and the exclusive
collective bargaining representative of major league baseball
players.
``(d)(1) As used in this section, `person' means any entity,
including an individual, partnership, corporation, trust or
unincorporated association or any combination or association thereof.
As used in this section, the National Association of Professional
Baseball Leagues, its member leagues and the clubs of those leagues,
are not `in the business of organized professional major league
baseball'.
``(2) In cases involving conduct, acts, practices, or agreements
that directly relate to or affect both employment of major league
baseball players to play baseball at the major league level and also
relate to or affect any other aspect of organized professional
baseball, including but not limited to employment to play baseball at
the minor league level and the other areas set forth in subsection (b),
only those components, portions or aspects of such conduct, acts,
practices, or agreements that directly relate to or affect employment
of major league players to play baseball at the major league level may
be challenged under subsection (a) and then only to the extent that
they directly relate to or affect employment of major league baseball
players to play baseball at the major league level.
``(3) As used in subsection (a), interpretation of the term
`directly' shall not be governed by any interpretation of section 151
et seq. of title 29, United States Code (as amended).
``(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the
application to organized professional baseball of the nonstatutory
labor exemption from the antitrust laws.
``(5) The scope of the conduct, acts, practices, or agreements
covered by subsection (b) shall not be strictly or narrowly construed.
``Sec. 29. (a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Affiliated air carrier.--
``(A) In general.--The term `affiliated air
carrier' means an air carrier that operates under the
same designator code as another air carrier, or that
has entered into a code-share agreement with another
air carrier.
``(B) Controlled affiliated air carrier.--The term
`controlled affiliated air carrier', with respect to an
air carrier, means an affiliated air carrier 51 percent
of the voting power and value of which is owned
directly or indirectly by an air carrier with which it
is affiliated.
``(2) Air carrier.--The term `air carrier' has the meaning
given that term in section 40102(a)(2) of title 49, United
States Code.
``(3) Available seat miles.--The term `available seat
miles' has the meaning given that term in section 19-5(c)(19)
of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.
``(4) Domestic available seat miles.--The term `domestic
available seat miles', with respect to an air carrier, means
the available seat miles on domestic flights of the air
carrier.
``(5) Excess slot.--The term `excess slot' means any slot
at an ineligible high-density airport that exceeds the number
of slots authorized under subsection (b).
``(6) Ineligible high-density airport.--The term
`ineligible high-density airport' means LaGuardia Airport and
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
``(b) Protection of Competition.--Subject to subsections (c) and
(d), it shall be unlawful for an air carrier that operates more than 15
percent of the domestic available seat miles and holds or operates more
than 20 percent of the slots at an ineligible high-density airport that
are issued under subparts K and S of part 93 of title 14, Code of
Federal Regulations, to own or operate, in any two-hour period, more
than 20 percent of such slots.
``(c) Disposition of Excess Slots.--If an air carrier owns or
operates any excess slot, that air carrier shall--
``(1) not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of
this Act or after the date on which the air carrier acquires or
begins operating any excess slot, return to the Federal
Aviation Administration any excess slot; or
``(2) not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of
this Act or after the date on which the air carrier acquires or
begins operating any excess slot, sell any excess slot through
an auction described in subsection (d).
``(d) Auction.--An auction described in this subsection is an
auction conducted by the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration under regulations prescribed
1012
by the Administrator
pursuant to which--
``(1) the air carrier selling any excess slot may not know
the identity of any bidder for the excess slot offered for
sale;
``(2) only an air carrier may be a bidder; and
``(3) the slots will be sold individually in slot pairs.
``(e) Special Rules.--
``(1) Calculation of seat miles.--For purposes of
calculating the percentage of domestic available seat miles
operated by an air carrier under subsection (b), the term `air
carrier' means a controlled affiliated air carrier and the air
carrier with which it is affiliated.
``(2) Calculation of slots.--For purposes of calculating
the percentage of slots owned or operated by an air carrier at
an ineligible high-density airport under subsection (b), the
term `air carrier' means an air carrier and any affiliated air
carrier of that air carrier that operates at that airport.''.
SEC. 2. BUY/SELL RULES.
(a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 417 of title 49, United
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 41718 the following
new section:
``Sec. 41718A. Buy/sell rules
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Affiliated air carrier.--
``(A) In general.--The term `affiliated air
carrier' means an air carrier that operates under the
same designator code as another air carrier, or that
has entered into a code-share agreement with another
air carrier.
``(B) Controlled affiliated air carrier.--The term
`controlled affiliated air carrier', with respect to an
air carrier, means an affiliated air carrier 51 percent
of the voting power and value of which is owned
directly or indirectly by an air carrier with which it
is affiliated.
``(2) Available seat miles.--The term `available seat
miles' has the meaning given that term in section 19-5(c)(19)
of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.
``(3) Domestic available seat miles.--The term `domestic
available seat miles' means the available seat miles on
domestic flights.
``(4) Ineligible high density airport.--The term
`ineligible high density airport' means LaGuardia Airport and
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
``(b) Limitations on Slot Transfers.--
``(1) In general.--Section 93.221 of title 14, Code of
Federal Regulations (relating to the transfer of slots) shall
not apply to the transfer of slots at an ineligible high
density airport by an air carrier that operates more than 15
percent of the domestic available seat miles, if the air
carrier owns or operates more than 20 percent of the slots at
that airport.
``(2) Special rules.--
``(A) Calculation of seat miles.--For purposes of
calculating the percentage of domestic available seat
miles operated by an air carrier under paragraph (1),
the term `air carrier' means a controlled affiliated
air carrier and the air carrier with which it is
affiliated.
``(B) Calculation of slots.--For purposes of
calculating the percentage of slots owned or operated
by an air carrier at an ineligible high-density airport
under paragraph (1), the term `air carrier' means an
air carrier and any affiliated air carrier of that air
carrier that operates at that airport.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The chapter analysis for chapter 417, of
title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 41718 the following new item:
``41718A. Buy/sell rules.''.
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