The EU General Court has upheld a decision by the European Commission to force MasterCard to remove some of its interchange fees.

The US$11.8 billion merger between electric companies Eaton and Cooper Industries will be notified in the US, the EU and a number of other jurisdictions.

The EU General Court has ordered the European Commission to reconsider its decision not to disclose leniency material from its gas-insulated switchgear cartel case. It is the latest in a series of rulings that facilitate leniency disclosure in favour of applicants for follow-on damages.

German software company SAP has announced its intention to buy US cloud computing company Ariba for approximately US$4.3 billion.

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation of the proposed acquisition of ThyssenKrupp’s stainless steel unit by steel maker Outokumpu.

The European Commission is inviting Google to offer remedies to allay its concerns over alleged abuse of dominance, Commissioner Joaquín Almunia said in an announcement today.

The European Commission has approved the merger between sugar producers Südzucker and ED&F MAN subject to commitments.

The European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) advocate general Jan Mazak has urged the court to dismiss the appeal brought by AstraZeneca against a €60 million fine imposed by the European Commission and upheld by the EU General Court.

The European Commission and national authorities are frequently “between a rock and a hard place” as they seek to balance political pressure with their own antitrust remit, and to meet pressing demands from farmers, retailers and consumer groups, Paul Csiszár, director for basic industries, manufacturing and agriculture at the commission, said today.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has upheld a €46.8 million fine levied by the European Commission on Legris Industries for participating in a 13-year cartel in the copper fittings market.

Simon Holmes has been appointed head of SJ Berwin’s European competition practice, replacing Stephen Kon.

Microsoft’s US$550 million sale of a massive patent portfolio to online rival Facebook is sure to draw the scrutiny of antitrust enforcers, observers say – both for the patents contained in the portfolio and the timing of the sale.

Private practitioners and a senior European Commission official yesterday debated the impact of the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) ruling in Murphy v Premier League, with some claiming it risked undermining the ability of movie producers and sporting leagues to offer quality content to broadcasters and audiences. Stefano Berra in London.

Scott McInnes is departing Jones Day’s Brussels competition practice to join MasterCard's in-house legal team as regional counsel for Europe.