Announced Action for March 25, 2003

The Commission has authorized staff to file an amicus brief jointly with the U.S. Department of Justice in the matter concerning Empagran S.A. v. Hoffman-LaRoche, Ltd. No. 01-7115 (D.C. Cir.). The brief, which is available on the FTC's Web site, examines whether the D.C. Circuit should grant a rehearing en banc in this case, as well as the district court's dismissal of a private antitrust action based on foreign sales by members of an international cartel, where the cartel's activities had effects on U.S. commerce, but those effects did not give rise to the plaintiffs' claims. The Commission vote authorizing staff to file the joint brief was 5-0. (FTC File No. P859907, staff contact is John F. Daly, Office of the General Counsel, 202-326-2244.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.