FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges that Honeywell’s Acquisition of Intermec was Anticompetitive in U.S. Market for Two-Dimensional Bar Code Scanners

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Honeywell International, Inc.’s acquisition of rival scan engine manufacturer Intermec Inc. was anticompetitive. The FTC’s complaint charged that the proposed acquisition would reduce competition in the U.S. market for two-dimensional (2D) bar code scanners. 2D scan engines are used in products such as retail store scanners to translate an image (often a UPC barcode) into a digital format that can be interpreted and analyzed by a computer.

First proposed in September, the FTC’s order preserves competition in the market for 2D scan engines by requiring Honeywell to license its and Intermec’s patents for 2D scan engines to Datalogic IPTECH s.r.l for the next 12 years. The Commission vote approving the final order was 4-0. (FTC File No. 131-0070; the staff contact is David Morris, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-3156)

The FTC’s Bureau of Competition works with the Bureau of Economics to investigate alleged anticompetitive business practices and, when appropriate, recommends that the Commission take law enforcement action. To inform the Bureau about particular business practices, call 202-326-3300, send an e-mail to antitrust{at}ftc{dot}gov, or write to the Office of Policy and Coordination, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission, 601 New Jersey Ave., Room 7117, Washington, DC 20001. To learn more about the Bureau of Competition, read Competition Counts. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.