Hart-Scott-Rodino Rule Changes: Filing and Fee Thresholds, Non-Corporate
Entities and the Form
January 2006
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of this Alert.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has adopted several new rules which
affect when a Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) filing has to be made and the HSR
form.
| The Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) has adopted several new rules which affect when a Hart-Scott-Rodino
(HSR) filing has to be made and the HSR form. |
|
Thresholds. Effective February 17, 2006, the thresholds in the
HSR rules will be adjusted for increases in the gross national product.
The rule changes will affect when a filing has to be made and the amount
of the filing fee, in part.
Under the new rules, the minimum size of a transaction for which a filing
must be made will be $56.7 million, an increase from $53.1 million. The
size of a transaction is measured in accordance with HSR rules, which value
transactions differently depending on whether stock or assets are purchased.
The minimum filing fee will remain at $45,000; it will increase to $125,000
if a transaction is valued at $113.4 million, and to $280,000 for a transaction
valued at $567 million or more.
Non-Corporate Entities. The FTC has also issued new rules on transactions
involving non-corporate entities, such as LLCs and partnerships.
One rule requires a filing if 50 percent or more of an unincorporated
entity is purchased. Under the old rules, a filing was only required when
100 percent was purchased. The new rules also require aggregation of separate
purchases of non-corporate entities from the same parent.
The Form. The HSR form that is submitted to the government has
been modified to permit a reference to a web site for SEC documents rather
than filing an actual copy of the documents. This will reduce the amount
of paper produced with a filing involving a public company.
Effective January 30, 2006, the base year for which revenues need to
be supplied will be changed from 1997 to 2002.
This Alert was written by
Shirley Z. Johnson, National
Chair, Antitrust and Trade Regulation. Please contact Ms. Johnson in the
Washington, D.C. office or your Greenberg Traurig liaison, if you have any
questions regarding the subject matter of this GT Alert.
© 2006 Greenberg Traurig
Additional Information:
For more information, please review our Antitrust Practice description,
or feel free to contact one of our attorneys.
This GT ALERT is issued for informational purposes only and is not intended
to be construed or used as general legal advice. Greenberg Traurig attorneys provide
practical, result-oriented strategies and solutions tailored to meet our clients’
individual legal needs.
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