UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
v.
CAMERON INTERNATIONAL
CORPORATION
and
NATCO GROUP INC.
Defendants.
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CASE NO.: 1:09-cv-02165
DECK TYPE: Antitrust
DATE STAMP: November 17, 2009
JUDGE: Bates, John D.
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PROPOSED FINAL JUDGMENT
WHEREAS, Plaintiff, United States of America, filed its Complaint on
November 17, 2009, the United States and defendants, Cameron International
Corporation ("Cameron") and NATCO Group Inc. ("NATCO"), by their respective
attorneys, have consented to the entry of this Final Judgment without
trial or adjudication of any issue of fact or law, and without this
Final Judgment constituting any evidence against or admission by any
party regarding any issue of fact or law;
AND WHEREAS, defendants agree to be bound by the provisions of this
Final Judgment pending its approval by the Court;
AND WHEREAS, the essence of this Final Judgment is the prompt and
certain divestiture of certain rights or assets by the defendants to
assure that competition is not substantially lessened;
AND WHEREAS, the United States requires defendants to make certain
divestitures for the purpose of remedying the loss of competition alleged
in the Complaint;
AND WHEREAS, defendants have represented to the United States that
the divestitures required below can and will be made and that defendants
will later raise no claim of hardship or difficulty as grounds for asking
the Court to modify any of the divestiture provisions contained below;
NOW THEREFORE, before any testimony is taken, without trial or adjudication
of any issue of fact or law, and upon consent of the parties, it is
ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED:
I. Jurisdiction
This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of and each of
the parties to this action. The Complaint states a claim upon which
relief may be granted against defendants under Section 7 of the Clayton
Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18, as amended.
II. Definitions
As used in this Final Judgment:
- "Acquirer" or "Acquirers" mean the entity or entities to whom
defendants shall divest the Divestiture Assets.
- "Cameron" means defendant Cameron International Corporation, a Delaware
corporation with its headquarters in Houston, Texas, its successors
and assigns, and its subsidiaries, divisions, groups, affiliates,
partnerships and joint ventures, and all of their directors, officers,
managers, agents, and employees.
- "NATCO" means defendant NATCO Group Inc., a Delaware corporation
with its headquarters in Houston, Texas, its successors and assigns,
and its subsidiaries, divisions, groups, affiliates, partnerships
and joint ventures, and all of their directors, officers, managers,
agents, and employees.
- "Closing Date" means the date upon which each transfer of the Divestiture
Assets from the defendants to the Acquirer or Acquirers takes place.
- "Dual Frequency Products" means downstream refinery desalters that
utilize dual frequency transformers and AC/DC power supplies.
- "Dual Frequency Technology" means any and all intellectual property,
data, drawings, ideas, designs, concepts, know-how, procedures, processes,
and any other assets primarily used in or necessary to the development,
production, sale, repair, or service of Dual Frequency Products owned
or controlled by defendants as of the time of the Closing Date.
- "EDGE Business" means the desalter and dehydrator assets purchased
by Petreco International, Inc. from Howe Baker Engineers Ltd., a wholly
owned subsidiary of Chicago Bridge & Iron N.V., pursuant to an
Asset Purchase Agreement dated October 7, 2005, and any additions
or improvements to such assets made through the Closing Date. The
EDGE Business includes all inventory specifically related to the EDGE
Business as of the Closing Date.
- "Pilot plant" means equipment used to evaluate and simulate performance
of desalter technologies on oil samples.
- "Refinery desalter" means customized electrostatic desalters used
in the downstream oil refining industry.
- "Divestiture Assets" means:
- All tangible assets primarily used in the EDGE Business, including,
but not limited to, the inventory of spare parts for the EDGE
Business; engineering drawings and documents related to all prior
sales; all licenses, permits, and authorizations issued by any
governmental organization relating to the EDGE Business; all contracts,
teaming arrangements, agreements, leases, commitments, certifications,
and understandings, relating principally to the EDGE Business,
including supply agreements; all customer lists, contracts, accounts,
and credit records; all repair and performance records and all
other records relating to the EDGE Business;
- All intangible assets primarily used in the EDGE Business, including,
but not limited to, the EDGE Desalter Installation Database and
any accompanying design information; the unregistered trademarks
"Edge" and "EDGE"; all data concerning installations or pilot
testing; the EDGE Desalter Sizing Software Program and related
documentation; any other intellectual property including patents
and patent applications, licenses and sublicenses, copyrights,
trademarks, trade names, service marks, service names, slogans,
domain names, logos, and trade dress related to the EDGE Business;
any other technical information, software and related documentation,
know-how, trade secrets, drawings, blueprints, designs, design
protocols, specifications for materials, specifications for parts
and devices, safety procedures for the handling of materials and
substances, quality assurance and control procedures, design tools
and simulation capability, manuals and technical information used
principally for the EDGE Business; all repair, performance, financial,
and operational records, and all other records relating to the
EDGE Business; and all research data concerning historic and current
research and development efforts relating to the EDGE Business,
including, but not limited to, designs of experiments, and the
results of successful and unsuccessful designs and experiments;
- At the Acquirer's option, Cameron's pilot plant located in Houston,
Texas or NATCO's pilot plant located in Tulsa, Oklahoma;
- A fully paid-up, non-exclusive, worldwide, non-sublicensable
(except to subcontractors of the Acquirer solely for the purpose
of having Dual Frequency Products made for the Acquirer) license
to the Dual Frequency Technology for the development, production,
sale, repair, and service of refinery desalters. This license
shall be transferable two years after divestiture of the Divestiture
Assets. Defendants shall retain the right and discretion to file
and prosecute patent applications and maintain patents in the
United States relating to any Dual Frequency Technology developed
by defendants prior to the Closing Date, and any such patent shall
be considered part of the Dual Frequency Technology and be licensed
to the Acquirer. Any improvements or modifications to the Dual
Frequency Technology (whether or not patentable) developed by
either the defendants or the Acquirer shall be owned solely by
such party.
III. Applicability
- This Final Judgment applies to Cameron and NATCO, as defined above,
and all other persons in active concert or participation with either
of them who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal
service or otherwise.
- If, prior to complying with Section IV and V of this Final Judgment,
defendants sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of
their assets or of lesser business units that include the Divestiture
Assets, they shall require the purchaser or purchasers to be bound
by the provisions of this Final Judgment. Defendants need not obtain
such an agreement from the Acquirer or Acquirers of the assets divested
pursuant to this Final Judgment.
IV. Divestitures
- Defendants are ordered and directed, within ninety (90) calendar
days after the filing of the Complaint in this matter, or five (5)
calendar days after notice of the entry of this Final Judgment by
the Court, whichever is later, to divest the Divestiture Assets in
a manner consistent with this Final Judgment to an Acquirer or Acquirers
acceptable to the United States, in its sole discretion. The United
States, in its sole discretion, may agree to one or more extensions
of this time period not to exceed sixty (60) calendar days in total,
and shall notify the Court in such circumstances. Defendants agree
to use their best efforts to divest the Divestiture Assets as expeditiously
as possible.
- In accomplishing the divestiture ordered by this Final Judgment,
defendants promptly shall make known, by usual and customary means,
the availability of the Divestiture Assets. Defendants shall inform
any person making an inquiry regarding a possible purchase of the
Divestiture Assets that they are being divested pursuant to this Final
Judgment and provide that person with a copy of this Final Judgment.
Defendants shall offer to furnish to all prospective Acquirers, subject
to customary confidentiality assurances, all information and documents
relating to the Divestiture Assets customarily provided in a due diligence
process except such information or documents subject to the attorney-client
privilege or work-product doctrine. Defendants shall make available
such information to the United States at the same time that such information
is made available to any other person.
- Defendants shall provide the Acquirers or Acquirers and the United
States information relating to the personnel involved in the development,
production, sale, repair, and service of refinery desalters to enable
them to make offers of employment. Defendants shall not interfere
with any negotiations by the Acquirer or Acquirers to employ any defendant
employee whose primary responsibility is development, production,
sale, repair, and service of refinery desalters.
- Defendants shall permit prospective Acquirers of the Divestiture
Assets to have reasonable access to personnel and to make inspections
of the physical facilities used for the Divestiture Assets; access
to any and all environmental, zoning, and other permit documents and
information; and access to any and all financial, operational, or
other documents and information customarily provided as part of a
due diligence process.
- Defendants shall warrant to the Acquirer or Acquirers that each
asset will be operational on the date of sale.
- Defendants shall not take any action that will impede in any way
the permitting, operation, or divestiture of the Divestiture Assets.
- At the option of the Acquirer or Acquirers, defendants shall enter
into a transition services agreement sufficient to meet all or part
of the Acquirers' needs for assistance in matters relating to the
utilization of the Divestiture Assets (including, but not limited
to, the use of EDGE Desalter Sizing Software Program and the interpretation
of test and field data) for a period of at least six (6) months. The
terms and conditions of any contractual arrangement meant to satisfy
this provision must be reasonably related to the market value of the
expertise of the personnel providing any needed assistance.
- Defendants shall warrant to the Acquirer or Acquirers that there
are no material defects in the environmental, zoning or other permits
pertaining to the operation of each asset, and that following the
sale of the Divestiture Assets, defendants will not undertake, directly
or indirectly, any challenges to the environmental, zoning, or other
permits relating to the operation of the Divestiture Assets.
- Unless the United States otherwise consents in writing, the divestiture
pursuant to Section IV, or by trustee appointed pursuant to Section
V, of this Final Judgment, shall include the entire Divestiture Assets,
and shall be accomplished in such a way as to satisfy the United States,
in its sole discretion, that the Divestiture Assets can and will be
used by the Acquirer or Acquirers as part of viable, ongoing businesses
for the development, production, sale, repair, and service of refinery
desalters. Divestiture of the Divestiture Assets may be made to one
or more Acquirers, provided that the Divestiture Assets listed in
paragraphs II(J)(1) and (2), above, are divested to the same Acquirer,
that all the assets listed in paragraphs II(J)(3) and (4), above,
are divested to the same Acquirer, and that in each instance the divestitures,
whether pursuant to Section IV or Section V of this Final Judgment:
- shall remedy the harm alleged in the Complaint;
- shall be made to an Acquirer or Acquirers that, in the United
States's sole judgment, have the intent and capability (including
the necessary managerial, operational, technical, and financial
capability) of competing effectively for the development, production,
sale, repair, and service of refinery desalters; and
- shall be accomplished so as to satisfy the United States, in
its sole discretion, that none of the terms of any agreement between
the Acquirer or Acquirers and defendants gives defendants the
ability unreasonably to raise the Acquirers' costs, to lower the
Acquirers' efficiency, or otherwise to interfere in the ability
of the Acquirers to compete effectively.
V. Appointment of Trustee
- If defendants have not divested the Divestiture Assets within the
time period specified in Section IV(A), defendants shall notify the
United States of that fact in writing. Upon application of the United
States, the Court shall appoint a trustee selected by the United States
and approved by the Court to effect the sale of the Divestiture Assets.
- After the appointment of a trustee becomes effective, only the trustee
shall have the right to sell the Divestiture Assets. The trustee shall
have the power and authority to accomplish the divestiture to one
or more Acquirers acceptable to the United States at such price and
on such terms as are then obtainable upon reasonable effort by the
trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections IV, V, and VI of this
Final Judgment, and shall have such other powers as this Court deems
appropriate. Subject to Section V(D) of this Final Judgment, the trustee
may hire at the cost and expense of defendants any investment bankers,
attorneys, or other agents, who shall be solely accountable to the
trustee, reasonably necessary in the trustee's judgment to assist
in the divestiture.
- Defendants shall not object to a sale by the trustee on any ground
other than the trustee's malfeasance. Any such objections by defendants
must be conveyed in writing to the United States and the trustee within
ten (10) calendar days after the trustee has provided the notice required
under Section VI.
- The trustee shall serve at the cost and expense of defendants, on
such terms and conditions as the United States approves, and shall
account for all monies derived from the sale of the assets sold by
the trustee and all costs and expenses so incurred. After approval
by the Court of the trustee's accounting, including fees for its services
and those of any professionals and agents retained by the trustee,
all remaining money shall be paid to defendants and the trust shall
then be terminated. The compensation of the trustee and any professionals
and agents retained by the trustee shall be reasonable in light of
the value of the Divestiture Assets and based on a fee arrangement
providing the trustee with an incentive based on the price and terms
of the divestiture and the speed with which it is accomplished, but
timeliness is paramount.
- Defendants shall use their best efforts to assist the trustee in
accomplishing the required divestiture. The trustee and any consultants,
accountants, attorneys, and other persons retained by the trustee
shall have full and complete access to the personnel, books, records,
and facilities of the business to be divested, and defendants shall
develop financial and other information relevant to such business
as the trustee may reasonably request, subject to reasonable protection
for trade secret or other confidential research, development, or commercial
information. Defendants shall take no action to interfere with or
to impede the trustee's accomplishment of the divestiture.
- After its appointment, the trustee shall file monthly reports with
the United States and the Court setting forth the trustee's efforts
to accomplish the divestiture ordered under this Final Judgment. To
the extent such reports contain information that the trustee deems
confidential, such reports shall not be filed in the public docket
of the Court. Such reports shall include the name, address, and telephone
number of each person who, during the preceding month, made an offer
to acquire, expressed an interest in acquiring, entered into negotiations
to acquire, or was contacted or made an inquiry about acquiring, any
interest in the Divestiture Assets, and shall describe in detail each
contact with any such person. The trustee shall maintain full records
of all efforts made to divest the Divestiture Assets.
- If the trustee has not accomplished the divestiture ordered under
this Final Judgment within six (6) months after its appointment, the
trustee shall promptly file with the Court a report setting forth:
(1) the trustee's efforts to accomplish the required divestiture;
(2) the reasons, in the trustee's judgment, why the required divestiture
has not been accomplished; and (3) the trustee's recommendations.
To the extent such reports contain information that the trustee deems
confidential, such reports shall not be filed in the public docket
of the Court. The trustee shall at the same time furnish such report
to the United States which shall have the right to make additional
recommendations consistent with the purpose of the trust. The Court
thereafter shall enter such orders as it shall deem appropriate to
carry out the purpose of the Final Judgment, which may, if necessary,
include extending the trust and the term of the trustee's appointment
by a period requested by the United States.
VI. Notice of Proposed Divestiture
- Within two (2) business days following execution of a definitive
divestiture agreement, defendants or the trustee, whichever is then
responsible for effecting the divestiture required herein, shall notify
the United States of any proposed divestiture required by Section
IV or V of this Final Judgment. If the trustee is responsible, it
shall similarly notify the defendants. The notice shall set forth
the details of the proposed divestiture and list the name, address,
and telephone number of each person not previously identified who
offered or expressed an interest in or desire to acquire any ownership
interest in the Divestiture Assets, together with full details of
the same.
- Within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt by the United States
of such notice, the United States may request from defendants, the
proposed Acquirer or Acquirers, any other third party, or the trustee,
if applicable, additional information concerning the proposed divestiture,
the proposed Acquirer or Acquirers, and any other potential Acquirer.
Defendants and the trustee shall furnish any additional information
requested within fifteen (15) calendar days of the receipt of the
request, unless the parties shall otherwise agree.
- Within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of the notice or
within twenty (20) calendar days after the United States has been
provided the additional information requested from defendants, the
Acquirer or Acquirers or any proposed Acquirer, any third party, and
the trustee, whichever is later, the United States shall provide written
notice to defendants and the trustee stating whether or not it objects
to the proposed divestiture. If the United States provides written
notice that it does not object, the divestiture may be consummated,
subject only to defendants' limited right to object to the sale under
Section V(C) of this Final Judgment. Absent written notice that the
United States does not object to the proposed Acquirer(s) or upon
objection by the United States, a divestiture proposed under Section
V shall not be consummated. Upon objection by defendants under Section
V(C), a divestiture proposed under Section V shall not be consummated
unless approved by the Court.
VII. Financing
Defendants shall not finance all or any part of any purchase made pursuant
to Section IV or V of this Final Judgment.
VIII. Hold Separate Stipulation and Order
Until the divestiture required by this Final Judgment has been accomplished,
defendants shall take all steps necessary to comply with the Hold Separate
Stipulation and Order entered by this Court. Defendants shall take no
action that would jeopardize the divestiture ordered by this Court.
IX. Affidavits
- Within twenty (20) calendar days of the filing of the Complaint
in this matter, and every thirty (30) calendar days thereafter until
the divestiture has been completed under Section IV or V, defendants
shall deliver to the United States an affidavit as to the fact and
manner of its compliance with Section IV or V of this Final Judgment.
Each such affidavit shall include the name, address, and telephone
number of each person who, during the preceding thirty (30) calendar
days, made an offer to acquire, expressed an interest in acquiring,
entered into negotiations to acquire, or was contacted or made an
inquiry about acquiring, any interest in the Divestiture Assets, and
shall describe in detail each contact with any such person during
that period. Each such affidavit shall also include a description
of the efforts defendants have taken to solicit buyers for the Divestiture
Assets, and to provide required information to prospective Acquirers,
including the limitations, if any, on such information. Assuming the
information set forth in the affidavit is true and complete, any objection
by the United States to information provided by defendants, including
limitations on the information, shall be made within fourteen (14)
calendar days of receipt of such affidavit.
- Within twenty (20) calendar days of the filing of the Complaint
in this matter, defendants shall deliver to the United States an affidavit
that describes in reasonable detail all actions defendants have taken
and all steps defendants have implemented on an ongoing basis to comply
with Section VIII of this Final Judgment. Defendants shall deliver
to the United States an affidavit describing any changes to the efforts
and actions outlined in defendants' earlier affidavits filed pursuant
to this section within fifteen (15) calendar days after the change
is implemented.
- Defendants shall keep all records of all efforts made to preserve
and divest the Divestiture Assets until one year after such divestiture
has been completed.
X. Compliance Inspection
- For the purposes of determining or securing compliance with this
Final Judgment, or of determining whether the Final Judgment should
be modified or vacated, and subject to any legally recognized privilege,
from time to time authorized representatives of the United States
Department of Justice Antitrust Division ("United States"), including
consultants and other persons retained by the United States, shall,
upon written request of an authorized representative of the Assistant
Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division, and on reasonable
notice to defendants, be permitted:
- access during defendants' office hours to inspect and copy,
or at the option of the United States, to require defendants to
provide hard copy or electronic copies of, all books, ledgers,
accounts, records, data, and documents in the possession, custody,
or control of defendants, relating to any matters contained in
this Final Judgment; and
- to interview, either informally or on the record, defendants'
officers, employees, or agents, who may have their individual
counsel present, regarding such matters. The interviews shall
be subject to the reasonable convenience of the interviewee and
without restraint or interference by defendants.
- Upon the written request of an authorized representative of the
Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division, defendants
shall submit written reports or responses to written interrogatories,
under oath if requested, relating to any of the matters contained
in this Final Judgment as may be requested.
- No information or documents obtained by the means provided in this
section shall be divulged by the United States to any person other
than an authorized representative of the executive branch of the United
States, except in the course of legal proceedings to which the United
States is a party (including grand jury proceedings), or for the purpose
of securing compliance with this Final Judgment, or as otherwise required
by law.
- If at the time information or documents are furnished by defendants
to the United States, defendants represent and identify in writing
the material in any such information or documents to which a claim
of protection may be asserted under Rule 26(c)(1)(G) of the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure, and defendants mark each pertinent page
of such material, "Subject to claim of protection under Rule 26(c)(1)(G)
of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure," then the United States shall
give defendants ten (10) calendar days notice prior to divulging such
material in any legal proceeding (other than a grand jury proceeding).
XI. Notification of Future Transactions
Unless such transaction is otherwise subject to the reporting and waiting
period requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements
Act of 1976, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 18a (the "HSR Act"), defendants,
without providing advance notification to the Antitrust Division, shall
not directly or indirectly acquire any assets of or interest, including
any financial, security, loan, equity or management interest, in any
entity that has sold, at any time in the three years prior to the Closing
Date, a downstream refinery desalter that was used in or purchased by
a customer in the United States during the term of this Final Judgment.
Such notification shall be provided to the Antitrust Division in the
same format as, and per the instructions relating to the Notification
and Report Form set forth in the Appendix to Part 803 of Title 16 of
the Code of Federal Regulations as amended, except that the information
requested in Items 5 through 9 of the instructions must be provided
only about refinery desalters. Notification shall be provided at least
thirty (30) calendar days prior to acquiring any such interest, and
shall include, beyond what may be required by the applicable instructions,
the names of the principal representatives of the parties to the agreement
who negotiated the agreement, and any management or strategic plans
discussing the proposed transaction. If within the 30-day period after
notification, representatives of the Antitrust Division make a written
request for additional information, defendants shall not consummate
the proposed transaction or agreement until thirty (30) calendar days
after submitting all such additional information. Early termination
of the waiting periods in this paragraph may be requested and, where
appropriate, granted in the same manner as is applicable under the requirements
and provisions of the HSR Act and rules promulgated thereunder. This
Section shall be broadly construed and any ambiguity or uncertainty
regarding the filing of notice under this Section shall be resolved
in favor of filing notice.
XII. No Reacquisition
Defendants may not reacquire any part of the Divestiture Assets during
the term of this Final Judgment.
XIII. Retention of Jurisdiction
This Court retains jurisdiction to enable any party to this Final Judgment
to apply to this Court at any time for further orders and directions
as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out or construe this Final
Judgment, to modify any of its provisions, to enforce compliance, and
to punish violations of its provisions.
XIV. Expiration of Final Judgment
Unless this Court grants an extension, this Final Judgment shall expire
ten (10) years from the date of its entry.
XV. Public Interest Determination
Entry of this Final Judgment is in the public interest. The parties
have complied with the requirements of the Antitrust Procedures and
Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. § 16, including making copies available
to the public of this Final Judgment, the Competitive Impact Statement,
and any comments thereon and the United States's responses to comments.
Based upon the record before the Court, which includes the Competitive
Impact Statement and any comments and response to comments filed with
the Court, entry of this Final Judgment is in the public interest.
Date: ______________________
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Court approval subject to procedures
of Antitrust Procedures and Penalties
Act, 15 U.S.C. § 16
_______________________________
United States District Judge |
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