FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	AT

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004	(202) 514-2007

WWW.USDOJ.GOV	TDD (202) 514-1888

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

TO HOST JOINT WORKSHOP ON MERGER ENFORCEMENT

Three-day Public Event Scheduled for February 17-19 in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today announced topics, times, and locations, along with a tentative list of participants for their joint workshop on merger enforcement. The workshop, which will be held February 17-19, 2004, at the FTC's new conference center at 601 New Jersey Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., is open to the public. Seating at the workshop will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Written comments may be submitted to the Department and the FTC prior to the event. A tentative agenda for the workshop is presented below. Updated versions of this agenda will be available up to the time of the workshop at: http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/workshops/meworkshop.htm

Day 1 (2/17)

9:00am–9:45am	Opening Remarks

R. Hewitt Pate, Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division,

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

Timothy J. Muris, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

10:00am–12:00pm	Hypothetical Monopolist Test

Moderator: Gregory J. Werden (DOJ)

Panel: William Blumenthal (King & Spalding), John D. Harkrider (Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider), Barry C. Harris (Economists, Inc.), Willard K. Tom (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius).

1:30pm–3:30pm	Concentration & Market Shares

Moderator: David S. Sibley (DOJ)

Panel: John E. Kwoka, Jr. (Northeastern University), Janet L. McDavid (Hogan & Hartson), Steven A. Newborn (Weil, Gotshal & Manges), Craig M. Newmark (North Carolina State University), Charles F. "Rick" Rule (Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson), Vincent Verouden (European Commission, DG Comp.).

3:45pm–5:00pm	Monopsony

Moderator: Kenneth Heyer (DOJ)

Panel: Peter Carstensen (University of Wisconsin), Marius Schwartz (Georgetown University), C. Robert Taylor (Auburn University).

Day 2 (2/18)

9:00am–10:15am	Non-Price Competition/Innovation

Moderator: Mark W. Frankena (FTC)

Panel: Ann Malester (Weil, Gotshal & Manges), Richard T. Rapp (NERA), Steven C. Sunshine (Shearman & Sterling), Ronald W. Davis.

10:30am–12:30pm	Unilateral Effects

Moderator: Luke M. Froeb (FTC)

Panel: Joseph Kattan (Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher), Gregory K. Leonard (NERA), Abbott B. "Tad" Lipsky, Jr. (Latham & Watkins), Ariel Pakes (Harvard University), Gregory J. Werden (Justice Department), Valerie Robassa (EC/DG Comp.).

1:45pm–3:45pm	Coordinated Effects

Moderator: Michael H. Knight (FTC)

Panel: Jonathan B. Baker (American Unversity), Andrew R. Dick (Charles River Associates), Deborah A. Garza (Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson), Deborah P. Majoras (Jones Day Reavis & Pogue), Steven C. Salop (Georgetown University), David T. Scheffman (LECG).

4:00pm–5:15pm	Uncommitted Entry

Moderator: Theodore Gebhard (FTC)

Panel: Timothy Daniel (NERA), A. Douglas Melamed (Wilmer Cutler Pickering), Frederick R. Warren-Boulton (MiCRA), Mark D. Whitener (General Elec. Co.).

Day 3 (2/19)

9:00am–12:00pm	Efficiencies/Dynamic Analysis/Integrated Analysis

Moderators: Alden F. Abbott & Mary T. Coleman (FTC)

Panel: J. Mark Gidley (White & Case), Ilene Knable Gotts (Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz), William J. Kolasky (Wilmer Cutler Pickering), Robert Pitofsky (Georgetown University), David T. Scheffman (LECG), Joseph J. Simons (Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison), Vincent Verouden (EC/DG Comp.).

1:30pm–4:30pm	Economists and Lawyers' Roundtable

Moderator: R. Hewitt Pate (DOJ)

Panel: William Baer (Arnold & Porter), Jonathan B. Baker (American University), Wayne D."Dale" Collins (Shearman & Sterling), James Loftis (Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher), James F. Rill (Howrey & Simon), Daniel L. Rubinfeld (University of California, Berkeley), Robert D. Willig (Princeton University), Dennis W. Carlton (University of Chicago).

Call-in Information

Reporters and others unable to attend the workshop may call-in at the following toll-free numbers. Please note, there is a different call-in number and confirmation number for each day of the conference:

Tuesday – 800-473-8493, confirmation number 21829088

Wednesday – 800-473-8492, confirmation number 21829092

Thursday – 800-659-8296, confirmation number 21829097

The lines will open at 7:45 am on each day of the conference. The chairperson of each conference call is Bruce Jennings.