Markets Wired

At the request of several members of the public, the Federal Trade Commission has extended the time to submit comments on the proposed settlement order concerning Robert Bosch GmbH through January 9, 2013.  The comment period originally was scheduled to end on December 26, 2012.

The proposed order settles charges that Bosch’s acquisition of SPX Service Solutions would have given it a virtual monopoly in the market for air conditioning recycling, recovery, and recharge devices.  It also resolves allegations that, before its acquisition by Bosch, SPX harmed competition in the market for this equipment by reneging on a commitment to license key, standard-essential patents (SEPs) on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.  Comments should be sent to:  FTC, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580.  Comments also can be submitted electronically.  

The Commission vote approving the extension of the public comment period was 4-0-1, with Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch abstaining.  (FTC File No. 121-0081, Docket No. C-4377; the staff contact is Jacqueline, K. Mendel, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2603; see press release dated November 26, 2012.)

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 20580.  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.