The ROWAN LEGAL team represented Rockaway before the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition (Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže) regarding the approval of the acquisition of the PEMIC BOOKS Group. This marks the firstever use of the independent trustee mechanism in Czech merger control practice.
This was a complex case involving the merger of two major players in the Czech book market.
During the proceedings, we provided comprehensive legal arguments supported by expert studies from two leading European competition economics consultancies. We also coordinated merger filings in a couple non-EU jurisdictions in cooperation with local counsel.
To address the competition concerns identified by the Office, structural commitments were ultimately proposed to the Office. These included the divestment of the part of PEMIC BOOKS engaged in printed book distribution. This business was carved out into a separate legal entity and is temporarily managed by an independent trustee. This is the first use of independent trustee mechanism in the Czech competition authority’s decision-making practice.
The ROWAN LEGAL competition team consisted of Vilém Podešva, Jiří Mňuk and Michael Svoboda.
