Intellectual Property Law

Go Directly to Jail

By Lee Gesmer

We’re always warning our standards setting clients that U.S. antitrust laws are about more than just money - you can go to jail. After a while, it feels like these warnings lose their force. This recent press release from DOJ is a reminder that a violation of the antitrust laws is both a criminal and a civil violation:

An independent consultant and two executives of Dunlop Oil & Marine Ltd., a manufacturer of marine hose located in Grimsby, United Kingdom, pleaded guilty today and have agreed to serve record-setting prison sentences for participating in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices, and allocate market shares of marine hose sold in the United States, . . .

. . . Under the terms of their plea agreements, Whittle has agreed to serve 30 months in jail, Allison has agreed to serve 24 months in jail and Brammar has agreed to serve 20 months in jail. These are the longest prison sentences that foreign national defendants charged with antitrust offenses have agreed to serve in the Division’s history.

‘Nuff said. This is serious stuff.  You have to wonder if these guys knew that they were playing with fire until it was too late.

Full post as published by Mass Law Blog on December 19, 2007 (boomark / email).