Thomas O. Barnett to Participate in Seventh Annual International Competition Network...

Thomas O. Barnett to Participate in Seventh Annual International Competition
Network Conference in Kyoto, Japan

WASHINGTON, April 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Assistant Attorney General
Thomas O. Barnett will participate in the seventh annual International
Competition Network (ICN) Conference in Kyoto, Japan, April 14-16, 2008, when
senior government antitrust officials, private sector antitrust experts from
around the world, and representatives from intergovernmental organizations
will discuss competition issues.

The ICN conference will focus on the recent work of its four substantive
working groups: cartels, mergers, unilateral conduct, and competition policy
implementation. ICN member agencies participate in these project-oriented
working groups to address policy and enforcement issues and formulate
proposals for ICN consensus. Private sector experts participate actively in
the working groups. Conference discussions will focus on topics addressed by
these groups, including recommended practices for the assessment of dominance
and substantive merger analysis, settlements in cartel investigations, and the
promotion of competition policy in developing and transition economies. The
conference will finalize work programs for the coming year.

In October 2001, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) joined with antitrust agencies from 13 other jurisdictions around the
world to create the ICN. The ICN now includes 102 member agencies from 91
jurisdictions. The ICN has two main goals: to promote greater substantive and
procedural convergence among antitrust authorities on sound competition
principles; and to provide support for new antitrust agencies, both in
enforcing their laws and in building strong competition cultures in their
countries.

The following portions of the conference will be open to the press:

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2008: 7th ANNUAL ICN CONFERENCE (DAY 1)

9:00 a.m. (Kyoto), 8:00 p.m. (EDT, April 13) -- Opening Remarks
Opening remarks by Kazuhiko Takeshima, Chairman of the Japan Fair Trade
Commission, and Sheridan Scott, Chair of the ICN Steering Group and Canada's
Commissioner of Competition

9:45 a.m. (Kyoto), 8:45 p.m. (EDT, April 13) -- Unilateral Conduct Working
Group Session
After remarks by Dr. Bernhard Heitzer, President of the German
Bundeskartellamt, Randolph Tritell, Director of the FTC's Office of
International Affairs, will moderate discussion of the assessment of
dominance, and Bruno Lasserre, President of the French Competition Council,
will moderate discussion of working group reports on state-created monopolies
recommended practices and conduct papers (predatory pricing and exclusive
dealing). Delegates will discuss these topics in breakout sessions.

2:15 p.m. (Kyoto), 1:15 a.m. (EDT) -- Cartel Working Group Session
A panel discussion will examine the use and benefits of settlements in cartel
investigations. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Scott Hammond of the
Antitrust Division is a panelist. Following the panel, delegates will further
discuss cartel settlements and leniency in small group breakout sessions.

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2008: 7th ANNUAL ICN CONFERENCE (DAY 2)

9:00 a.m. (Kyoto), 8:00 p.m. (EDT) -- Merger Working Group Session
Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Thomas O. Barnett
will participate on a panel addressing efficiencies in merger analysis.
Antitrust Division Director of Operations Robert Kramer will present
recommended practices for merger analysis on the legal framework for merger
analysis, the use of market shares, and the role of entry/expansion. Following
the panel, delegates will further discuss these topics in small group breakout
sessions.

1:30 p.m. (Kyoto), 12:30 a.m. (EDT) -- Special Program on Abuse of Superior
Bargaining Position
FTC Chairman William Kovacic will participate on this panel discussing the
concept of "abuse of a superior bargaining position." Frederic Jenny, Chairman
of the OECD Competition Committee, will moderate the panel.

3:30 p.m. (Kyoto), 2:30 a.m. (EDT) -- Competition Policy Implementation
Working Group
Session
Elizabeth Farina, President of Brazil's CADE, will chair the session. In the
first portion, John Fingleton, CEO of the UK Office of Fair Trading, will
moderate a discussion of the ICN's work on identifying attributes of an
effective agency. FTC Chairman William Kovacic is a panelist. The second will
include a presentation of an experimental program for sharing expertise and
experience among ICN members. Delegates will discuss agency effectiveness,
partnerships among agencies, and funding and capacity building in small group
breakout sessions.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008: 7th ANNUAL ICN CONFERENCE (DAY 3)

8:30 a.m. (Kyoto), 7:30 p.m. (EDT, April 15) -- Presentation by ICN Steering
Group Vice Chairs on Advocacy and Implementation, Outreach, and International
Coordination

9:00 a.m. (Kyoto), 8:00 p.m. (EDT, April 15) -- Joint Implementation/Outreach
Panels
Philip Collins, Chairman of the U.K.'s Office of Fair Trading, will moderate.

12:00 p.m. (Kyoto), 11:00 p.m. (EDT, April 15) -- Closing Ceremony

Complete information about the conference, to be held in the Kyoto
International Conference Center, is available at http://www.icn-kyoto.org/

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

Gina Talamona of the U.S. Department of Justice, +1-202-514-2007; or Mitchell
J. Katz of the Federal Trade Commission, +1-202-326-2161