The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recently re-emphasized the potential risks of antitrust violations stemming from the exchange of competitively sensitive information during pre-merger negotiations and due diligence. Although the FTC recognizes the legitimate need for sharing and accessing detailed information about a company for the purposes of an M&A transaction, they cautioned that the exchange of competitively sensitive information such as pricing information, strategic plans and costs has to follow appropriate procedural safeguards, and noted enforcement actions when the parties did not comply with them.

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