Charles L. Freed

Practices

• Antitrust, Competition & Distribution
• Health Care
• Life Sciences

Professional Experience

Chuck is a partner in the firm's Competition, Antitrust & White-Collar Crime practice group and is the former partner-in-charge of the Washington DC office. He also provides antitrust guidance as part of the firm's Health Care group.

Chuck's practice focuses on the following areas:

• Antitrust aspects of mergers and acquisitions - representing parties in merger investigations before the Federal Trade Commission, the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department and state attorneys general; counseling parties regarding proposed transactions, including evaluating antitrust risks; Hart-Scott-Rodino compliance; compliance with merger notification requirements in the EC and foreign countries; Exon-Florio compliance;
• Civil and criminal antitrust investigations brought by the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department, The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general;
• Private antitrust litigation, including class actions;
• Private litigation involving unfair competition claims and franchise/dealer/distributor disputes;
• Counseling on antitrust and distribution issues, including compliance with federal and state antitrust laws, franchise laws and state dealer and sales representative protection laws; and
• Drafting distribution agreements and franchise programs, including Uniform Franchise Offering Circulars.

Mergers and Acquisitions:
Chuck has represented dozens of clients in a variety of national and international mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures involving a number of industries, including:

• polyvinyl chloride resins and compounds
• circuit board laminates
• hydraulic and pneumatic components, including valves, cylinders, pumps, motors, hoses, o-rings and sealing devices, fittings and connectors
• aerospace components
• hospital equipment
• children's car seats
• retail fabric and crafts
• radio stations
• banking services
• aluminum production
• lime production
• mobile telephone service
• key duplication equipment
• machine tools

Government Antitrust Cases and Investigations:
Chuck represented a U.S. motor carrier in connection with the Justice Department's investigation of and civil suit against the Niagara Frontier Tariff Bureau, a domestic paint can manufacturer in connection with a Justice Department price fixing investigation, and a supermarket chain in connection with a price fixing investigation. He has also been involved in Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission investigations involving alleged antitrust violations concerning credit card practices, ATM networks, aluminum production, orthopaedic medical services, and tampico fiber.

Private Antitrust and Unfair Competition Cases:
Chuck has represented parties in connection with class action and individual antitrust cases involving the supermarket business, school art supplies, cross border motor carrier transportation, ATM networks, industrial packings and long-distance telephone service. Chuck has also represented parties in connection with trade dress infringement claims, wrongful termination claims, trade secret misappropriation claims, tortious interference claims, and claims involving enforcement of non-competition agreements.

Franchising, Distribution and Marketing Practices: Chuck's activities in this area include the establishment of an automobile dealer franchise program and the creation of a franchise program for the integrated distribution of industrial products. Chuck has worked with numerous clients in drafting distribution contracts and franchise documents. Chuck has also worked with clients on franchise registrations under state franchise laws and compliance with the Federal Trade Commission franchise rule. Chuck has advised clients regarding compliance with "Made in the USA" requirements, and various fair advertising disclosure issues.

Chuck is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.

Education

• Northwestern University, J.D., 1974, cum laude
• Miami University, B.A., 1971, cum laude

• "Antitrust and the Duty to License Intellectual Property - Can Manufacturers Be Compelled to Deal with ISOS?" · Antitrust, Fall, 1999
• "Current Status of the Keogh Doctrine" · ICC Practitioners' Journal, 1984
• "Reconsidering the Per Se Approach to Tying Agreements" · University of Toledo Law Review, 1982

• "The Antitrust and Intellectual Property Interface", American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section, 1997
• "Planning and Negotiating an Acquisition to Minimize Risk", Ohio State Bar Association 32nd Annual Antitrust Institute, 1998
• "Product Launches - Distribution Alternatives and Issues", Ohio State Bar Association Corporate Counsel Section Seminar, 1999