Foreign Firms Lose Antitrust Ruling

The Supreme Court ruled that foreign companies cannot pursue antitrust claims in this country against overseas businesses for harmful transactions outside the United States.

By an 8-0 vote, the justices in a price-fixing case involving a global cartel set aside a U.S. appeals court ruling that foreign buyers can bring a U.S. antitrust lawsuit against foreign firms if they can show that U.S. commerce was affected.

The lawsuit was brought in federal court in Washington against Aventis, Roche Holding, BASF and other overseas companies that make vitamins.

The Supreme Court refused to extend the reach of the federal antitrust laws to cover anti-competitive practices involving foreign harm. The decision clarified the scope of a 1982 law, the Foreign Trade Antitrust Improvements Act.