00-12039. Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-Water Heater Industry Joint Research and Development Consortium

Notice is hereby given that, on December 3, 1999, pursuant to Section 6(a) of the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993, 15 U.S.C. 4301 et seq. (“the Act”), the Water Heater Industry Joint Research and Development Consortium (“the Consortium”) has filed written notifications simultaneously with the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission disclosing changes in its membership status. The notifications were filed for the purpose of extending the Act's provisions limiting the recovery of antitrust plaintiffs to actual damages under specified circumstances. Specifically, A. O. Smith Water Products Company, a division of A.O. Smith Corporation, Irving, TX has been added as a party to this venture.

No other changes have been made in either the membership or planned activity of the group research project. Membership in this group research project remains open, and the Consortium intends to file additional written notification disclosing all changes in membership.

On February 28, 1995, the Consortium filed its original notification pursuant to Section 6(a) of the Act. The Department of Justice published a notice in the Federal Register pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Act on March 27, 1995 (60 FR 15789).

The last notification was filed with the Department on March 17, 1999. A notice was published in the Federal Register pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Act on October 1, 1999 (64 FR 53416).

Constance K. Robinson,

Director of Operations, Antitrust Division.