Granting of Request for Early Termination of the Waiting Period Under the Premerger Notification Rules

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Granting of Request for Early Termination of the Waiting Period Under the Premerger Notification Rules

Section 7A of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. 18a, as added by Title II of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, requires persons contemplating certain mergers or acquisitions to give the Federal Trade Commission and the Assistant Attorney General advance notice and to wait designated periods before consummation of such plans. Section 7A(b)(2) of the Act permits the agencies, in individual cases, to terminate this waiting period prior to its expiration and requires that notice of this action be published in the

Federal Register

.

The following transactions were granted early termination of the waiting period provided by law and the premerger notification rules. The grants were made by the Federal Trade Commission and the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. Neither agency intends to take any action with respect to these proposed acquisitions during the applicable waiting period.

Trans#

Acquiring

Acquired

Entities

Transactions Granted Early Termination—05/17/2004

20040774

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc

Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation

Ascent Pediatrics, Inc.

20040809

IDEX Corporation

Scivex, Inc

Scivex, Inc.

20040843

Convergys Corporation

Alan L. Summerlin

Encore Receivable Management, Inc.

20040857

Green Equity Investors IV, L.P

Hollywood Entertainment Corporation

Hollywood Entertainment Corporation.

20040862

Black Hills Corporation

Xcel Energy Inc

Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power Company.

20040865

STB Beauty, Inc

MD Beauty, Inc

MD Beauty, Inc.

Transactions Granted Early Termination—05/18/2004

20040845

GTCR Fund VIII, L.P

Honeywell International Inc

Honeywell International Inc.

20040868

Goense Bounds & Partners A, L.P

ITG Holdings LLC

EMESS Design Group LLC.

20040870

Helen of Troy Limited

WKI Holding Company, Inc

World Kitchen (GHC) LLC, World Kitchen Inc.

Transactions Granted Early Termination—05/19/2004

20040854

Eaton Corporation

Invensys plc

Powerware Group Inc.

20040864

Sonoco Products Company

CorrFlex Graphics, LLC

CorrFlex Graphics, LLC.

Transactions Granted Early Termination—05/20/2004

20040810

Medlmmune, Inc

Wyeth

Wyeth.

20040850

Centrica Plc

FPL Group, Inc

Bastrop Energy Partners L.P.

20040851

FPL Group, Inc

El Paso Corporation

Bastrop Energy Partners, L.P.

Transactions Granted Early Termination—05/24/2004

20040858

R2 Investments, LDC

i2 Technologies, Inc

i2 Technologies, Inc.

20040866

V.F. Corporation

Vans, Inc

Vans, Inc.

20040873

BMC Software, Inc

Marimba, Inc

Marimba, Inc.

20040877

The Wine Group LLC

Golden State Vintners, Inc

Golden State Vintners, Inc.

20040885

Onex Partners LP

Res-Care, Inc

Res-Care, Inc.

20040886

Brooklyn Sports, LLC

GW New Jersey Sports Partnership II, LLC

New Jersey Basketball, LLC.

20040888

TPG Partners IV, L.P

JLL Partners Fund III, L.P

IASIS Healthcare Corporation.

20040892

U.S. Bancorp

Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group, Inc

Union Bank of California.

20040893

Zhone Technologies, Inc

Sorrento Networks Corporation

Sorrento Networks Corporation.

20040897

Reebok International Ltd

The Hockey Company Holdings Inc

The Hockey Company Holdings Inc.

Transactions Granted Early Termination—05/25/2004

20040798

Sempra Energy

American Electric Power Company, Inc

AEP Texas Central Company.

20040799

Carlyle/Riverstone TAC Investment Partnership II, L.P

American Electric Power Company, Inc

AEP Texas Central Company.

20040818

Lyondell Chemical Company

Millennium Chemicals, Inc

Millennium Chemicals, Inc.

20040867

Castle Harlan Partners IV, L.P

Oak Hill Capital Partners, L.P

Caribbean Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

20040875

Input/Output, Inc

GX Technology Corporation

GX Technology Corporation.

20040878

Ripplewood Partners II, L.P

Akzo Nobel N.V

Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals LLC.

20040880

NKT Holding A/S

The Estate After Incentive A/S

ALTO International A/S.

20040890

John C. Malone, c/o Liberty Media Corporation

Liberty Media Corporation

Liberty Media Corporation.

20040901

Capital Z Financial Services Fund II, L.P

Ingram Industries Inc

Permanent General Assurance Corporation of Ohio, Permanent General Companies, Inc.

Transactions Granted Early Termination—05/28/2004

20040756

CVS Corporation

J.C. Penney Company, Inc

Eckerd Corporation, Eckerd Corporation of Florida, Inc. Eckerd Fleet, Inc., E.T.B., Inc., Genovese Drug Stores, Inc., Genplus Managed Care, Inc., JEC Facilities Funding II, Inc., JEC Funding, Inc., TDI Managed Care Services, Inc., Thrift Drug, Inc.

20040838

David H. Murdock

Wood Holdings, Inc

Wood Holdings, Inc.

Transactions Granted Early Termination—06/01/2004

20040871

Macquarie Bank Limited

Executive Air Support, Inc

Executive Air Support, Inc.

20040874

LGB Pike Trust

John Charles Simpson

Red Simpson, Inc.

20040876

VCA Antech, Inc

National PetCare Centers, Inc

National PetCare Centers, Inc.

20040891

Superior Plus Income Fund

The Winroc Corporation

The Winroc Corporation.

20040900

Kenneth R. Thomson

Archipelago Holdings, Inc

Archipelago Holdings, Inc.

20040903

Marathon Oil Corporation

Ashland Inc

Ashland, Inc., Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC.

20040914

American Coal Holdings, LLC

RAG Aktiengesellschaft

RAG American Coal Holding, Inc.

20040926

FFS Holdings, Inc

Hillenbrand Industries, Inc

Forethought Federal Savings Bank, Forethought Financial Services, Inc., Forethought Life Assurance Company, Forethought Life Insurance Company.

20040931

Providence Equity Partners IV L.P

The DIRECTV Group, Inc

PanAmSat Corporation.

20040934

Fenway Partners Capital Fund II, L.P

RK Holdings and Leasing, Inc

RK Holdings and Leasing, Inc.

20040937

KKR Millennium Fund L.P

The DIRECTV Group, Inc

PanAmSat Corporation.

Transactions Granted Early Termination—06/03/2004

20040936

Thomson S.A

The DIRECTV Group, Inc

Hughes Network Systems, Inc.

Transactions Granted Early Termination—06/04/2004

20040837

Itron, Inc

Schlumberger Limited

Schlumberger Electricity, Inc., Waisin Schlumberger Electricity Measurement Corporation.

20040908

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Veolia Environment S.A

USF Holdings Inc.

20040918

Genstar Capital Partners III, L.P

Woods Equipment Company

Woods Equipment Company.

20040920

CCG Investments BVI, L.P

NxTrend Technology, Inc

NxTrend Technology, Inc.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sandra M. Peay, Contact Representative, or Renee Hallman, Case Management Assistant: Federal Trade Commission, Premerger Notification Office, Bureau of Competition, Room H-303, Washington, DC 20580, (202) 326-3100.

By Direction of the Commission.

Donald S. Clark,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 04-14134 Filed 6-22-04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6750-01-M