safe harbor

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun A safe haven.
• noun business, law A statutory, regulatory, or contractual provision that provides protection, usually from a penalty or liability.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun the target company defends itself by acquiring a company so onerously regulated that it makes the target less attractive