The Rule of Reason
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Antitrust Enforcement and the Consumer
Many consumers have never heard of antitrust laws, but when these laws are effectively and responsibly enforced, they can save consumers millions and even billions of dollars a year in illegal overcharges. Most States have antitrust laws, and so does the Federal Government. Essentially, these laws prohibit business practices that unreasonably deprive consumers of the benefits of competition, U.S. Department of Justice resulting in higher prices for inferior Washington, DC 20530 products and services. This pamphlet was prepared to alert consumers to the existence and importance of antitrust laws and to explain what you can do for antitrust enforcement and for yourself. 1. What Do the Antitrust Laws Do for the Consumer? Antitrust Antitrust laws protect competition. Free and open competition benefits consumers Enforcement by ensuring lower prices and new and better products. In a freely competitive and the market, each competing business generally Consumer will try to attract consumers by cutting its prices and increasing the quality of its products or services. Competition and the profit opportunities it brings also stimulate businesses to find new, innovative, and more efficient methods of production. Consumers benefit from competition through lower prices and better products and services. Companies that fail to understand or react to consumer needs may soon find themselves losing out in the competitive battle. When competitors agree to fix prices, rig bids, or allocate (divide up) customers, consumers lose the benefits of competition. The prices that result when competitors agree in these ways are artificially high; such prices do not accurately reflect cost and therefore distort the allocation of society’s resources. -
The FTC and the Law of Monopolization
George Mason University School of Law Law and Economics Research Papers Series Working Paper No. 00-34 2000 The FTC and the Law of Monopolization Timothy J. Muris As published in Antitrust Law Journal, Vol. 67, No. 3, 2000 This paper can be downloaded without charge from the Social Science Research Network Electronic Paper Collection: http://papers.ssrn.com/paper.taf?abstract_id=235403 The FTC and the Law of Monopolization by Timothy J. Muris Although Microsoft has attracted much more attention, recent developments at the FTC may have a greater impact on the law of monopolization. From recent pronouncements, the agency appears to believe that in monopolization cases government proof of anticompetitive effect is unnecessary. In one case, the Commission staff argued that defendants should not even be permitted to argue that its conduct lacks an anticompetitive impact. This article argues that the FTC's position is wrong on the law, on policy, and on the facts. Courts have traditionally required full analysis, including consideration of whether the practice in fact has an anticompetitive impact. Even with such analysis, the courts have condemned practices that in retrospect appear not to have been anticompetitive. Given our ignorance about the sources of a firm's success, monopolization cases must necessarily be wide-ranging in their search for whether the conduct at issue in fact created, enhanced, or preserved monopoly power, whether efficiency justifications explain such behavior, and all other relevant issues. THE FTC AND THE LAW OF MONOPOLIZATION Timothy J. Muris* I. INTRODUCTION Most government antitrust cases involve collaborative activity. Collabo- ration between competitors, whether aimed at sti¯ing some aspect of rivalry, such as ®xing prices, or ending competition entirely via merger, is the lifeblood of antitrust. -
Ruling Within Reason: a Reprieve for Resale Price Maintenance
Agenda Advancing economics in business Ruling within reason: a reprieve for resale price maintenance As a result of the US Supreme Court’s recent overturning of the long-standing 1911 Dr Miles decision, which deemed minimum resale price maintenance unlawful per se, this practice is to be judged under the ‘rule of reason’ in the USA, as has been the case with other vertical restraints. Is it therefore time to change the European approach to vertical price fixing? In its June 2007 judgement in Leegin Creative Leather purposes of applying Article 81(1) to demonstrate Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc, the US Supreme Court ruled any actual effects on the market.5 that resale price maintenance (RPM) should be judged under the ‘rule of reason’.1 The Leegin ruling overturned In line with the Commission’s approach, in the UK the long-standing 1911 Dr Miles precedent, which held minimum RPM is considered a hard-core practice that that it is per se unlawful under Section 1 of the Sherman ‘almost inevitably’ infringes Article 81 or the Chapter I Act for firms to fix the minimum retail price at which prohibition under the Competition Act 1998.6 Indeed, the retailers may sell goods or services on.2 Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has brought a number of high-profile vertical price fixing cases in recent years, as The outcome of the Leegin case has relieved those who discussed below. support the view that, although under certain circumstances minimum RPM may result in sub-optimal In light of the Leegin judgement, is this the time for market outcomes, this risk is not sufficient to make the European competition policy to move towards an effects- practice illegal per se. -
For Official Use DAF/COMP/WD(2007)100
For Official Use DAF/COMP/WD(2007)100 Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economiques Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 04-Oct-2007 ___________________________________________________________________________________________ English text only DIRECTORATE FOR FINANCIAL AND ENTERPRISE AFFAIRS COMPETITION COMMITTEE For Official Use DAF/COMP/WD(2007)100 ROUNDTABLE ON REFUSALS TO DEAL -- Note by the European Commission -- This note is submitted by the Delegation of the European Commission to the Competition Committee FOR DISCUSSION at its forthcoming meeting to be held on 17-18 October 2007. English text only English JT03233260 Document complet disponible sur OLIS dans son format d'origine Complete document available on OLIS in its original format DAF/COMP/WD(2007)100 1. Introduction 1. The starting point for any discussion of the extent to which European competition law may intervene to require a company with market power to supply an input or grant access to its property is to recall the general principle that enterprises should be free to do business – or not to do business – with whomsoever they please, and that they should be free to dispose of their property as they see fit. This general principle derives from the market economy which is the central economic characteristic of the European Union and of each of its Member States, and the principle has been explicitly referred to by the European courts in competition cases1. 2. It is therefore only in the carefully limited circumstances described below that EU law allows this freedom of contract to be over-ridden in the interest of ensuring that competition between enterprises is not unduly restricted to the long-lasting detriment of consumers. -
Use to Effectuate Resale Price Maintenance
Michigan Law Review Volume 56 Issue 3 1958 Regulation of Business - Refusals to Deal - Use to Effectuate Resale Price Maintenance Raymond J. Dittrich, Jr. S.Ed. University of Michigan Law School Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr Part of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation Commons, and the Commercial Law Commons Recommended Citation Raymond J. Dittrich, Jr. S.Ed., Regulation of Business - Refusals to Deal - Use to Effectuate Resale Price Maintenance, 56 MICH. L. REV. 426 (1958). Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol56/iss3/6 This Response or Comment is brought to you for free and open access by the Michigan Law Review at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Michigan Law Review by an authorized editor of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 426 MICHIGAN LAw REVIEW [ Vol. 56 REGULATION OF BusINEss-REFUSALS To DEAL-UsE To EFFEC TUATE RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE-A manufacturer,1 acting uni laterally2 and in the absence of either a monopoly position or in tent to monopolize,3 has a generally recognized right to refuse to deal with any person and for any reason he deems sufficient.4 A confusing yet important problem in the field of trade regulation is the extent to which a manufacturer may exercise this right to maintain resale prices by refusing to deal with customers who do not resell at his suggested prices. This difficulty does not arise in the numerous jurisdictions having fair trade laws since these stat utes permit a manufacturer to enter into contracts specifying the minimum or stipulated prices at which his goods are to be resold. -
The Three Types of Collusion: Fixing Prices, Rivals, and Rules Robert H
University of Baltimore Law ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law All Faculty Scholarship Faculty Scholarship 2000 The Three Types of Collusion: Fixing Prices, Rivals, and Rules Robert H. Lande University of Baltimore School of Law, [email protected] Howard P. Marvel Ohio State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/all_fac Part of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation Commons, and the Law and Economics Commons Recommended Citation The Three Types of Collusion: Fixing Prices, Rivals, and Rules, 2000 Wis. L. Rev. 941 (2000) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ARTICLES THE THREE TYPES OF COLLUSION: FIXING PRICES, RIVALS, AND RULES ROBERTH. LANDE * & HOWARDP. MARVEL** Antitrust law has long held collusion to be paramount among the offenses that it is charged with prohibiting. The reason for this prohibition is simple----collusion typically leads to monopoly-like outcomes, including monopoly profits that are shared by the colluding parties. Most collusion cases can be classified into two established general categories.) Classic, or "Type I" collusion involves collective action to raise price directly? Firms can also collude to disadvantage rivals in a manner that causes the rivals' output to diminish or causes their behavior to become chastened. This "Type 11" collusion in turn allows the colluding firms to raise prices.3 Many important collusion cases, however, do not fit into either of these categories. -
Competition and Monopoly : Single-Firm Conduct Under Section
CHAPTER 8 EXCLUSIVE DEALING I. Introduction prohibiting one party from dealing with 5 Exclusive dealing describes an arrangement others, or the exclusive-dealing arrangement whereby one party’s willingness to deal with can take other forms, as when a seller enacts another is contingent upon that other party (1) policies effectively requiring customers to deal dealing with it exclusively or (2) purchasing a exclusively with it. large share of its requirements from it.1 Exclusive dealing is frequently procom- Exclusive dealing is common and can take petitive, as when it enables manufacturers and many forms.2 It often requires a buyer to deal retailers to overcome free-rider issues exclusively with a seller. For example, a misaligning the incentives for these vertically- manufacturer may agree to deal with a related firms to satisfy the demands of distributor only if the distributor agrees not to consumers most efficiently. For example, a carry the products of the manufacturer’s manufacturer may be unwilling to train its competitors.3 And many franchise outlets agree distributors optimally if distributors can take to buy certain products exclusively from a that training and use it to sell products of the franchisor.4 But it also may involve a seller manufacturer’s rivals. Other benefits can occur dealing exclusively with a single buyer. as well, as when an exclusivity arrangement assures a customer of a steady stream of a Exclusive dealing also occurs between necessary input. sellers and consumers, as when a consumer agrees to purchase all its requirements of a But exclusive dealing also can be particular product from a single supplier. -
Resale Price Maintenance and Minimum
Presenting a live 90-minute webinar with interactive Q&A Resale Price Maintenance and Minimum Advertised Pricing: Structuring to Minimize Antitrust Scrutiny State, Federal, and International Treatment of RPM Agreements and MAP Policies THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019 1pm Eastern | 12pm Central | 11am Mountain | 10am Pacific Today’s faculty features: Michael A. Lindsay, Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Minneapolis William L. Monts, III, Partner, Hogan Lovells US, Washington, D.C. The audio portion of the conference may be accessed via the telephone or by using your computer's speakers. Please refer to the instructions emailed to registrants for additional information. If you have any questions, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-926-7926 ext. 1. Tips for Optimal Quality FOR LIVE EVENT ONLY Sound Quality If you are listening via your computer speakers, please note that the quality of your sound will vary depending on the speed and quality of your internet connection. If the sound quality is not satisfactory, you may listen via the phone: dial 1-866-961-8499 and enter your PIN when prompted. Otherwise, please send us a chat or e-mail [email protected] immediately so we can address the problem. If you dialed in and have any difficulties during the call, press *0 for assistance. Viewing Quality To maximize your screen, press the F11 key on your keyboard. To exit full screen, press the F11 key again. Continuing Education Credits FOR LIVE EVENT ONLY In order for us to process your continuing education credit, you must confirm your participation in this webinar by completing and submitting the Attendance Affirmation/Evaluation after the webinar. -
A Proposal to Enhance Antitrust Protection Against Labor Market Monopsony Roosevelt Institute Working Paper
A Proposal to Enhance Antitrust Protection Against Labor Market Monopsony Roosevelt Institute Working Paper Ioana Marinescu, University of Pennsylvania Eric A. Posner, University of Chicago1 December 21, 2018 1 We thank Daniel Small, Marshall Steinbaum, David Steinberg, and Nancy Walker and her staff, for helpful comments. 1 The United States has a labor monopsony problem. A labor monopsony exists when lack of competition in the labor market enables employers to suppress the wages of their workers. Labor monopsony harms the economy: the low wages force workers out of the workforce, suppressing economic growth. Labor monopsony harms workers, whose wages and employment opportunities are reduced. Because monopsonists can artificially restrict labor mobility, monopsony can block entry into markets, and harm companies who need to hire workers. The labor monopsony problem urgently calls for a solution. Legal tools are already in place to help combat monopsony. The antitrust laws prohibit employers from colluding to suppress wages, and from deliberately creating monopsonies through mergers and other anticompetitive actions.2 In recent years, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department have awoken from their Rip Van Winkle labor- monopsony slumber, and brought antitrust cases against employers and issued guidance and warnings.3 But the antitrust laws have rarely been used by private litigants because of certain practical and doctrinal weaknesses. And when they have been used—whether by private litigants or by the government—they have been used against only the most obvious forms of anticompetitive conduct, like no-poaching agreements. There has been virtually no enforcement against abuses of monopsony power more generally. -
Buyer Power: Is Monopsony the New Monopoly?
COVER STORIES Antitrust , Vol. 33, No. 2, Spring 2019. © 2019 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association. Buyer Power: Is Monopsony the New Monopoly? BY DEBBIE FEINSTEIN AND ALBERT TENG OR A NUMBER OF YEARS, exists—or only when it can also be shown to harm consumer commentators have debated whether the United welfare; (2) historical case law on monopsony; (3) recent States has a monopoly problem. But as part of the cases involving monopsony issues; and (4) counseling con - recent conversation over the direction of antitrust siderations for monopsony issues. It remains to be seen law and the continued appropriateness of the con - whether we will see significantly increased enforcement Fsumer welfare standard, the debate has turned to whether the against buyer-side agreements and mergers that affect buyer antitrust agencies are paying enough attention to monopsony power and whether such enforcement will be successful, but issues. 1 A concept that appears more in textbooks than in case what is clear is that the antitrust enforcement agencies will be law has suddenly become mainstream and practitioners exploring the depth and reach of these theories and clients should be aware of developments when they counsel clients must be prepared for investigations and enforcement actions on issues involving supply-side concerns. implicating these issues. This topic is not going anywhere any time soon. -
Per Se Treatment: an Unnecessary Relic of Antitrust Litigation Adam Weg
Hastings Law Journal Volume 60 | Issue 6 Article 14 1-2009 Per Se Treatment: An Unnecessary Relic of Antitrust Litigation Adam Weg Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_law_journal Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Adam Weg, Per Se Treatment: An Unnecessary Relic of Antitrust Litigation, 60 Hastings L.J. 1535 (2009). Available at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_law_journal/vol60/iss6/14 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Law Journal by an authorized editor of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Per Se Treatment: An Unnecessary Relic of Antitrust Litigation ADAM WEG* INTRODUCTION Over the past thirty years, the Supreme Court's test for finding a violation of the Sherman Act for certain types of business agreements has changed significantly.' Prior to that time, several types of agreements were illegal "per se,"2 while others were judged by a "rule of reason. ' Per se treatment is based solely on the existence of the offending agreements in the marketplace.' An agreement violates the Sherman Act if it falls into one of the per se illegal categories Conversely, a rule-of- reason analysis (which has recently been supplemented with "quick- look" analysis) allows a court to delve further into the intricacies of an agreement by examining the purpose, power, and effect of the agreement. As the complexity of products and the need for cooperation by market competitors has increased in recent years, the Court has moved several types of agreements from the per se category to the rule- * J.D. -
Reconciling the Harvard and Chicago Schools: a New Antitrust Approach for the 21St Century
Indiana Law Journal Volume 82 Issue 2 Article 4 Spring 2007 Reconciling the Harvard and Chicago Schools: A New Antitrust Approach for the 21st Century Thomas A. Piraino Jr. Parker-Hannifin Corporation Follow this and additional works at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj Part of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation Commons Recommended Citation Piraino, Thomas A. Jr. (2007) "Reconciling the Harvard and Chicago Schools: A New Antitrust Approach for the 21st Century," Indiana Law Journal: Vol. 82 : Iss. 2 , Article 4. Available at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj/vol82/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Journals at Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Indiana Law Journal by an authorized editor of Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Reconciling the Harvard and Chicago Schools: A New Antitrust Approach for the 21st Century THOMAS A. PIRAINO, JR.* INTRODUCTION: A NEW APPROACH TO ANTITRUST ANALYSIS ............................... 346 I. THE BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF ANTITRUST .................................................. 348 A . The Harvard School ........................................................................... 348 B. The Chicago School ........................................................................... 350 II. THE PRINCIPAL CASES REFLECTING THE HARVARD/CHICAGO SCHOOL C ON FLICT ....................................................................................................