Antitrust Violations

Extracted Attributes

• Purpose

  Control economic power in the public interest

• Definition

  Breaches of laws designed to promote economic competition and prevent unjustified monopolies

• Key US Legislation

  Robinson-Patman Act

• Economist Consensus (General)

  'Antitrust laws should be enforced vigorously.'

• Other Enforcement Bodies (US)

  U.S. state governments

• Prohibited Practices (General)

  Interlocking directorates

• Economist Consensus (2021 Survey)

  85% of AEA members agreed 'Corporate economic power has become too concentrated.'

• Federal Enforcement Agencies (US)

  U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division

Timeline

• The Sherman Act, a foundational U.S. antitrust statute, was enacted. (Source: wikipedia)

  1890-07-02

• The Clayton Act, which restricts mergers and acquisitions and prohibits interlocking directorates, was enacted. (Source: wikipedia)

  1914-10-15

• The Federal Trade Commission Act, establishing the FTC and prohibiting unfair methods of competition, was enacted. (Source: wikipedia)

  1914-09-26

• The Robinson-Patman Act, an amendment to the Clayton Act prohibiting price discrimination, was enacted. (Source: wikipedia)

  1936-06-19

• A major U.S. antitrust case was filed against Microsoft. (Source: web_search_results)

  1990s

• A survey of American Economic Association members found that 85% generally agreed that 'Corporate economic power has become too concentrated.' (Source: wikipedia)

  2021

• The European Union charged Microsoft with antitrust violations over its practice of bundling Microsoft Teams for free within its dominant Microsoft Office suite, following a complaint from Salesforce. (Source: related_documents)

  2024

United States antitrust law

In the United States, antitrust law is a collection of mostly federal laws that govern the conduct and organization of businesses in order to promote economic competition and prevent unjustified monopolies. The three main U.S. antitrust statutes are the Sherman Act of 1890, the Clayton Act of 1914, and the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914. Section 1 of the Sherman Act prohibits price fixing and the operation of cartels, and prohibits other collusive practices that unreasonably restrain trade. Section 2 of the Sherman Act prohibits monopolization. Section 7 of the Clayton Act restricts the mergers and acquisitions of organizations that may substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly. The Robinson–Patman Act, an amendment to the Clayton Act, prohibits price discrimination. Federal antitrust laws provide for both civil and criminal enforcement. Civil antitrust enforcement occurs through lawsuits filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and private parties who have been harmed by an antitrust violation. Criminal antitrust enforcement is done only by the Justice Department's Antitrust Division. Additionally, U.S. state governments may also enforce their own antitrust laws, which mostly mirror federal antitrust laws, regarding commerce occurring solely within their own state's borders. The scope of antitrust laws, and the degree to which they should interfere in an enterprise's freedom to conduct business, or to protect smaller businesses, communities and consumers, are strongly debated. Some economists argue that antitrust laws actually impede competition, and may discourage businesses from pursuing activities that would be beneficial to society. One view suggests that antitrust laws should focus solely on the benefits to consumers and overall efficiency, while a broad range of legal and economic theory sees the role of antitrust laws as also controlling economic power in the public interest. Surveys of American Economic Association (AEA) members since the 1970s have shown that professional economists generally agree with the statement: "Antitrust laws should be enforced vigorously." A 1990 survey of AEA members found that 72 percent generally agreed that "Collusive behavior is likely among large firms in the United States", while a 2021 survey found that 85 percent generally agreed that "Corporate economic power has become too concentrated."

Web Search Results

• Antitrust Laws: What They Are, How They Work, Major Examples

  Full Bio 3. Clayton Antitrust Act 4. Sherman Antitrust Act 5. Robinson-Patman Act Types of Antitrust Violations 1. How and Why Companies Become Monopolies 2. Discriminating Monopoly 3. Price Discrimination 4. Predatory Pricing 5. Bid Rigging 6. Price Maker 7. Cartel Monopolies [...] 1. Understanding Antitrust Laws 2. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) 3. Clayton Antitrust Act 4. Sherman Antitrust Act 5. Robinson-Patman Act Types of Antitrust Violations 1. How and Why Companies Become Monopolies 2. Discriminating Monopoly 3. Price Discrimination 4. Predatory Pricing 5. Bid Rigging 6. Price Maker 7. Cartel Monopolies [...] The FTC might also refer evidence of criminal antitrust violations to the DOJ. The DOJ has the power to impose criminal sanctions and holds sole antitrust jurisdiction in certain sectors, such as telecommunications, banks, railroads, and airlines.3 Major Example of Antitrust Law

• (Anti)Trust Issues - Harvard Law School

  In the past several years, the FTC and DOJ, along with many state attorneys general, have filed five lawsuits against the four tech giants on different claims of antitrust violations (see sidebar). While they are “good companies” that have made positive contributions, Wu says, “they’ve been around for a while.” The Biden administration believes that “shaking up tech could be important and essential to our leadership in technology, in the tech industries globally,” he adds, through an effort “to [...] Critics contend that this situation, a dream scenario for the four tech giants, is a nightmare for shoppers. The companies are fiercely defending themselves, arguing that they are not violating antitrust laws, that they invest in innovation that benefits consumers, and that they are not stifling competition. Amazon, for one, calls the antitrust lawsuit against it a “fundamental misunderstanding of retail” and warns that if the FTC wins, product prices may rise and its popular Prime shipping [...] After a long dry spell in antitrust prosecution — the last major case was against Microsoft in the late 1990s — the federal government is suing Apple, Amazon, Meta (Facebook’s parent company), and Google for allegedly constructing illegal monopolies that harm consumers and choke innovation. The companies deny the allegations and have been defending themselves vigorously. But in August, in the first case to go to trial, Judge Amit P. Mehta of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

• The Antitrust Laws - Department of Justice

  The Antitrust Division also enforces other federal laws to fight illegal activities that arise from anticompetitive conduct, which includes offenses that impact the integrity of an antitrust or related investigation. Examples include: conspiracies to defraud the United States, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, kickbacks, false statements to Federal agents, perjury, and obstruction of justice, and bribery, among other crimes. Read more about the activities of the Antitrust Division: [...] AboutAbout Mission History The Antitrust Laws Leadership Sections and Offices Contact Report Violations Press RoomPress Room Press Releases Speeches Congressional Testimony Events Photo Galleries Video Gallery Upcoming Hearings and Trials Program AreasProgram Areas Civil Enforcement Program Criminal Enforcement Program Expert Analysis Group Litigation Program Policy and Advocacy Program [...] The Clayton Act also prohibits an individual from sitting on boards of competing corporations. This illegal practice can lessen the competitive vigor that would otherwise exist between truly independent rivals.By sharing a board member, the two companies might synchronize pricing changes, labor negotiations, and more.

• Antitrust Case Filings | United States Department of Justice

  U.S. and the State of California, State of Florida, State of Hawaii, State of Mississippi, and State of Washington v. CVS Health Corp. and Aetna, Inc. ### Alphabetical List - D U.S. v. Daesang Japan, Inc. U.S. v. Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd. U.S. v. Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. U.S. v. Daily Gazette Co. and MediaNews Group, Inc. U.S. and Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. and Southern Belle Dairy Co., LLC U.S.v. Dairymen Inc. [...] U.S. and Plaintiff States v. The Dow Chemical Co. and E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. U.S. v. The Dow Chemical Co. and Ethyl Corp. U.S. v. DSBD, LLC U.S. v. DuCoa, L.P. U.S. v. Duke Energy Corp. U.S. v. Dunlop Oil & Marine Ltd. U.S. v. Dunn Engineering Associates, P.C. U.S. v. Dupont Dow Elastomers LLC U.S. v. Dyno Nobel Inc. U.S. v. DYWIDAG-Systems International USA, Inc. and Adam S. Allan ### Alphabetical List - E U.S. v. Lawrence Eady [...] U.S. v. Hsuan Bin Chen U.S. v. Paul Chen U.S. v. Chung Li Cheng, a/k/a George Cheng U.S. v. Su Chu Chou Cheng, a/k/a Terry Cheng U.S. v. Wen Jun Cheng, a/k/a Tony Cheng U.S. v. John Chessa U.S. v. Elie Samir Chidiac and Raman International, Inc. d/b/a Raman Corp. U.S. v. Chi Mei Optoelectronics U.S. v. China Airlines Ltd. U.S. v. Chinook Group Ltd. U.S. v. Chiropractic Associates, Ltd. of South Dakota U.S. v. Alexander G. Chisholm U.S. v. Il Young Cho

• Antitrust: Latest News, Top Stories & Analysis - POLITICO

  ### DOJ asks judge to break up Google Technology ### Will the DOJ really dismantle Google? Here’s what happens next. 2024 Elections ### Insiders look for signals that Kamala Harris would keep up one of Biden's biggest fights Economy ### Biden DOJ slaps Visa with antitrust suit over debit card dominance Finance & Tax ### DOJ poised to sue Visa for antitrust violations Technology