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The collection of all scholarly commentary on law, economics, and more

Showing results for:  “digital markets act”

Is Austan Goolsbee Overrated?

Not as an economist of course! There is no doubt that Goolsbee is one of the world’s premier economists. But another brilliant economist, Jagdish Bhagwati, argues that voters should (HT: Mankiw) favor Barack Obama’s free trade credentials over Hillary Clinton’s based, at least partially, on Austan Goolsbee’s credentials as an advocate of free trade and ... Is Austan Goolsbee Overrated?

Thoughts on Safe Harbors for Quantity Discounts (and Bundling)

Dennis Carlton and Michael Waldman have posted an insightful DOJ working paper on antitrust safe harbors for unilateral conduct involving quantity discounts and bundling. The discussion is very timely in light of the Microsoft CFI decision, AMC Report, Section 2 Hearings, and various monopolization cases in the United States, EU, and other antitrust jurisdictions. The Carlton & Waldman ... Thoughts on Safe Harbors for Quantity Discounts (and Bundling)

Score One for Obama

I’ve been waiting for my old con law prof to take a political stand I could really get behind, and he finally has. Barack Obama is the only one of the presidential candidates to take a firm stand against this shamefully populist gas tax holiday. Good for you, Prof! Now, I’m not normally a big ... Score One for Obama

Conservatives, Liberals and the Elasticity of Demand for Voting

One of my favorite intellectual puzzles is figuring out what deep conceptual presuppositions cause some people to be conservatives, others to be liberals. That is, on a range of issues that would seem largely unrelated—say, abortion, affirmative action, and gun control—it turns that people’s positions are highly correlated. For instance, people who are pro-life tend ... Conservatives, Liberals and the Elasticity of Demand for Voting

The Chicago School As A Virus?

Danny Sokol points to Spencer Webber Waller’s “The Chicago School Virus.”  Given the paper’s title, the fact that I’ve written previously on the irresponsible or misleading usages of the term Chicago School, and the author’s predilection to take shots at the Chicago School more generally (previous attempts include describing Hovenkamp’s recent movement toward Chicago School views as imposing the “thinking man’s ... The Chicago School As A Virus?

Was Einstein an idiot?

Well, obviously, not, of course, but he sure sounds like a thoughtless hack once in a while. In a cafeteria near my office on the Microsoft campus, there is a sign near the door.  It’s a testament to something or other that I have no recollection at all what the sign is actually about.  But ... Was Einstein an idiot?

The Unintended Consequences of Feingold-Kyl

Gail Heriot (Right Coast) and John Fund discuss the Feingold-Kyl amendment to the pending bill which would give federal judges a long-awaited payraise amidst concerns that pay levels were to low to attract and retain a high quality judiciary. The FK amendment, as explained by Fund, “would bar any federal judge from accepting more than ... The Unintended Consequences of Feingold-Kyl

Antitrust (Over-?)Confidence

Thom was recently invited to draft a critical response to a symposium at the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies on the future of single firm conduct.  The transcript from the Roundtable Discussion is available on SSRN.  Thom graciously asked me to join him in drafting a short critical piece to the symposium. It is difficult ... Antitrust (Over-?)Confidence

Starbucks, Subway, and Antitrust

A few days ago, I posted a comment about Starbucks’ recent disclosure that its average per store traffic has gone down slightly even though overall profits have gone up. I suggested a number of explanations for these phenomena consistent with a story that consumer taste for the Starbucks product has not diminished. One of these ... Starbucks, Subway, and Antitrust

Competition in the Low-Earth-Orbit Satellite Industry

Amazon on Friday launched its first two prototype satellites for its planned Project Kuiper internet-satellite network. It was the latest milestone in the rapid evolution of the low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite industry, with companies like SpaceX and OneWeb joining Project Kuiper in launching thousands of satellites to provide broadband internet access globally. As this nascent industry ... Competition in the Low-Earth-Orbit Satellite Industry

The Empirical or Technical Law School Job Talk

In the process of reading the number of informative (and at least one funny one) posts around the blogosphere on the AALS job market and job talks, I ran into this piece of advice from Dan Solove at Coop: Choose a topic that many people on the faculty can talk about. The most important part ... The Empirical or Technical Law School Job Talk

FTC Seeks Cert in Rambus

The press release is here.  The petition is here.  The questions presented, as framed by the Commission are: 1. Whether deceptive conduct that significantly contributes to a defendant’s acquisition of monopoly power violates Section 2 of the Sherman Act. 2. Whether deceptive conduct that distorts the competitive process in a market, with the effect of ... FTC Seeks Cert in Rambus