Showing results for: “digital markets act”
Why Spitzer's Payola Attacks Will Harm Consumers
WSJ Law Blog and the WSJ report that Universal Music has now settled with the NY AG’s office for $12 million as a result of Spitzer’s continued attack on what he describes as “corrupt practices” in the music industry. (HT: Bill) The settlement also requires Universal, like Sony BMG and EMG before it, to cease ... Why Spitzer's Payola Attacks Will Harm Consumers
Thoughts on the Economics of Lawyer Licensing
Larry Ribstein and Jonathan Wilson have an interesting exchange going regarding the merits of lawyer licensing. Larry actually has several posts on the subject (see, e.g., here, here, and a paper here). WSJ Law Blog has picked up the exchange, and offers a poll which asks the question: “Is Lawyer Licensing Necessary?” (Perhaps unsurprisingly for ... Thoughts on the Economics of Lawyer Licensing
Vonage Free Writing Prospectus
It looks like Vonage is taking advantage of recently liberalized SEC rules that allow the use of written marketing materials during the IPO waiting period. It recently filed this letter as a “free writing prospectus.� Here’s the body of the letter: As you may know, Vonage has filed a registration statement with the Securities and ... Vonage Free Writing Prospectus
GMU/ Mercatus Symposium: Anticompetitive Barriers to E-Commerce
GMU Law and the Mercatus Center are jointly presenting a symposium on “Anticompetitive Barriers to E-Commerce,” Wednesday, May 24th from 8 am to 5pm. The symposium announcement is here. The agenda is here. Kenneth Starr is the keynote speaker and will be presenting his thoughts on “The Commerce Clause and E-Commerce.” Other speakers tentatively listed ... GMU/ Mercatus Symposium: Anticompetitive Barriers to E-Commerce
The Froth Is Back
Today’s WSJ reports that professional stock analysts employed by brokerage firms are up to their old sunny ways. These “sell-side� analysts came under fire in 2002 for rendering falsely optimistic trading recommendations. Congressional hearings revealed that during the late 1990s, analysts’ “buy� recommendations outnumbered “sell� recommendations by nearly 100 to one. Well, according to today’s ... The Froth Is Back
Commisioner Atkins on Mutual Fund Governance Rules and SOX 404
Now available on the SEC’s website is a transcript of a April 27, 2006 speech by SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins given to the Investment Adviser Association. There’s nothing particularly surprising in the speech given Atkins’ well-publicized opposition to many of former Chairman Donaldson’s initiatives, but it is still a good read. In particular, he focuses ... Commisioner Atkins on Mutual Fund Governance Rules and SOX 404
Want to Boost Domestic Oil Production? Give ANWR to the Greens.
There have been some pretty stupid ideas floating around about how to deal with this purported gasoline crisis we’re experiencing. (See, e.g., here.) Here’s one that might sound crazy at first, but is, I submit, crazy like a fox. I propose that the government split the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve and give the pieces primarily ... Want to Boost Domestic Oil Production? Give ANWR to the Greens.
KKR IPO
Yesterday’s W$J reported on the planned IPO of KKR Private Equity Investors, an investment fund managed by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., the legendary corporate buy-out firm (see here). The shares have begun trading on Euronext Amsterdam at $24.80 per share. According to the W$J, KKR listed the shares in Amsterdam to avoid “some of ... KKR IPO
Stock Spam
Stock spam refers to spam emails that tout typically thinly traded stocks. There’s a new paper up on SSRN entitled “The Effect of Stock Spam on Financial Markets� that analyzes whether stock spam impacts trading volume or market valuation of the touted stocks. Here’s the abstract: Spam messages are ubiquitous and extensive interdisciplinary research has ... Stock Spam
ALEA happy hour
Dear friends of TOTM: If you’re going to be attending the American Law and Economics Association annual meeting, or if you’ll be otherwise in the neighborhood (Berkeley, that is) on May 5 and 6, there are two must-attend events over the action-packed weekend. The first is the inaugural TOTM happy hour. Join us (Josh and ... ALEA happy hour
Antitrust Souvenirs?
From the Antitrust Hotch Potch, a quote from a Microsoft antitrust lawyer referencing the fact that the stripped version of Windows (without the Media Player monopolistically integrated and forced upon consumers to their detriment … ) is being ordered by stores slightly less frequently than the “full” version of Windows, i.e. 1,787 copies versus 35 ... Antitrust Souvenirs?
From the Department of "If You Can't Beat 'Em …"
The WSJ is reporting that the American Gaming Association is relaxing its opposition to online gambling in the wake of several bills proposing to ban Internet gambling. The DOJ’s position has been that online gambling, and not just sports gambling, violates the Wire Act though at least one federal district court has disagreed. The AGA ... From the Department of "If You Can't Beat 'Em …"
