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Showing results for:  “e-books”

FCC Approves Comcast-NBC Merger With Conditions

While the FCC has announced its approval of the Comcast-NBC deal, The problem of overlapping agency review of mergers arises once again.  We’ve discussed previously the costs of FCC merger view, and in particular, the issues of delay and imposition of conditions unrelated to the merger.  The FCC review of the Comcast-NBC deal appears to ... FCC Approves Comcast-NBC Merger With Conditions

Top Ten Antitrust Books and Articles of 2010

At Danny Sokol’s blog.  I nominated Keith Hylton’s Edward Elgar edited volume on Antitrust Law and Economics.  I’m also pleased to report that my article with Judge Ginsburg on Antitrust Sanctions was also nominated.  You can check out the rest of the nominations here. Feel free to leave your own nominations for best antitrust articles ... Top Ten Antitrust Books and Articles of 2010

Fun With Google ngrams

Tyler Cowen shows the Google Ngram — which uses Google Books to count references for the given term — for the term “liberty.” Here’s one for “antitrust.”

When Google’s Competitors Attack …

We’ve discussed the all too common tactic in antitrust of rival’s complaining to government agencies to get them to bring antitrust complaints.  There is nothing particularly special about this tactic.  As I’ve pointed out in the context of allegations by Microsoft and Microsoft-supported rivals of Google, conventional economic reasoning suggests that, without more, complaints from ... When Google’s Competitors Attack …

Antitrust Karma, the Microsoft-Google Wars, and a Question for Rick Rule

The WSJ recently published the next installment of the Microsoft-Google antitrust wars.  A Google representative argues “competition is one click away”; Charles (“Rick”) Rule, Microsoft’s antitrust attorney, argues that Google’s conduct might harm competition.  Rule’s main point is summed up in the first line of his piece: “what goes around comes around.”  The longer version ... Antitrust Karma, the Microsoft-Google Wars, and a Question for Rick Rule

The Microsoft-Google Antitrust Wars and Public Choice: There is Too An Argument Against Rival Involvement in Antitrust Enforcement

How should an economist interpret the fact that Microsoft appears to be “behind” recent enforcement actions against Google in the United States and, especially, in Europe? “With skepticism!”  Is the answer I suspect many readers will offer upon first glance.  There is a long public choice literature, and long history in antitrust itself, that suggests ... The Microsoft-Google Antitrust Wars and Public Choice: There is Too An Argument Against Rival Involvement in Antitrust Enforcement

Why Take Antitrust? (Fall 2010 Edition)

In what has become an annual affair, around this time of the year, I like to make the case for law students to take antitrust. Each year, the post is edited and tweaked a little bit.  So, without further ado, here is this year’s edition of “Why Take Antitrust?” As the start of the new ... Why Take Antitrust? (Fall 2010 Edition)

Copyright Conundrum

Earlier this year, the US Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari to Costco in the case of OMEGA SA v. Costco Wholesale Corp. (541 F. 3d 982 (2008)).  At issue is whether the ‘first sale doctrine’ of US copyright law (17 U.S.C. § 109(a)), which limits the copyright owner’s ability to restrict distribution of ... Copyright Conundrum

Apple and Amazon E-Book Most Favored Nation Clauses

Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal has reportedly contacted Apple and Amazon concerning their pricing arrangements with publishers (WSJ, CNN): Mr. Blumenthal said he has sent letters to Amazon and Apple asking them to “meet with his office” to address his concerns that agreements in place may restrict rivals from offering cheaper e-books. For instance, he said, ... Apple and Amazon E-Book Most Favored Nation Clauses

Some Links

Intel and FTC settlement talks heat up (WSJ) Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal leads state AG crusade against Google’s Street View data collection (WSJ) Some good coverage of the FTC Workshop on the future of journalism, i.e. whether and how to save newspapers (here, here and here) Greg Mankiw on crisis economics New antitrust complaint against ... Some Links

Amazon vs. Macmillan: It's all about control

The Amazon vs. Macmillan controversy has been beaten to a pulp in the blogosphere.  See Megan McArdle, John Scalzi, Joshua Gans, Virginia Postrel, Lynne Kiesling, Lynne Kielsing and Lynne Kiesling, among others.  Pulp or no (get it? It’s a book/e-book pun), I haven’t seen anyone hit squarely on what I think is the crux of ... Amazon vs. Macmillan: It's all about control

Daubert and Antitrust Economics, Or When Should An Antitrust Economist Have Training in Economics?

Judge Saris’s district court opinion denying the motion to exclude one of the plaintiff’s economic experts in  Natchitoches Parish Hospital v. Tyco International recently came across my desk.  It is an interesting case involving allegations that Covidien, a leading supplier of “sharps containers” used for the disposal of various needle-involving medical products (syringes, IVs, etc.) ... Daubert and Antitrust Economics, Or When Should An Antitrust Economist Have Training in Economics?