Targeting Federal Agency Regulatory Overreach through the Congressional Review Act (CRA)
On February 22, 2017, an all-star panel at the Heritage Foundation discussed “Reawakening the Congressional Review Act” – a statute which gives Congress sixty legislative days to disapprove a proposed federal rule (subject to presidential veto), under an expedited review process not subject to Senate filibuster. Until very recently, the CRA was believed to apply ... Targeting Federal Agency Regulatory Overreach through the Congressional Review Act (CRA)
The FTC Takes on “Petitioning” of Government as an Anticompetitive Exclusionary Tactic
Background Some of the most pernicious and welfare-inimical anticompetitive activity stems from the efforts of firms to use governmental regulation to raise rivals’ costs or totally exclude them from the market (see, for example, here). The surest cure to such economic harm is, of course, the elimination or reform of anticompetitive government laws and regulations, ... The FTC Takes on “Petitioning” of Government as an Anticompetitive Exclusionary Tactic
Legatum Institute’s Special Trade Commission Advances Brexit Policies Designed to Promote Economic Freedom and Prosperity – for the United Kingdom and (Eventually) the World
The Legatum Institute (Legatum) is “an international think tank based in London and a registered UK charity [that] . . . focuses on understanding, measuring, and explaining the journey from poverty to prosperity for individuals, communities, and nations.” Legatum’s annual “Legatum Prosperity Index . . . measure[s] and track[s] the performance of 149 countries of ... Legatum Institute’s Special Trade Commission Advances Brexit Policies Designed to Promote Economic Freedom and Prosperity – for the United Kingdom and (Eventually) the World
ABA Antitrust Section Transition Report: A Respectful Critique
The American Bar Association Antitrust Section’s Presidential Transition Report (“Report”), released on January 24, provides a helpful practitioners’ perspective on the state of federal antitrust and consumer protection enforcement, and propounds a variety of useful recommendations for marginal improvements in agency practices, particularly with respect to improving enforcement transparency and reducing enforcement-related costs. It also ... ABA Antitrust Section Transition Report: A Respectful Critique
Commissioner Ohlhausen’s Qualcomm Dissent Points the Way Toward Sound Antitrust Enforcement
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) regrettable January 17 filing of a federal court injunctive action against Qualcomm, in the waning days of the Obama Administration, is a blow to its institutional integrity and well-earned reputation as a top notch competition agency. Stripping away the semantic gloss, the heart of the FTC’s complaint is that Qualcomm ... Commissioner Ohlhausen’s Qualcomm Dissent Points the Way Toward Sound Antitrust Enforcement
FTC Economists’ Paper Discredits Claims of Inappropriately “Weak” Merger Enforcement
During 2016 it became fashionable in certain circles to decry “lax” merger enforcement and to call for a more aggressive merger enforcement policy (see, for example, the American Antitrust Institute’s September 2016 paper on competition policy, critiqued by me in this blog post). Interventionists promoting “tougher” merger enforcement have cited Professor John Kwoka’s 2015 book, ... FTC Economists’ Paper Discredits Claims of Inappropriately “Weak” Merger Enforcement
What Will Trump Antitrust Be Like? Come to Heritage on January 24 and Find Out
During a presidential transition, it is an old Washington parlor game to discuss public policy tweaks and personnel changes, with speculation often focusing on former political appointees who are linked to the new President. But with the election of Donald Trump, who has not previously served in government, many pundits’ crystal balls may be a ... What Will Trump Antitrust Be Like? Come to Heritage on January 24 and Find Out
Supreme Court’s Samsung v. Apple Decision and the Status of Design Patents
On December 6 the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its much anticipated decision in Samsung Electronic Co. v. Apple Inc. The opinion deferred for another day clarification of key policy questions raised by the design patent system. Writing for a unanimous Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor reversed and remanded a Federal Circuit decision upholding a $399 ... Supreme Court’s Samsung v. Apple Decision and the Status of Design Patents
Reconfirming Jessica Rosenwercel as an FCC Commissioner Would Undermine Internet Freedom
The Senate should not reconfirm Jessica Rosenworcel to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in order to allow the Trump Administration to usher in needed reforms in the critical area of communications policy. As documented by the Free State Foundation (FSF) and other supporters of free markets, the Obama Administration’s FCC has done a dismal job ... Reconfirming Jessica Rosenwercel as an FCC Commissioner Would Undermine Internet Freedom
December 6 Heritage Foundation Program on IP Rights, Competition, and Due Process Overseas: Attend or Watch
In recent years, aggressive antitrust enforcement overseas has increasingly targeted some of America’s most successful and innovative companies, such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm. Inadequate foreign due process and insufficient protection for American intellectual property rights are a feature of many foreign antitrust actions, which threaten to undermine key American producers – harming U.S. ... December 6 Heritage Foundation Program on IP Rights, Competition, and Due Process Overseas: Attend or Watch
Competition Policy for a New Administration
As Truth on the Market readers prepare to enjoy their Thanksgiving dinners, let me offer some (hopefully palatable) “food for thought” on a competition policy for the new Trump Administration. In referring to competition policy, I refer not just to lawsuits directed against private anticompetitive conduct, but more broadly to efforts aimed at curbing government ... Competition Policy for a New Administration
The FTC, not the FCC, Should Regulate Internet Privacy
In an October 25 blog commentary posted at this site, Geoffrey Manne and Kristian Stout argued against a proposed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ban on the use of mandatory arbitration clauses in internet service providers’ consumer service agreements. This proposed ban is just one among many unfortunate features in the latest misguided effort by the ... The FTC, not the FCC, Should Regulate Internet Privacy
