More than New International Trade Deals are Needed to Liberalize International Trade and Promote Economic Freedom
During the recent debate over whether to grant the Obama Administration “trade promotion authority” (TPA or fast track) to enter into major international trade agreements (such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP), little attention has been directed to the problem of remaining anticompetitive governmental regulatory obstacles to liberalized trade and free markets. Those remaining obstacles, ... More than New International Trade Deals are Needed to Liberalize International Trade and Promote Economic Freedom
Curbing Internet Copyright Infringement
In my article published today in The Daily Signal, I delve into the difficulties of curbing Internet-related copyright infringement. The key points are summarized below. U.S. industries that rely on copyright protection (such as motion pictures, music, television, visual arts, and software) are threatened by the unauthorized Internet downloading of copyrighted writings, designs, artwork, music ... Curbing Internet Copyright Infringement
Copyright and the Internet: Getting the Balance Right
Yesterday my essay on this topic was published as part of a Heritage Foundation Special Report on Saving Internet Freedom. The essay reviews threats to copyrighted works posed by the Internet and describes public and private essays to deal with Internet-related copyright infringement. The essay concludes as follows: “A variety of approaches—many of which are ... Copyright and the Internet: Getting the Balance Right
New Heritage Foundation Publication on Saving Internet Freedom
Yesterday the Heritage Foundation released a series of essays on “Saving Internet Freedom.” These analytical essays are an excellent reference work for interested members of the public who seek answers to those who claim the Internet requires new and intrusive government regulation. The introduction to the essays highlights the topics they cover and summarizes their ... New Heritage Foundation Publication on Saving Internet Freedom
The FTC’s Cardinal Health Settlement is Bad Antitrust Medicine and Highlights the Need for Additional Antitrust Guidance
On April 17, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted three-to-two to enter into a consent agreement In the Matter of Cardinal Health, Inc., requiring Cardinal Health to disgorge funds as part of the settlement in this monopolization case. As ably explained by dissenting Commissioners Josh Wright and Maureen Ohlhausen, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ... The FTC’s Cardinal Health Settlement is Bad Antitrust Medicine and Highlights the Need for Additional Antitrust Guidance
The FTC, not the FCC, Should Police Internet Abuses
The FCC’s proposed “Open Internet Order,” which would impose heavy-handed “common carrier” regulation of Internet service providers (the Order is being appealed in federal court and there are good arguments for striking it down) in order to promote “net neutrality,” is fundamentally misconceived. If upheld, it will slow innovation, impose substantial costs, and harm consumers ... The FTC, not the FCC, Should Police Internet Abuses
Red Tape Rising: The Heritage Foundation Spotlights the Excesses of the Regulatory State During the Obama Administration and Recommends Reforms
Understanding the nature and extent of the growth of the federal regulatory state is vital to sound policymaking. Taking that to heart, over the last decade the Heritage Foundation has issued a series of reports measuring trends in federal regulatory activity. On May 11 of this year, Heritage released its most recent regulatory study, “Red ... Red Tape Rising: The Heritage Foundation Spotlights the Excesses of the Regulatory State During the Obama Administration and Recommends Reforms
The 2015 International Competition Network’s (ICN) Unilateral Conduct Workbook Chapter on Tying and Bundling
In a recent post, I presented an overview of the ICN’s recent Annual Conference in Sydney, Australia. Today I briefly summarize and critique a key product approved by the Conference, a new chapter 6 of the ICN’s Workbook on Unilateral Conduct, devoted to tying and bundling. (My analysis is based on a hard copy final ... The 2015 International Competition Network’s (ICN) Unilateral Conduct Workbook Chapter on Tying and Bundling
International Competition Network (ICN) 2015 Annual Conference: A Higher Profile for Competition Advocacy
The ICN’s 14 Annual Conference, held in Sydney, Australia, from April 28th through May 1st, as usual, provided a forum for highlighting the work of ICN working groups on cartels, mergers, unilateral conduct, agency effectiveness, and advocacy. The Conference approved multiple working group products, including a guidance document on investigative process that reflects key investigative ... International Competition Network (ICN) 2015 Annual Conference: A Higher Profile for Competition Advocacy
The European Commission, Google, and the Limits of Antitrust
The precise details underlying the European Commission’s (EC) April 15 Statement of Objections (SO), the EC’s equivalent of an antitrust complaint, against Google, centered on the company’s promotion of its comparison shopping service (CSS), “Google Shopping,” have not yet been made public. Nevertheless, the EC’s fact sheet describing the theory of the case is most ... The European Commission, Google, and the Limits of Antitrust
FCC Preemption of State Municipal Broadband Restrictions is Legally Problematic and Bad for Taxpayers and Competition
By a 3-2 vote, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided on February 26 to preempt state laws in North Carolina and Tennessee that bar municipally-owned broadband providers from providing services beyond their geographic boundaries. This decision raises substantial legal issues and threatens economic harm to state taxpayers and consumers. The narrow FCC majority rested its ... FCC Preemption of State Municipal Broadband Restrictions is Legally Problematic and Bad for Taxpayers and Competition
FCC Internet Regulation Is a Recipe for Crony Capitalism
Much ink has been spilled (and with good reason) about the excessive and totally unnecessary regulatory burdens associated with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) February 26 “Open Internet Order” (OIO), which imposes public utility regulation on Internet traffic. For example, as Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow James Gattuso recently explained, “[d]evised for the static monopolies, ... FCC Internet Regulation Is a Recipe for Crony Capitalism
