The Archives

Everything written by Joshua D. Wright on law, economics, and more

FTC Closes UFC Investigation

Sports Illustrated: The Federal Trade Commission has concluded and closed a six-month, nonpublic investigation of Zuffa LLC., the owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and will not take further action at this time, an FTC spokesperson confirmed to SI.com on Tuesday. According to closing letters to parties involved that were made public Tuesday, the FTC ... FTC Closes UFC Investigation

Some Antitrust Links

Commissioner Rosch makes the case for cert in FTC v. Lundbeck Will Bill Baer (Arnold & Porter) replace Sharis Pozen at DOJ?  (Bloomberg) Private suits follow as the FTC consent decree in Pool Corp “has spawned a batch of lawsuits in California, Louisiana and Florida over allegations that the company’s tactics drove up prices, stifled ... Some Antitrust Links

FTC Mobile Payments Workshop on April 26, 2012

The Federal Trade Commission conference announcement is below; note that public comments on the date of the conference.  This is an important space and should attract some excellent speakers.  The topics suggest a greater focus on consumer protection than competition issues.  Here is the announcement: The Federal Trade Commission will host a workshop on April ... FTC Mobile Payments Workshop on April 26, 2012

Call for Papers for the Haas-Sloan Conference on the Law & Economics of Organization

Haas-Sloan Conference on  The Law & Economics of Organization: New Challenges and Directions Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2012 The Walter A. Haas School of Business, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is issuing a call for original research papers to be presented at the Conference on The Law & Economics of Organization: New Challenges ... Call for Papers for the Haas-Sloan Conference on the Law & Economics of Organization

Stan Liebowitz on Piracy and Music Sales

Stan Liebowitz (UT-Dallas) offers a characteristically thoughtful and provocative op-ed in the WSJ today commenting on SOPA and the Protect IP Act.  Here’s an excerpt: You may have noticed last Wednesday’s blackout of Wikipedia or Google’s strange blindfolded-logo screen. These were attempts to kill the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act, proposed ... Stan Liebowitz on Piracy and Music Sales

Ideoblog Archives Available

I’ve received quite a few emails from TOTM and Ideoblog readers on this topic and so I want to highlight for our readers that we have Larry’s Ideoblog archives available at the link featured across the top bar under the Truth on the Market banner (click here).  They are also available on the left hand ... Ideoblog Archives Available

A “Reasonable Profits Board”? If Only It Were From the Onion…

A Congressional Bill proposing a “Reasonable Profits Board” so that profits on the sale of oil and gas in excess of what is “reasonable” can be subjected to a windfall tax.  A brief description: According to the bill, a windfall tax of 50 percent would be applied when the sale of oil or gas leads ... A “Reasonable Profits Board”? If Only It Were From the Onion…

Macey on Anticapitalist Claptrap, Private Equity, and Politics

Jonathan Macey (Yale) defends private equity against nonsensical attacks from Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman and others (Rick Perry is spared by Macey, but not by Bainbridge) in today’s Wall Street Journal: Mitt Romney’s candidacy is subjecting the entire private-equity industry—where Mr. Romney spent most of his business career—to vicious attacks by journalists and several of ... Macey on Anticapitalist Claptrap, Private Equity, and Politics

Olin-Searle-Smith Fellows in Law

I am pleased to pass along the following information regarding Olin-Smith-Searle Fellowships for the upcoming 2012-13 academic year.   The application deadline is March 15, 2012. 2012 – 2013 The Program The Olin-Searle-Smith Fellows in Law program will offer top young legal thinkers the opportunity to spend a year working full time on writing and developing their ... Olin-Searle-Smith Fellows in Law

GMU Law Review Symposium on High-Tech Antitrust on January 26th

I am very pleased to pass along this information about the 15th Annual Symposium on Antitrust Law on January 26th, 2012 sponsored by the George Mason Law Review, GMU Law & Economics Center, and Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.   The George Mason Law Review, in partnership with the George Mason University Law & Economics ... GMU Law Review Symposium on High-Tech Antitrust on January 26th

Social Search, Efficiencies of Integration, and Antitrust

The web is all abuzz about possible antitrust implications concerning Google’s new personalized search (see, e.g., here and here), integrating search with Google Plus.  Here is Google’s description of “Search, plus Your World”: We’re transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships. We began this transformation with ... Social Search, Efficiencies of Integration, and Antitrust

The Economics of Being Able to Fire People Who Provide Me Services

Via Professor Bainbridge, I read today about the nonsense surrounding Mitt Romney enjoying firing people.  I’m late to the this one, but here is the quote in context for anybody who missed it: “I want individuals to have their own insurance,” he said. “That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you ... The Economics of Being Able to Fire People Who Provide Me Services