Showing results for: “digital markets act”
Feeding at the trough
I love it! Today saw the “biggest presidential election day rally [in the stock markets] in 24 years.” And why, you ask? Is it because the seemingly-certain Obama victory has calmed all our fears of economic catastrophe (to say nothing of terrorist-induced catastrophe)? Nope. According to Bloomberg, U.S. stocks advanced in the biggest presidential Election ... Feeding at the trough
NY Times Endorses Pre-Chicago Antitrust
The NY Times (HT: Danny Sokol) decided to run an editorial blasts the DOJ’s Section 2 Report, asserting that the “antitrust division is supposed to be the agency looking out for the interests of American consumers, not big companies — a role it has clearly forgotten over the last eight years” citing the familiar bullet ... NY Times Endorses Pre-Chicago Antitrust
Obama "Voted With the Socialist" 92% of the Time
The Mizzou campus is all atwitter today over a scheduled appearance this evening by the world’s biggest celebrity — my old constitutional law prof, Barack Obama. As I write this, I’m watching the Obama folks prepare for the rally, which is to take place on the quad my office overlooks. I must say, it’s a ... Obama "Voted With the Socialist" 92% of the Time
Speaking of Resale Price Maintenance …
It looks like the FTC is interested in doing more than just investigating RPM (see Thom’s excellent post), as the agency just announced a series of public workshops on the question of how best to distinguish pro-competitive uses of RPM from those that raise competitive concerns. From the announcement: The FTC is requesting public comment ... Speaking of Resale Price Maintenance …
FTC’s Latest RPM Investigation: Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing?
Once again displaying its tenacious devotion to old Dr. Miles, the FTC is investigating whether makers of musical instruments and audio equipment have engaged in illegal resale price maintenance (RPM). Yesterday’s WSJ reported that the Commission has issued subpoenas to a number of prominent musical instrument manufacturers, including Fender, Yamaha, and Gibson, as well as ... FTC’s Latest RPM Investigation: Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing?
First Annual FTC Microeconomics Conference: November 6-7
I think conferences like this are an effective way to attract talented economists to work on interesting antitrust problems. I can envision a similar event from the Bureau of Competition or policy shops featuring academic research from law and economics scholars. Here’s the conference announcement: The Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics will host a ... First Annual FTC Microeconomics Conference: November 6-7
Fannie and Freddie as "Greater Fools"
Today’s New York Times features an op-ed by Michigan Law Professor Michael Barr and former Clinton advisor Gene Sperling that (somewhat predictably) blames our current financial mess on a lack of “common sense regulation” and exonerates the Community Reinvestment Act, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. I propose a counter-narrative. It begins with a nutshell version ... Fannie and Freddie as "Greater Fools"
Some Links
Henry Manne offers his thoughts on the financial crisis and the increasing role for those who understand markets to play in the new regulatory age Larry Ribstein defends the Illinois no-LSAT admission program Krugman on Krugman A conference on property rights I wish I could attend featuring a keynote from Harold Demsetz, my early frontrunner ... Some Links
Reverse Payments Ripe for Cert?
The Federal Circuit came down on the side of rule of reason analysis, and no liability, in a reverse payment case in Cipro (HT: Antitrust Review and Patently-O): Since there was no basis for the district court to confidently predict that the Agreements at issue here would be found to be unlawful under a rule ... Reverse Payments Ripe for Cert?
FTC v. DOJ on Section 2: Just Different Priors?
Turns out the Global Competition Policy issue on Reviewing the DOJ Report on Competition and Monopoly, in addition to the articles I pointed to in this post, has added a few more responses to the Report, the FTC Response, and what the schism might mean for antitrust enforcement over the next several years. So far ... FTC v. DOJ on Section 2: Just Different Priors?
Kieff on Quanta v. LG Electronics
Scott Kieff (Wash U., Hoover Project on Commercialization Innovation) has posted a paper on Quanta v. LG Electronics: Frustrating Patent Deals by Taking Contracting Options off the Table?: The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Quanta v. LG Electronics may make it significantly more difficult to structure transactions involving patents. While this decision does make a ... Kieff on Quanta v. LG Electronics
Abuse of Plaintiff Win Rates as Evidence that Antitrust Law Is Too Lenient
I was recently reading Dean Chemerinsky (Irvine Law) on the Roberts Court at Age 3. One of Chemerinsky’s standard takes when he talks about the Roberts Court is that the Court’s pro-business stance is one of its defining characteristics. Readers of the blog will know that I’ve been critical of Chemerinsky for his superficial antitrust ... Abuse of Plaintiff Win Rates as Evidence that Antitrust Law Is Too Lenient
