Showing results for: “digital markets act”
Is Antitrust Too Complicated for Generalist Judges?
One of the highlights of my recent time as Scholar in Residence at the Federal Trade Commission was the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds around on antitrust issues on investigations and policy projects as well some academic projects. The subject of this post is one of those academic projects. Motivated by ... Is Antitrust Too Complicated for Generalist Judges?
Caplan on the Law as a Phony Discipline
Bryan Caplan writes: At risk of offending my many friends in the legal academy, I think that law is a shockingly phony discipline. Virtually everyone – liberal, conservative, Marxist, libertarian, or whatever – imagines that the law conveniently agrees with what they favor on non-legal grounds. Almost no one admits that many, if not most, ... Caplan on the Law as a Phony Discipline
Economic Issues in the Ovation Complaint
On December 16, 2008, the FTC filed a complaint against Ovation Pharmaceuticals that challenged its 2006 acquisition of the drug Neoprofen from Abbott. (The acquisition had fallen beneath the HSR thresholds and thus was not subject to an HSR investigation prior to consummation). While the complaint and case itself raises some interesting issues which I ... Economic Issues in the Ovation Complaint
Top Ten Antitrust Articles of 2008
Its the time for end of the year lists. In conjunction with Danny Sokol’s survey of nominations for article of the year in 2008 (here are last year’s entries and here’s my list of the top 10 from last year), and without further ado, here are my personal, idiosyncratic, completely non-scientifically derived top 10 antitrust ... Top Ten Antitrust Articles of 2008
Presenting Complex Economic Theories to Judges
This fascinating OECD document compiling submissions on the topic is a gold mine of observations on purported best practices for presenting economic testimony to judges and issues facing competition authorities and judges deciding complex antitrust cases on the basis of complex economic evidence. Here is one excerpt from the U.S. submission that caught my eye: ... Presenting Complex Economic Theories to Judges
Interim Final Rules Amending Parts III and IV Rules of FTC Rules of Practice Issued
The FTC announced today that it has approved a notice adopting interim final rules amending Parts III and IV of its rules of practice. As boring as that sound, this is a big deal. Here is the Federal Register notice. There are a number of changes, for instance, deadlines are imposed to expedite the pre-hearing ... Interim Final Rules Amending Parts III and IV Rules of FTC Rules of Practice Issued
DOJ Files Another Section 2 Case
Press release here. Here’s an excerpt: The complaint alleges that post-acquisition Microsemi raised prices significantly on small signal transistors certified by the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC), a component of the DOD, at the Joint Army-Navy Technical Exchange-Visual Inspection (JANTXV) and Joint Army-Navy Space (JANS) levels of reliability on its qualified manufacturers list or QML. ... DOJ Files Another Section 2 Case
Fool me once, shame on…shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.
I’d like to share a quote on banking industry regulation: “To restrain private people, it may be said, from receiving in payment the promissory notes of a banker for any sum, whether great or small, when they themselves are willing to receive them; or, to restrain a banker from issuing such notes, when all his ... Fool me once, shame on…shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.
No Ovation for FTC's Latest Enforcement Theory
The Federal Trade Commission announced a puzzling complaint filed in a new consummated merger & monopolization case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Here’s the explanation of the case from the press release: The Federal Trade Commission today filed a complaint in federal district court challenging Ovation Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s January 2006 ... No Ovation for FTC's Latest Enforcement Theory
Comings and Goings at the FTC Office of Policy and Planning
Congratulations to Maureen Ohlhausen, outgoing Director of the Office of Policy and Planning at the Federal Trade Commission, who is headed to a new position as Technology Policy Counsel at the Business Software Alliance, a nonprofit trade association that promotes innovation, growth, and a competitive marketplace for commercial software and related technologies. While losing Maureen ... Comings and Goings at the FTC Office of Policy and Planning
Price Discrimination is Good, Part 3
At Knowledge Problem, Michael Giberson collects anecdotal evidence on New York’s zone pricing ban, i.e. a prohibition on price discrimination. While gasoline prices are falling all over the country, the anecdotal evidence is that New York’s zone pricing ban is resulting in higher profits for retailers at the expense of consumers. Former George Mason economist ... Price Discrimination is Good, Part 3
Hamermesh on the Point of the Bailout
Some simple economics and common sense: Governments intervene in markets all the time — and they should, in order to make markets more competitive; to solve problems of externalities (which are ubiquitous); to resolve difficulties caused by individuals’ shortsightedness, including the spurring of innovation; and to reduce transactions costs. Where does the auto bailout fit ... Hamermesh on the Point of the Bailout
