Showing results for: “digital markets act”
Dead End Road: National Petroleum Refiners Association and FTC ‘Unfair Methods of Competition’ Rulemaking
Introduction The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has long steered the direction of competition law by engaging in case-by-case enforcement of the FTC Act’s prohibition on unfair methods of competition (UMC). Recently, some have argued that the FTC’s exclusive reliance on case-by-case adjudication is too long and arduous a route and have urged the commission to ... Dead End Road: National Petroleum Refiners Association and FTC ‘Unfair Methods of Competition’ Rulemaking
The Cracked Mirror of Monopoly-Monopsony Symmetry
Slow wage growth and rising inequality over the past few decades have pushed economists more and more toward the study of monopsony power—particularly firms’ monopsony power over workers. Antitrust policy has taken notice. For example, when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) initiated the process of updating their merger guidelines, their ... The Cracked Mirror of Monopoly-Monopsony Symmetry
Privacy, Crypto, and EU Financial Surveillance
European Union lawmakers appear close to finalizing a number of legislative proposals that aim to reform the EU’s financial-regulation framework in response to the rise of cryptocurrencies. Prominent within the package are new anti-money laundering and “countering the financing of terrorism” rules (AML/CFT), including an extension of the so-called “travel rule.” The travel rule, which ... Privacy, Crypto, and EU Financial Surveillance
FTC UMC Roundup – Independence Day Week Edition
Happy Independence Day Week! Having started off with the holiday, this has been a relatively slow week on the antitrust front in the United States. But never fear, Europe is here to help fill out the weekly news roundup. And, even on a slow week there is plenty in the news domestically. Perhaps more important: ... FTC UMC Roundup – Independence Day Week Edition
Pushing the Limits? A Primer on FTC Competition Rulemaking
Since its founding in 1914, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has held a unique and multifaceted role in the U.S. administrative state and the economy. It possesses powerful investigative and information-gathering powers, including through compulsory processes; a multi-layered administrative-adjudication process to prosecute “unfair methods of competition (UMC)” (and later, “unfair and deceptive acts and practices ... Pushing the Limits? A Primer on FTC Competition Rulemaking
Patent Eligibility, Competition, Innovation, Congress, and the Supreme Court
A highly competitive economy is characterized by strong, legally respected property rights. A failure to afford legal protection to certain types of property will reduce individual incentives to participate in market transactions, thereby reducing the effectiveness of market competition. As the great economist Armen Alchian put it, “[w]ell-defined and well-protected property rights replace competition by ... Patent Eligibility, Competition, Innovation, Congress, and the Supreme Court
Why FTC Competition Rulemaking Likely Will Fail
I. Introduction In over a century of existence, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been a policy leader in developing American thinking about and in enforcing antitrust and consumer protection laws pursuant to several specific statutory mandates. It has also promulgated a substantial number of consumer protection rules, dealing with a wide variety of practices. ... Why FTC Competition Rulemaking Likely Will Fail
FTC UMC Roundup – OT22 Edition
Fireworks came a bit early this year. Between the Supreme Court’s end-of-term decisions and this week’s January 6th Committee hearings, it wasn’t a week with much antitrust news coming out of either the FTC or Congress. But the Supreme Court’s made sure to keep things exciting: the opinion in West Virginia v. EPA case will ... FTC UMC Roundup – OT22 Edition
AICOA: An Affront to the Rule of Law
The fate of the badly misnamed American Innovation and Choice Online Act, S. 2992 (AICOA), may be decided by the August congressional recess. AICOA’s serious flaws have been ably dissected by numerous commentators (see, for example, here, here, here, and here). Moreover, respected former senior Democratic antitrust enforcers who have advocated more aggressive antitrust enforcement ... AICOA: An Affront to the Rule of Law
FTC UMC Roundup – Trojan Horse Edition
Things are getting spicy in the administrative state. This week we have the first formal indication of new rules coming out of the FTC. We have lobbyists lobbying, and influencers influencing, CEOs loitering, and academics … academicing? We have some review and preview of what’s at stake with administrative law. We’ve got interesting upcoming events. ... FTC UMC Roundup – Trojan Horse Edition
ADPPA Mimics GDPR’s Flaws, and Goes Further Still
Just three weeks after a draft version of the legislation was unveiled by congressional negotiators, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) is heading to its first legislative markup, set for tomorrow morning before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee. Though the bill’s legislative future remains uncertain, particularly ... ADPPA Mimics GDPR’s Flaws, and Goes Further Still
DMA Update: It’s Still a Privacy Danger
The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) has been finalized in principle, although some legislative details are still being negotiated. Alas, our earlier worries about user privacy still have not been addressed adequately. The key rules to examine are the DMA’s interoperability mandates. The most recent DMA text introduced a potentially very risky new kind ... DMA Update: It’s Still a Privacy Danger
