Showing archive for: “FTC”
The Economics of Drip Pricing at the FTC
The FTC is having a conference in the economics of drip pricing: Drip pricing is a pricing technique in which firms advertise only part of a product’s price and reveal other charges later as the customer goes through the buying process. The additional charges can be mandatory charges, such as hotel resort fees, or fees ... The Economics of Drip Pricing at the FTC
The folly of the FTC’s Section Five case against Google
In the past weeks, the chatter surrounding a possible FTC antitrust case against Google has risen in volume, thanks largely to the FTC’s hiring of litigator Beth Wilkinson. The question remains, however, what this aggressive move portends and, more importantly, why the FTC is taking it. It is worth noting at the outset that, as ... The folly of the FTC’s Section Five case against Google
Do Expert Agencies Outperform Generalist Judges?
My work (with GMU 3L Angela Diveley) featured on the University of Pennsylvania’s RegBlog. An excerpt: The comparison we conducted is one between institutions – the FTC and the federal judicial system – and not individual judges and commissioners. There is no doubt the antitrust and economic experts at the FTC are well equipped to analyze all ... Do Expert Agencies Outperform Generalist Judges?
The Law and Economics of Any Willing Provider Laws
While I’m posting about health care regulation, I’d like to point TOTM readers to a short article with Jonathan Klick (University of Pennsylvania) summarizing the economics and empirical evidence surrounding “Any Willing Provider”(AWP) laws for the Washington Legal Foundation. We write: This analysis evaluates the antitrust law ramifications of proposals requiring pharmacy benefit managers (“PBMs”) ... The Law and Economics of Any Willing Provider Laws
Google Isn’t ‘Leveraging Its Dominance,’ It’s Fighting To Avoid Obsolescence
Six months may not seem a great deal of time in the general business world, but in the Internet space it’s a lifetime as new websites, tools and features are introduced every day that change where and how users get and share information. The rise of Facebook is a great example: the social networking platform ... Google Isn’t ‘Leveraging Its Dominance,’ It’s Fighting To Avoid Obsolescence
Do Expert Agencies Outperform Generalist Judges? Some Preliminary Evidence from the Federal Trade Commission
I’ve posted a new project in progress (co-authored with Angela Diveley) to SSRN. In “Do Expert Agencies Outperform Generalist Judges?”, we attempt to examine the relative performance FTC Commissioners and generalist Article III federal court judges in antitrust cases and find some evidence undermining the oft-invoked assumption that Commission expertise leads to superior performance in ... Do Expert Agencies Outperform Generalist Judges? Some Preliminary Evidence from the Federal Trade Commission
Congratulations to Bill Baer
President Obama has, as rumored, appointed Bill Baer (Arnold & Porter) to head the Antitrust Division. Reuters reports: Baer, who is the chair of Arnold and Porter’s Antitrust Practice Group, also previously headed the Federal Trade Commission’s competition division when it stopped a merger between Staples and Office Depot in 1997. He will replace Sharis ... Congratulations to Bill Baer
Wright v. Rule at Columbia Law on Google and Antitrust
Charles (“Rick”) Rule, who represents Microsoft and is the head of the antitrust practice at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, and I had an opportunity to debate the various antitrust issues involving Google and its search engine on last week. I didn’t have much of a chance to report here on the blog over the ... Wright v. Rule at Columbia Law on Google and Antitrust
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
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
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…
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
