The Archives

The collection of all scholarly commentary on law, economics, and more

Showing archive for:  “Law & Economics”

Ag-biotech merger symposium wrap-up

On Thursday, March 30, Friday March 31, and Monday April 3, Truth on the Market and the International Center for Law and Economics presented a blog symposium — Agricultural and Biotech Mergers: Implications for Antitrust Law and Economics in Innovative Industries — discussing three proposed agricultural/biotech industry mergers awaiting judgment by antitrust authorities around the globe. These proposed ... Ag-biotech merger symposium wrap-up

Innovation as a shield and a club in the agribusiness mergers

People need to eat. All else equal, the more food that can be produced from an acre of land, the better off they’ll be. Of course, people want to pay as little as possible for their food to boot. At heart, the antitrust analysis of the pending agribusiness mergers requires a simple assessment of their ... Innovation as a shield and a club in the agribusiness mergers

TOTM welcomes guest blogger (and newest ICLE Senior Scholar) Nicolas Petit

TOTM is pleased to welcome guest blogger Nicolas Petit, Professor of Law & Economics at the University of Liege, Belgium. Nicolas has also recently been named a (non-resident) Senior Scholar at ICLE (joining Joshua Wright, Joanna Shepherd, and Julian Morris). Nicolas is also (as of March 2017) a Research Professor at the University of South ... TOTM welcomes guest blogger (and newest ICLE Senior Scholar) Nicolas Petit

Experts’ Report Proposes Greater Coordination of U.S. Competition Law and Trade Law Policies

On March 14, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report “by an independent group of experts it commissioned to consider U.S. responses to the inappropriate use of antitrust enforcement actions worldwide to achieve industrial policy outcomes.”  (See here and here.)  I served as rapporteur for the report, which represents the views of the experts ... Experts’ Report Proposes Greater Coordination of U.S. Competition Law and Trade Law Policies

Judge Gorsuch’s Distinguished Antitrust Record

Overview A?merica’s antitrust laws have long held a special status in the ?federal statutory hierarchy.  The Supreme Court of the United States, for example, famously stated that the “[a]ntitrust laws in general, and the Sherman Act in particular, are the Magna Carta of free enterprise.”  Thus, when considering the qualifications of a nominee to the ... Judge Gorsuch’s Distinguished Antitrust Record

Unleashing Prosperity through Smarter Financial Regulation

On February 28, the Heritage Foundation issued a volume of essays by leading scholars on the law and economics of financial services regulatory reform entitled Prosperity Unleashed:  Smarter Financial Regulation.  This Report, which is well worth a read (in particular, by incoming Trump Administration officials and Members of Congress), is available online. The Report’s 23 ... Unleashing Prosperity through Smarter Financial Regulation

Reconfirming Jessica Rosenwercel as an FCC Commissioner Would Undermine Internet Freedom

The Senate should not reconfirm Jessica Rosenworcel to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in order to allow the Trump Administration to usher in needed reforms in the critical area of communications policy. As documented by the Free State Foundation (FSF) and other supporters of free markets, the Obama Administration’s FCC has done a dismal job ... Reconfirming Jessica Rosenwercel as an FCC Commissioner Would Undermine Internet Freedom

Justice Department Ignores the Benefits of Contracting Freedom in its Crabbed Reading of Music Distribution Decrees

The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ignored sound law and economics principles in its August 4 decision announcing a new interpretation of seventy-five year-old music licensing consent decrees it had entered into separately with the two major American “performing rights organizations” (PROs)  —  the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers ... Justice Department Ignores the Benefits of Contracting Freedom in its Crabbed Reading of Music Distribution Decrees

Global Antitrust Institute Propounds Recommendations for Reform of Japan’s Administrative Surcharge System

On August 6, the Global Antitrust Institute (the GAI, a division of the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University) submitted a filing (GAI filing or filing) in response to the Japan Fair Trade Commission’s (JFTC’s) consultation on reforms to the Japanese system of administrative surcharges assessed for competition law violations (see here for ... Global Antitrust Institute Propounds Recommendations for Reform of Japan’s Administrative Surcharge System

Global Antitrust Institute Comments on Chinese Draft Antitrust Guidelines Regarding Disgorgement and Fines Have Broader Implications for Sound Antitrust Enforcement Policy

The Global Antitrust Institute (GAI) at George Mason University Law School (officially the “Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University” as of July 1st) is doing an outstanding job at providing sound law and economics-centered advice to foreign governments regarding their proposed antitrust laws and guidelines. The GAI’s latest inspired filing, released on July ... Global Antitrust Institute Comments on Chinese Draft Antitrust Guidelines Regarding Disgorgement and Fines Have Broader Implications for Sound Antitrust Enforcement Policy

The Third Circuit pushes back on FCC’s unjustified rule on joint sales agreements

While we all wait on pins and needles for the DC Circuit to issue its long-expected ruling on the FCC’s Open Internet Order, another federal appeals court has pushed back on Tom Wheeler’s FCC for its unremitting “just trust us” approach to federal rulemaking. The case, round three of Prometheus, et al. v. FCC, involves ... The Third Circuit pushes back on FCC’s unjustified rule on joint sales agreements

Attorney General Lynch Demonstrates a Misunderstanding of American Antitrust Law, and its Proper Role in Promoting Economic Dynamism

For several decades, U.S. federal antitrust enforcers, on a bipartisan basis, have publicly supported the proposition that antitrust law seeks to advance consumer welfare by promoting economic efficiency and vigorous competition on the merits.  This reflects an economic interpretation of the antitrust laws adopted by the Supreme Court beginning in the late 1970s, inspired by ... Attorney General Lynch Demonstrates a Misunderstanding of American Antitrust Law, and its Proper Role in Promoting Economic Dynamism