Showing archive for: “Multisided Markets”
Streaming Market Shares: Error 404, Data Not Found
No matter who acquires Warner Bros. Discovery, whether it’s ultimately Netflix or Paramount Skydance, the deal will be one of the largest media mergers in history. Yet antitrust authorities reviewing these transactions face an unusual obstacle: they cannot reliably calculate market shares for the streaming services at the heart of the proposed deals. The standard ... Streaming Market Shares: Error 404, Data Not Found
NPU: Political Economy Without Economics
It appears that a new branch has forked off from the “hipster” neo-Brandeisian approach toward regulation, which styles itself as the study of “networks, platforms, and utilities” (NPU). Beginning with the 2022 publication of the “Networks, Platforms, and Utilities: Law and Policy” casebook by Morgan Ricks, Ganesh Sitaraman, Shelley Welton, and Lev Menand, NPU has ... NPU: Political Economy Without Economics
Brazil’s Digital Markets Bill: A DMA Through the Back Door?
The Brazilian government’s executive branch hosted a political ceremony last week in which it unveiled its “Digital Brazil Agenda,” which proposes six government projects to build a “safer, more competitive, and more innovative digital environment.” The most high-profile of these was the Digital Child and Teenager Act, which would set rules for how social-media platforms ... Brazil’s Digital Markets Bill: A DMA Through the Back Door?
California Leads the Charge in Systematically Dismantling US Federal Antitrust Law
The California Law Revision Commission (CLRC) is currently reviewing proposed amendments to the state’s antitrust statutes, particularly the Cartwright Act. As made clear in a recently published memo, a major goal of the effort is clearly to distance California from the perceived constraints of federal antitrust law that limit liability for single-firm conduct under Section ... California Leads the Charge in Systematically Dismantling US Federal Antitrust Law
Oregon’s Stone-Age Approach to Save Journalism
Oregon is the latest state to introduce legislation intended to save “digital journalism providers.” A bill working its way through the Legislative Assembly has attracted the support of mainstream media outlets, such as The Oregonian and Oregon Public Broadcasting. Even Fred Flintstone chimed in, begging the legislature to “Keep Cave News Alive.” Oregon Senate Bill ... Oregon’s Stone-Age Approach to Save Journalism
Beyond Market Definition: Key Economic Concepts in FTC v Amazon
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust suit against Amazon, originally filed in October 2023, is scheduled for trial in October 2026. While we’ve previously explored the market-definition questions at the center of this case, several other economic concepts will be equally important in determining whether Amazon has violated antitrust laws. Ahead of a scheduled March ... Beyond Market Definition: Key Economic Concepts in FTC v Amazon
Market Definition in FTC v. Amazon: A Crucial Battleground
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust suit against Amazon, originally filed in October 2023, is scheduled for trial in October 2026. In the meantime, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington has scheduled a March 7 “economics day” hearing to focus on fundamental economic concepts that will shape the case—including the crucial ... Market Definition in FTC v. Amazon: A Crucial Battleground
The Law & Economics of the First Amendment: Curation, Targeted Advertising, and Access to Online Speech
We at the International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE) filed an amicus brief earlier this month to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in the NetChoice v. Bonta case. It was an updated version of the brief we filed earlier this year before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. ... The Law & Economics of the First Amendment: Curation, Targeted Advertising, and Access to Online Speech
What the IMF Gets Wrong About Costa Rica’s Payment-Card Caps
The Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica (Costa Rica’s legislature) moved in 2020 to empower the Banco Central de Costa Rica (BCCR), the nation’s central bank, to impose price controls on fees charged by both payment-card issuers and acquirers. I have written previously about the perverse effects these price controls can generate (here, ... What the IMF Gets Wrong About Costa Rica’s Payment-Card Caps
Justice Department’s Google Adtech Antitrust Suit Does Not Add Up
The trial of the U.S. Justice Department’s (DOJ) “adtech” antitrust lawsuit against Google kicked off Sept. 9 in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. In a nutshell, the DOJ (joined by 17 states) argues that Google illegally monopolized key digital-advertising technologies through a variety of anticompetitive tactics. But the DOJ will find it difficult to ... Justice Department’s Google Adtech Antitrust Suit Does Not Add Up
Live Nation Breakup: Are Mergers Really to Blame for Ticketmaster’s Problems?
The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) announced yesterday that it has filed suit, along with 29 states and the District of Columbia, charging Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its subsidiary Ticketmaster LLC with monopolizing the live-events industry in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the ... Live Nation Breakup: Are Mergers Really to Blame for Ticketmaster’s Problems?
A Closer Look at Spotify’s Claims About Apple’s App-Store Practices
Following Monday’s announcement by the European Commission that it was handing down a €1.8 billion fine against Apple, Spotify—the Swedish music-streaming service that a decade ago lodged the initial private complaint that spawned the Commission’s investigation—published a short explainer on its website titled “Fast Five Facts: Facts that Show Apple Doesn’t Play Fair.” The gist ... A Closer Look at Spotify’s Claims About Apple’s App-Store Practices
