Chapter14-.BusinessCompetitionAntitrustLaw..pptx

Chapter 14 Business Competition: Antitrust

Its Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment

Marianne M. Jennings

Business

11th Ed.

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Covenants Not to Compete

Initially were void

Gradually Became Acceptable

If necessary to protect business

If reasonable as to time

If reasonable as to geographic scope

Common Law Protections

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Case 14.1 Redner’s Markets, Inc. v. Joppatowne G.P. Ltd. Partnership (2014)

Discuss various stores and why the court distinguishes them

What will be the impact on the grocery store?

Modern Trade Restraints

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Negotiating Valid Covenants Not To Compete

State the reason for the covenant

Mix of tenants

Goodwill preservation

Protection of proprietary information

Be sure the covenant is reasonable

Time

Geographic scope

Make the covenant part of the sale, lease, or employment agreement

Have the parties initial the noncompete clause

Have legal representation

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Federal Antitrust Statutes

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A Look At Markets, Competition, and Antitrust Laws

HORIZONTAL MARKETS

Monopolization

Price-Fixing

(Sherman Act)

Refusals to deal

Group Boycotts

Mergers Among Competitors

(Clayton Act)

VERTICAL MARKETS

Tying

Monopsony

Price Discrimination

(Robinson-Patman Act)

Resale Price Maintenance

Exclusive Dealing, Sole Outlets, Customer and Territory Restrictions

Mergers Along the Supply Chain

(Clayton Act)

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Designed to Lessen Competition Among a Firm’s Competitors

Examples

Price Fixing

Group boycotts/refusals to deal

Joint Ventures/Mergers/Monopolization

Horizontal Restraints

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Sherman Act Restraints − Monopolization

Section 2 prohibits monopolization

Some monopolies are permitted

Newspapers − town cannot support more than one business

Monopoly gained by nature of product − superior skill, foresight, and industry

Horizontal Restraints

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Sherman Act Restraints − Monopolization

Monopoly power

Power to control prices or exclude competition in the relevant market

Examine firm’s market power

Examine relevant markets

Geographic market

Product Market

Horizontal Restraints

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Sherman Act Restraints − Monopolization

Elements of monopolization

Purposeful act required

Monopoly has resulted from something other than superior skill, foresight, and industry

Predatory pricing − pricing below cost for a temporary period to drive others out

Exclusionary conduct − prevents competitor from entering the market

Attempts to monopolization

Section 2 of Sherman Act may be violated even though no monopoly exists

Horizontal Restraints

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Sherman Act Restraints − Price Fixing

Collaboration among competitors for the purpose of raising, depressing, fixing, pegging, or stabilizing the price of a commodity

Per se violation

Conduct is unreasonable and illegal

No defenses for such action

Horizontal Restraints

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Sherman Act Restraints − Price Fixing

Minimum prices − discourages competition

Maximum prices − stabilizes prices but see State Oil Co. v. Khan, 522 U.S. 3 (1997)

List prices − exchange of price information hurts market

Production limitations − controls supply and controls price

Limitations on competitive bidding

Credit arrangements − universal agreement on charges is price-fixing

Horizontal Restraints

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Horizontal Restraints

Case 14.2 U.S. v. Apple, Inc. (2015)

Explain what Apple was trying to do with the e-book publishers

Why does the court find that Apple violated the Sherman Act?

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Division (Divvying Up) of Markets

Per se violation; lessens competition in that market

Group Boycotts and Refusals to Deal

May have the best intentions in the world but boycotts are still illegal

Example: Garment boycotts on knock-offs

Horizontal Restraints

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Free Speech and Anticompetitive Behavior

Noerr-Pennington doctrine

Competitors can work together for governmental action

Lobbying and political efforts

Cannot restrain this activity − First Amendment protection

Local Government Antitrust Act

Exempts state and local government from antitrust suits

Must have state policy to allow suit

Horizontal Restraints

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Subtle Anticompetitive Behavior: Interlocking Directorates

Prohibits director of firm with $1 million or more in capital from being a director for a competitor

Lessens likelihood of exchange of anti-competitive information

Horizontal Restraints

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Merging Competitors and the Effect on Competition

Presumptively illegal to have horizontal mergers

Courts look at market share to determine true illegality

Today Justice Department follows the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index to evaluate market concentration

Horizontal Restraints

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Covers Parties in Chain of Distribution

Manufacturer

Wholesaler

Retailer

Resale Price Maintenance

Attempt by manufacturer to control price retailers charge for the product

May be a violation of Section 1

Applies to minimum and maximum prices as well

Vertical Restraints

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Vertical Restraints

State Oil v. Khan (1997)

Vertical price fixing is not a per se violation

Does not decrease competition

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Vertical Restraints

Case 14.3 Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc. (2007)

What happened to retailers who discounted the products?

Why does the court see customer service as a part of competition?

Does the court see services as a means of justifying minimum prices?

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Vertical Restraints

Monopsony

A monopsony is price control by the buyer

In Weyerhaeuser v. Ross-Simons, the court held that a buyer was not artificially driving up suppler prices through its large orders – its manufacturing process was superior and it needed more supplies just because it could process more

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Vertical Restraints

Sole Outlets and Exclusive Distributorships

Manufacturer appoints a distributor or retailer as the exclusive outlet

Subject to a rule of reason analysis: Not automatically illegal; violators can present justification

Factors examined in rule of reason analysis

Manufacturers can pick and choose dealers

There must be inter-brand competition

If there is little inter-brand competition, then intra-brand competition is required

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Customer and Territorial Restrictions

Restricting to whom and where a dealer can sell

Subject to a rule of reason analysis

Consider amount of inter-brand competition

Consider market power of manufacturer

Vertical Restraints

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Tying Arrangements

Sales arrangements that require buyers to buy an additional product in order to get the product they want

Tying product = desired product

Tied product = additional product

Vertical Restraints

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Tying Arrangements

Generally illegal per se violation (Clayton Act Section 3)

Clayton Act − covers goods

Sherman Act − Section 1 covers services, real property, and intangibles

Violation depends on market and power − is tying product unique?

Vertical Restraints

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Tying Arrangements: Defenses

New industry defense: needed to protect quality of tying product

Quality control for protection of goodwill specifications are so detailed, could not be supplied by anyone else

Vertical Restraints

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Case 14.4 Illinois Tool Works, Inc. v. Independent Ink, Inc. (2006)

Is the arrangement illegal per se?

Is proof of market power required for typing?

Is there a problem with tying unsuccessful products with successful ones?

Tying Arrangement

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Price Discrimination

Prohibited by Robinson-Patman Act

Selling goods at prices that have different ratios to the marginal cost of producing them

Required elements (if established, both buyer and seller are guilty)

Interstate commerce

Price discrimination between purchasers

Commodities of like grade and quality

Lessening or injuring competition

Vertical Restraints

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Price Discrimination: Defenses

Legitimate cost differences

Quantity discounts OK (if there is an actual savings)

Market changes, inflation, material costs

Meeting the competition

Vertical Restraints

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Vertical Mergers: Mergers Between Firms With a Buyer-Seller Relationship

Illegality Depends Upon

Geographic and product markets

Whether entry of competitors would be difficult

Failing Firm Defense

No other offers to buy

Chapter 11 bankruptcy would not help

States Now Have Authority to Step in and Regulate Mergers if Feds Do Not

Vertical Restraints

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Antitrust Remedies

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International Competition and the World Market

United States allows joint ventures in international markets that would not be permitted in the United States

Antitrust laws most stringent in the United States

Foreign companies doing business in the United States are still subject to U.S. Antitrust laws

International Competition

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