Antitrust

The survival of the Federal Trade Commission’s specious consumer protection claims against Uber over the rideshare company’s popular subscription service perpetuates yet another flawed lawsuit against Big Tech.

While ITIF applauds the the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission’s steps toward creating a better HSR form, it remains concerned about several means of expanding the scope of HSR review that would result in costs that far outweigh any benefits.

While ITIF does not support the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw and not replace the 2000 Guidelines, now, a quarter century after their issuance, it is long past time for renewed competitor collaboration guidelines.

Joseph V. Coniglio hosts two guests, Tim Muris, Foundation Professor of Law at Antonin Scalia Law School, and Bruce Kobayashi, Paige V. and Henry N. Butler Chair in Law and Economics at Antonin Scalia Law School, to discuss the Robinson-Patman Act and its renewed enforcement.

As the Commission continues to put forward specific measures that gatekeepers must comply with under the DMA, it is imperative that it avoid unduly chilling innovation and harming European consumers, including through reduced digital privacy and security.

EU regulations, many have cost European businesses about $176 billion annually, equivalent to almost 1 percent of the bloc’s GDP, and this cost doesn’t include the lost innovation and forgone growth that may have occurred if those rules were not in place.

Watch now for a panel discussion with top experts as they discuss tech-specific antitrust bills mirroring the EU’s Digital Markets Act, the implications of those bills for competition in the United States, and their potential effects on America’s leading tech firms, innovation, and consumers.

ITIF submits that the Commission’s proposed measures go well beyond what should be necessary for Google to comply with the DMA and will harm consumers and chill innovation in search.

Creative destruction drives growth but displaces workers. Governments shouldn’t stop it; they should support workers through the transition. The Nordic model shows it’s possible.

It is easy to be frustrated with the Chinese government and its use of merger and acquisition controls to limit the competitive advantage of American tech firms. But many policymakers in the West have enabled China’s success by weaponizing antitrust and competition laws to kill pro-competitive deals by Big Tech firms.