July 31, 2020

Digital Markets Taskforce Consultation Response

Samuel Bowman

There is a danger that the UK is heading for a significant and potentially damaging overhaul of its competition policy on the basis of thin evidence, rushed analysis, and no attempt to measure the costs, benefits and risks of the approach being undertaken.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

July 21, 2020

tl;dr - Vertical integration: economies of scope

Samuel Bowman & Geoffrey A. Manne

Vertical integration allows businesses to innovate more. It may be bad for certain competitors, but it is rarely bad for competition.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

July 21, 2020

tl;dr - Competition in digital platform markets: a question of definitions

Samuel Bowman & Geoffrey A. Manne

Competition is strong in digital markets, but traditional antitrust tools may miss competitive nuances in these markets.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

July 21, 2020

tl;dr - Self-preferencing: building an ecosystem

Samuel Bowman & Geoffrey A. Manne

“Self-preferencing” is a normal part of how platforms operate, both to improve the value of their core product and to make money from it so that they have a reason to keep investing in it.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

July 21, 2020

tl;dr - Killer acquisitions: an exit strategy for founders

Samuel Bowman & Geoffrey A. Manne

Being acquired is how many startup founders and investors expect to make money. If you make that harder you’ll get fewer startups.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

July 21, 2020

tl;dr - Competition and concentration: an unclear connection

Samuel Bowman & Geoffrey A. Manne

Concentration is a poor measure of competition, because large businesses can be better for consumers than small ones. And concentration isn’t even rising in the ways that would matter.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

July 21, 2020

tl;dr - Access to data: not the barrier it’s thought to be

Samuel Bowman & Geoffrey A. Manne

Data doesn’t create a barrier to entry, but privacy regulations might.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

June 22, 2020

The Fatal Economic Flaws of the Contemporary Campaign Against Vertical Integration

Geoffrey A. Manne & Kristian Stout & Eric Fruits

Geoffrey A. Manne, Kristian Stout, Eric Fruits, "The Fatal Economic Flaws of the Contemporary Campaign Against Vertical Integration", Kansas Law Review, Kansas Law Review Inc. 2019 vol. 68(5)

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

May 19, 2020

Against the Vertical Discrimination Presumption

Geoffrey A. Manne

"Platform competition is more complicated than simple theories of vertical discrimination would have it, and there is certainly no basis for a presumption of harm."

Antitrust & Consumer Protection