December 16, 2020

Introductory Post: The United States v. Google

Samuel Bowman

Google is facing a series of lawsuits in 2020 and 2021 that challenge some of the most fundamental parts of its business, and of the internet itself — Search, Android, Chrome, Google’s digital-advertising business, and potentially other services as well.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

December 15, 2020

Rolled by Rewheel, Redux

Eric Fruits

The Finnish consultancy Rewheel periodically issues reports using mobile wireless pricing information to make claims about which countries’ markets are competitive and which are not. For example, Rewheel claims Canada and…

Telecommunications

December 11, 2020

Facebook and the Pros and Cons of Ex Post Merger Reviews

Dirk Auer

The Federal Trade Commission and 46 state attorneys general (along with the District of Columbia and the Territory of Guam) filed their long-awaited complaints against Facebook Dec. 9. The crux of the arguments in…

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

November 30, 2020

Adding a Warning Label to Rewheel’s International Price Comparison and Competitiveness Rankings

Geoffrey A. Manne & Gus Hurwitz & Eric Fruits

The Internet is a fabulous means of communication. However, the Digital Fuel Monitor by Rewheel/research is a prime example of misinformation on the Internet

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

October 27, 2020

Buck’s 'Third Way': A Different Road to the Same Destination

Samuel Bowman

Congressman Buck’s “Third Way” report offers a compromise between the House Judiciary Committee’s majority report, which proposes sweeping new regulation of tech companies, and the status quo, which Buck argues is unfair and…

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

October 27, 2020

The Dangerous Implications of Changing Antitrust Presumptions

Ben Sperry

One of the key recommendations of the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust report which seems to have bipartisan support (see Rep. Buck’s report) is shifting evidentiary burdens of proof to defendants with “monopoly power.”…

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

October 22, 2020

tl;dr - The DOJ's Antitrust Case Against Google

Samuel Bowman & Geoffrey A. Manne

The Department of Justice and a few Republican state attorneys general have filed an antitrust suit against Google. But… The DOJ case will struggle.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

October 13, 2020

Brief of Amici Curiae Scholars of Economics and Antitrust in Support of Petitioners in COMCAST CORPORATION, ET AL. v. VIAMEDIA, INC.

Geoffrey A. Manne & Joshua Wright

ICLE President Geoffrey A. Manne and amici, scholars of economics and antitrust, submitted this brief to address the broad consensus in the academic literature disfavoring the theory underlying plaintiff’s case—so-called “unilateral refusal to deal” doctrine.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

September 28, 2020

tl;dr - Section 230 Reform Summaries

Kristian Stout & Ben Sperry

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has come under close scrutiny. Section 230 provides important immunity to online platforms for the content of third-party users.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection