May 15, 2020

Joint Submission of Antitrust Economists, Legal Scholars, and Practitioners to the House Judiciary Committee on the State of Antitrust Law and Implications for Protecting Competition in Digital Markets

Jonathan Barnett & Michael Baye & James Cooper & Daniel Crane & Kenneth Elzinga & Richard Epstein & Deborah A. Garza & Thomas Hazlett & Gus Hurwitz & Benjamin Klein & Jonathan Klick & Thomas Lambert & Tad Lipsky & Geoffrey A. Manne & Scott Masten & Maureen K. Ohlhausen & James F. Rill & Jan M. Rybnicek & Vernon L. Smith & David Teece & Robert Willig & Joshua Wright & John M. Yun

Pursuant to the House Judiciary Committee’s request for information to aid its inquiry concerning the state of existing antitrust laws, Antitrust Economists, Legal Scholars, and Practitioners offer the following joint submission.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

May 1, 2020

Consumer Welfare & the Rule of Law: The Case Against the New Populist Antitrust Movement

Elyse Dorsey & Geoffrey A. Manne & Jan M. Rybnicek & Kristian Stout & Joshua Wright

This Article makes the case in support of the current consumer welfare standard and against a sweeping set of unsupported populist antitrust reforms.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

April 17, 2020

Correcting Common Misperceptions About the State of Antitrust Law and Enforcement

Geoffrey A. Manne

On Friday, April 17, 2020, ICLE President and Founder, Geoffrey A. Manne, submitted written testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

November 12, 2019

The Antitrust Risks of Four to Three Mergers: Heightened Scrutiny of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger

Eric Fruits & Geoffrey A. Manne

Read ICLE's study by Eric Fruits and Geoffrey A. Manne, "The Antitrust Risks of Four To Three Mergers: Heightened Scrutiny of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger."

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

November 12, 2019

On the Antitrust Risks of Four to Three Mergers: A Case Study of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger

Eric Fruits & Geoffrey A. Manne

In anticipation of the long-rumored and much-discussed sale of ThyssenKrupp’s elevator business — the International Center for Law & Economics released "The Antitrust Risks of Four To Three Mergers: Heightened Scrutiny of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger," by Eric Fruits and Geoffrey A. Manne.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

October 22, 2019

Rising Concentration, Rising Prices: Not So Fast

Eric Fruits

Wall Street Journal commentator, Greg Ip, reviews Thomas Philippon’s forthcoming book, "The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up On Free Markets." Ip describes a “growing mountain” of research on industry concentration in the U.S. and reports that Philippon concludes competition has declined over time, harming U.S. consumers.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

October 1, 2019

Comments of ICLE, re: Tunney Act Review of the Sprint-T-Mobile Merger

Eric Fruits & Gus Hurwitz & Geoffrey A. Manne & Julian Morris & Alec Stapp

ICLE filed a letter summarizing its analysis of the relevant empirical literature on mobile carrier mergers as part of the Tunney Act review process.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

September 17, 2019

Vertical Mergers: Fast Food, Folklore, and Fake News

Eric Fruits

While the folklore of locking up distribution channels to eliminate double marginalization fits nicely with theory, the facts suggest a more mundane model of a firm scrambling to deliver shareholder wealth through diversification in the face of changing competition.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

September 17, 2019

A Review of the Empirical Evidence on the Effects of Market Concentration and Mergers in the Wireless Telecommunications Industry

Eric Fruits & Gus Hurwitz & Geoffrey A. Manne & Julian Morris & Alec Stapp

The merger between T-Mobile and Sprint has been characterized as a “4-to-3 merger” because after the merger there will be 3 national mobile network operators. Concerns have been raised regarding…

Antitrust & Consumer Protection