Law Commons^™

Regulation Of Business - Robinson-Patman Act - Injury To Competition Between Buyers Of Auto Parts, A. Duncan Whitaker S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Petitioner manufactured and sold automobile parts to distributors who resold them to jobbers in interstate commerce. The products were classified into three lines: leaf spring line, coil action line, and piston ring line. A progressive, cumulative discount was given in each line, based upon the aggregate yearly purchases of either a single buyer or a group-buying organization. The Federal Trade Commission charged petitioner with price discrimination in violation of the Robinson-Patman Act. Every customer who testified at the hearing denied that he had been injured competitively by the petitioner's pricing practices. Nevertheless, in view of the substantial price differentials, the …