Law Commons^™

Purpose And Effect In Sherman Act Conspiracies, Richard A. Wirtz

Washington Law Review

The Gypsum decision supplies the proper occasion for a renewed effort to sort out and line up the Court's pronouncements since Trans-Missouri concerning the respective functions in cases arising under section 1 of proof of anticompetitive purpose and effect. Once this is done, a reasonably coherent body of doctrine emerges and the unresolved issues come more clearly into focus. The first two sections of this article deal with purpose and effect as determinants, respectively, of "restraint of trade" and of "contract, combination . . . and conspiracy." The third section takes up the problems that arise when the doctrine that …

Contribution In Civil Antitrust Litigation: The Emerging Consensus In Legal Literature, James F. Ponsoldt, Benjamin H. Terry

Scholarly Works

The United States Supreme Court recently has agreed to consider the issue of whether contribution among multiple defendants and coconspirators should be allowed in private civil antitrust litigation. Three circuit courts of appeal recently have handed down decisions on the issue of contribution and the result has been disagreement over whether such a right exists or should exist in antitrust law. Legal commentators have responded to these developments with a spate of “solutions” to the problem containing proposals for and against contribution. This article will survey the current status of the literature expressing these opinions. Then, assuming the establishment of …

National Panasonic (U.K.) Ltd. V. Commission Of The European Communities: The Common Market's First Look At Warrantless Searches In Antitrust Investigations, Catherine C. Gale

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

In Antitrust Investigations National Panasonic (UK) Ltd v. Commission of the European Communities' is the first decision of the European Court of Justice delineating the powers of the European Commission to conduct evidentiary searches on the premises of firms suspected of violating the European Economic Community's antitrust laws. The Court held that the Commission may conduct on-the-spot searches of firms without prior notification. The Court's decision greatly expands the investigatory powers of the Commission at the expense of significant privacy and due process rights for firms operating within the European Community. This note will examine the extent to which the …

Introduction: Transnational Corporate Concentration-The Issues, Thomas E. Kauper

Michigan Journal of International Law

Competition policy in the United States, particularly reflected in antitrust policy, in recent years has focused on corporate structure. To some, this emphasis simply reflects a belief in a close correlation between corporate structure and behavior. A single firm monopoly inevitably will restrict output and raise prices above levels that would prevail under competition conditions, distorting allocative efficiency. The behavioral pattern is a direct consequence of structure. Many believe that high corporate concentration, even short of single firm monopoly, is at least conducive to, if not a cause of, monopolistic behavior. Some also view high corporate concentration, and the aggregation …

International Implications Of Limitations On "Aggregate Concentration", David Boies

Michigan Journal of International Law

Traditionally, antitrust laws have been concerned with competition and concentration within a single market. In the past few years, however, increasing attention has been given to economywide or aggregate concentration-especially when such concentration is accomplished by merger rather than by internal growth. In 1979 and 1980, Congress considered Senate Bill S. 600 which would limit mergers based on size criteria that are unrelated, at least directly, to proof of a lessening of competition within any given market. The international implications of applying this principle are complex and difficult, and have yet to be fully addressed. It is the purpose of …

Doctrines And Problems Relating To U.S. Control Of Transnational Corporate Concentration, Douglas E. Rosenthal, Stuart E. Benson, Lisa Chiles

Michigan Journal of International Law

It is the principal thesis of this article that important recent case decisions in U.S. antitrust law reflect just this conflict over the extent to which intraindustry (horizontal) concentration is economically harmful. We are at a point where the future direction of the law is difficult to discern. Until there is greater U.S. policy agreement, and consistency within U.S. law itself, it is unlikely that any common transnational response will emerge to even horizontal corporate concentration. Ironically, it may not be possible to clarify U.S. antitrust law as long as the underlying policy conflict remains so sharp. For the present, …

The "Economic" Analysis Of Transnational Mergers, William James Adams

Michigan Journal of International Law

No congregation of lawyers can be considered complete without a token economist. The role of the economist consists of describing the economic mode of analyzing the legal problem under consideration. Unfortunately from the standpoint of the token, economists rarely agree on criteria appropriate for the appraisal of economic phenomena. With respect to transnational corporate mergers, four modes of analysis may be described legitimately as economic.

United Kingdom Regulation Of Transnational Corporate Concentration, J. Denys Gribbin

Michigan Journal of International Law

This article begins by describing the United Kingdom's policy toward outward and inward direct investment and then sets out the essentials of the competition laws that are among the major, nondiscriminatory regulatory mechanisms that affect corporate behavior and planning. The article also analyzes the development of competition policy as a microeconomic instrument along with its application to monopoly, oligopoly, and cartels involving transnational corporations. Competition policy, except for cartels, is shown to be relatively benign toward mergers until recently, and with respect to monopoly and oligopoly has sought remedies in regulation of prices and behavior rather than through structural change. …

Sherman Act Applications To Predation By Controlled Economy Enterprises Marketing In The United States: Departures From Mechanical Formulae, Deborah M. Levy

Michigan Journal of International Law

In a reproachful dissent in United States v. Columbia Steel, the late Justice Douglas sought to remind his brethren what the antitrust laws of the United States are all about: [A]ll power tends to develop into a government in itself. Power that controls the economy should be in the hands of elected representatives of the people, not in the hands of an industrial oligarchy. Industrial power should be decentralized.... That is the philosophy and the command of the Sherman Act.

Structural Aspects Of Multinational Corporate Trade With The Nonmarket Economies Of Eastern Europe: An Mnc Perspective On Domestic And Foreign Regulation, John G. Scriven

Michigan Journal of International Law

In considering the structural aspects of multinational corporate trade relationships with the nonmarket economies of Eastern Europe, it is important, as a preliminary matter, to acknowledge certain intractable features of that trade. Only through a continuing awareness of the interplay of these factors can one hope to understand the role of law or regulation in trade with these states.

Reflections On Recent Oecd Activities: Regulation Of Multinational Corporate Conduct And Structure, Kurt Stockmann

Michigan Journal of International Law

In recent, years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has repeatedly addressed, in a variety of forms, the problem of transnational corporate concentration. In the field of restrictive business practices, it has made suggestions on specific antitrust problems, issued council recommendations, and promulgated the 1976 Concil Guidelines for multinational enterprises. Not surprisingly for an organization that adheres to the principle of unanimity and, consequently, is governed by the law of the smallest common denominator, these efforts have thus far focused more on procedure than on substance. Even where quasisubstantive rules have been adopted, such as in competition guideline …

New Communications Technologies: The Emerging Antitrust Agenda, Michael Botein

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between National And Community Antitrust Law: An Overview After The Perfume Cases, Jean-Francois Verstrynge

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The European Coal and Steel Community Treaty and the Treaty of Rome have been recognized as transferring the jurisdictional authority to apply antitrust laws to the European Communities. After surveying the impact of these treaties on various sectors, the author argues that it is necessary to subordinate the jurisdictional authority of the Member States in this field to fulfill the objectives of the Common Market.

Recent Decisions, David R. Simon, David D. Dowd

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Antitrust--Act of State Doctrine Precludes Judicial Review of Cases in which Private Defendant Induces Foreign Sovereign to Boycott Plaintiff's Services and Products

David R. Simon

Plaintiff, a designer and manufacturer of short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, sought damages from defendants for violation of sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. Specifically, plaintiff alleged that defendant's employees falsely disparaged General Aircraft Corporation's (GAC) STOL aircraft products and services by circulating false and misleading performance reports and engaged in a "vendetta" designed to drive GAC out of business because of GAC's refusal to conduct Southeast Asian Helio sales under the …

Judicial Abstention Through The Act Of State Doctrine. International Association Of Machinists V. Organization Of Petroleum Exporting Countries, 649 F.2d 1354 (9th Cir. 1981), Richard Bardos

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Note: Economies Of Scale: Weighing Operating Efficiency When Enforcing Antitrust Law, Laraine L. Laudati

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Unilateral Refusals To Sell Production Facilities: Should Courts "Shake" The Invisible Hand?, Seth Schwartz

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Rise And Fall Of Provisional Validity -- The Need For A Rule Of Reason In Eec Antitrust, Valentine Korah

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The doctrine of provisional validity invented by the Community Court now applies to very few agreements. Mrs. Korah believes that unless a rule of reason is applied to restraints ancillary to agreements that lead to new competitive pressures, the risk of collaboration may become excessive. Mrs. Korah also expresses concern that this may reduce the dynamism of Community industry in competition with American and Japanese firms.

Regulation Of Concentration Through Merger Control: Germany's Continuing Efforts, Kurt Stockmann

Michigan Journal of International Law

The Federal Republic of Germany's Law Against Restraints on Competition (the ARC), establishes an extensive regime for regulating market-dominating enterprises. Therefore, large corporations, both national and multinational, are the subject of particular scrutiny in the Federal Republic. Rather than identify and address all the provisions pertinent to corporate concentration (a task whose tedium would be matched only by its enormity), this analysis will undertake three tasks: (1) briefly describe the general scope of West German merger law, (2) discuss the application of the law to cases of transnational concentration, and (3) explain the proposed Fourth Amendment to the ARC as …

Regulating Multinational Corporate Concentration-The European Economic Community, John Temple Lang

Michigan Journal of International Law

It is the purpose of this article to discuss the policies and goals of the efforts of the European Communities to regulate multinational corporate concentration. For reasons that will become clear in the course of the article, it is necessary to start by outlining the means available to the European Communities, both presently and potentially, to promote these policies. It is not possible to see what those policies might be or how they are likely to develop without understanding the practical implications of the various legal rules on which the Community might rely in the future. This article does not …

Canadian Merger Policy And Its International Implications, Eric K. Gressman

Michigan Journal of International Law

The implications of Canadian merger policy are of deep concern to U.S. and other foreign investors who have invested or are considering investing in Canada. U.S. interests own 60 percent of Canada's manufacturing industry. In 1978, approximately 250 mergers in Canada involved a foreign-owned or foreign-controlled buyer (usually U.S.). Therefore, it is not surprising that Canada's merger policy is no less important to the decisions of foreign investors in Canada than the Justice Department's policies are to domestic investors in the United States. At the same time, the Canadian government and public are concerned with their merger policy as a …

Appendix 1: Foreign Monopoly And Merger Law

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Appendix consists of brief descriptions of the monopoly and merger laws of several nations. These descriptions are not intended to provide a complete statement of any one nation's antitrust statutes and case law. Rather, they are included in this volume to permit the reader to observe the widely divergent approaches to the regulation of economic concentration. These summaries may not contain the latest case law developments or statutory amendments. It is hoped, however, that they provide a sound starting point for investigation of the regulatory regimes of the nations included in this collection.

Appendix 2: Recent United States Legislative Antitrust Proposals

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Appendix consists of brief descriptions of the monopoly and merger laws of several nations. These descriptions are not intended to provide a complete statement of any one nation's antitrust statutes and case law. Rather, they are included in this volume to permit the reader to observe the widely divergent approaches to the regulation of economic concentration. These summaries may not contain the latest case law developments or statutory amendments. It is hoped, however, that they provide a sound starting point for investigation of the regulatory regimes of the nations included in this collection.

Annotated Bibliography

Michigan Journal of International Law

Corporate concentration of both a national and transnational character is one of the more oblique topics in antitrust literature. Books and articles in the area tend to focus on narrow aspects of this issue, or on the regulatory efforts of particular countries and international organizations. The annotations which follow highlight some of the leading writings on industrial concentration.

Antitrust And International Know-How, Joel Davidow

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

It has been rumored that some political strategists would like to channel negotiations between developed countries of the North and developing countries of the South toward a trade-off allowing unrestricted access to Northern technology in exchange for decartelized supplies and prices for Southern raw materials. Each side would give away some of its heritage in exchange for improved access to the primary asset of the other. The negotiation shave faltered. In regard to many crucial issues they have never really begun, and in some respects the two sides have moved further apart over time. The classical economist sees no reason …

Protest Boycotts As Restraints Of Trade Under The Sherman Act: A Proposed Standard, Francis M. Allegra

Cleveland State Law Review

This paper will maintain that genuine protest boycotts are not anticompetitive because they do not restrict the economic freedom of either the participants or the boycotted entity; nor are they used to enforce an anticompetitive practice, such as collusion or horizontal exclusion. In Part II, cases dealing with unilateral and concerted refusals to deal will be examined to determine under which circumstances refusals to deal are illegal. Part III will analyze two recent protest boycotts cases: Crown Central Petroleum v. Waldman, and Osborn v. Pennsylvania-Delaware Service Station. The legal standards used in these cases will be rejected in Part IV …

Enforceability Of Agreements To Arbitrate: An Examination Of The Public Policy Defense, Stewart E. Sterk

Articles

This Article seeks to demonstrate that the public policy of doctrine should be, and in general has been, limited to two types of cases. First, as already discussed, an agreement to arbitrate should not be enforced when the statute or case law principle at issue has aims other than promoting justice between the parties. Second, when a party to the agreement belongs to a class peculiarly subject to imposition by the class to which the other party belongs, an agreement to arbitrate will not and should not be enforced.

In the latter class of cases, the susceptibility to imposition may …