Guest columnist and UC Hastings adjunct professor Samuel R. Miller considers whether Amazon is violating antitrust laws if it is (as is alleged) misusing data it obtains from third-party transactions. Miller explains two potential theories of antitrust liability—the “essential facilities” doctrine and the “monopoly leveraging” theory—and discusses the extent to which Amazon might be liable under each theory.
Thomas Greaney and Samuel Miller—both adjunct professors at UC Hastings College of the Law and former attorneys with the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice—describe how antitrust law in the United States no longer operates as a legal sword to keep markets competitive, but as a shield to protect large companies from competition. Greaney and Miller call for a renewal of the antitrust enterprise using the best of current economics informed by a realistic appreciation for how markets actually work in the real world.
Guest columnist and UC Hastings adjunct professor Samuel R. Miller contrasts the recent decision by antitrust enforcers in Europe to fine Google $2.7 billion for abusing its dominant position in internet search with the FTC’s decision not to pursue an antitrust case against Google based on similar allegations. Miller argues that the US should shift toward the EU’s position on antitrust law and that such a policy change would not even require any modifications of statutory language.