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.
Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies describes some of the positive and negative consequences for whichever city Amazon decides will be home to its second headquarters. Margulies looks specifically at Olneyville—a low-income, predominately Latino neighborhood on the west side of Providence, Rhode Island, and concludes that on balance, the benefits of Amazon choosing Boston for its second headquarters could outweigh the risks to communities like Olneyville. Margulies calls upon Providence and indeed all cities to make firm, non-negotiable, legally binding commitments to protect and preserve affordable housing and to make sure that the benefits flow equitably to all residents.
