Eight decades after The Chicago Board of Trade v. U.S. decision, the reasonableness standard remains the core principle of antitrust analysis. While proposals to streamline the rule of reason analysis abound, the most compelling question is whether any of these proposals will gain widespread acceptance. This new guide examines the basic analytical approaches used to evaluate potential anti-competitive conduct and the ongoing debate over their effectiveness and efficiency. Tracing the development of rule of reason analysis from early decisions through present day cases, the book discusses the emergence of the per se standard. The guide concludes with an extended discussion of the key ingredients of the rule of reason mix: anti-competitive effects and market power, efficiency justifications, and the wide variety of methods proposed to try and balance them.

This treatise discusses the principal antitrust cases so readers can review precise holdings and fact summaries about each major case. It also includes black letter law and an analysis of current doctrine and trends in the law. Topics include the goals of antitrust law, the development of the Law of Contracts in restraint of trade, market structure and monopoly power, agreements among competitors, vertical restraints, price discrimination, mergers, and anticompetitive harm through governmental action.

Preface p. xi 1 Economics p. 1 I. Definitions p. 1 II. Perfect Competition Versus Monopoly p. 9 III. Further Topics p. 21 2 Law and Policy p. 27 I. Some Interpretation Issues p. 28 II. Enacting the Antitrust Law p. 30 III. What Should Antitrust Law Aim to Do? p. 40 3 Enforcement p. 43 I. Optimal Enforcement Theory p. 43 II. Enforcement Provision of the Antitrust Laws p. 47 Appendix p. 64 4 Cartels p. 68 I. Cartels p. 68 II. Conscious Parallelism p. 73 III. Conclusion p. 89 5 Development of Section 1 Doctrine p. 90 I. The Sherman Act Versus the Common Law p. 90 II. Rule of Reason and Per-Se Rule p. 104 III. Conclusion p. 112 6 Rule of Reason and Per-Se Rule p. 113 I. The Case for Price Fixing p. 113 II. Per-Se and Rule of Reason Analysis: Further Developments p. 116 III. Per-Se Versus Rule of Reason Tests: Understanding the Supreme Court's Justification for the Per-Se Rule p. 129 7 Agreement p. 132 I. The Development of Inference Doctrine p. 133 II. Rejection of Unilateral Contract Theory p. 140 8 Facilitating Mechanisms p. 144 I. Data Dissemination Cases p. 145 II. Basing Point Pricing and Related Practices p. 154 III. Basing Point Pricing: Economics p. 160 9 Boycotts p. 166 I. Pre-Socony p. 166 II. Post-Socony p. 170 III. Post-BMI/Sylvania p. 181 IV. Conclusion p. 184 10 Monopolization p. 186 I. Development of Section 2 Doctrine p. 186 II. Leveraging and Essential Facility Cases p. 202 III. Predatory Pricing p. 212 IV. Conclusion p. 228 11 Power p. 230 I. Measuring Market Power p. 230 II. Determinants of Market Power p. 235 III. Substitutability and the Relevant Market: Cellophane p. 237 IV. Multimarket Monopoly and the Relevant Market: Alcoa p. 239 V. Measuring Power: Guidelines p. 243 12 Attempts p. 244 I. The Swift Formula and Modern Doctrine p. 244 II. Dangerous Probability Requirement p. 248 13 Vertical Restraints p. 252 I. Resale Price Maintenance p. 252 II. Vertical Nonprice Restraints p. 262 III. Manufacturer Retains Title p. 267 IV. Agreement p. 270 14 Tying and Exclusive Dealing p. 279 I. Introduction p. 279 II. Early Cases p. 284 III. Development of Per-Se Rule p. 286 IV. Tension Between Rule of Reason Arguments and Per-Se Rule p. 295 V. Technological Tying p. 301 VI. Exclusive Dealing p. 303 Appendix p. 307 15 Horizontal Mergers p. 311 I. Reasons for Merging and Implications for Law p. 311 II. Horizontal Merger Law p. 317 III. Conclusion p. 330 Appendix p. 330 16 Mergers, Vertical and Conglomerate p. 333 I. Vertical Mergers p. 333 II. Conglomerate Mergers p. 344 III. Concluding Remarks p. 351 17 Antitrust and the State p. 352 I. Noerr-Pennington Doctrine p. 354 II. Parker Doctrine p. 371 III. Some Final Comments: Error Costs and Immunity Doctrines p. 375 Index p. 379.

The Fifth Edition continues to emphasize cases as the best way to teach antitrust law. The principal cases in this edition are the best and most current legal precedents. Judicial opinions are supplemented by historical and economic discussions and analyses. In particular, the notes discuss varying antitrust ideologies, confronting their defects and presenting their strengths. This new edition adds rich new material on: the transnational reach of the United States2 antitrust law; antitrust2s application to intellectual property; the Microsoft case and its history as it implicates monopolization, tying doctrine and market power analysis; expert testimony after Daubert and its relationship to antitrust summary judgment motions; and antitrust2s application in the field of regulated industries.