Antitrust Laws: Promoting Competition and Free Markets
Critically important but commonly misunderstood, antitrust laws are meant to promote competition and protect consumers. Here’s everything you need to know.
America's antitrust laws promote competition and benefit consumers.
Antitrust laws ensure competition in a free and open market economy, which is the foundation of any vibrant economy. And healthy competition among sellers in an open marketplace gives consumers the benefits of lower prices, higher quality products and services, more choices, and greater innovation.
The core of U.S. antitrust law was created by three pieces of legislation: the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the Clayton Antitrust Act. These laws have evolved along with the market, vigilantly guarding against anti-competitive harm that arises from abuse of dominance, bid rigging, price fixing, and customer allocation.
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U.S. legislative proposals could undermine U.S. economic and security interests and strengthen foreign rivals without any apparent benefit to U.S. consumers.
America's Antitrust Laws: Explained in 60 Seconds
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Antitrust laws ensure competition thrives, providing consumers with lower prices and higher-quality products and services. However, some seek to rewrite these laws and undermine consumer power in the marketplace. Before Congress starts making unnecessary and harmful changes, it’s important to set a few things straight.
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While the White House has rightly pushed back against Europe’s Digital Markets Act, Congress is considering similar legislation with the American Innovation and Choice Online Act – which would limit competition in the tech industry.
This Hill letter was sent to the Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, on the hearing, “Baby Formula and Beyond: The Impact of Consolidation on Families and Consumers.”
This Coalition letter was sent to the Members of the United States Congress, opposing S. 2992, the “American Innovation and Choice Online Act,” and S. 2710, the “Open App Markets Act."
The letter outlines concerns that the FTC and DOJ Listening Forums on mergers and acquisitions were intentionally designed to cast mergers as harmful.
While some in Congress consider new antitrust legislation, here's why maintaining the consumer welfare standard is vitally important.
Pending bills would substantively alter antitrust law in ways that would sap our economy’s potential for future growth and innovation.
The procedures manual summarizes the procedures the FTC follows to execute its responsibilities for the Commission decision making process.
