Antitrust Legislation

A Five-Year Anniversary For A Major Standard-Setting Antitrust Law

Five years ago this month, a new federal law aimed at encouraging standard-setting activities took effect – the Standards Development Organization Advancement Act (SDOAA) of 2004.  Why did Congress pass it?  And five years later, how has it fared? In many industries, non-profit “standards development organizations” (SDOs) collaborate with businesses to develop industry-wide standards – from common light...

Think Indirect Purchaser Liability is Dead? Think Again.

Since the Supreme Court’s 1977 decision in Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois, 431 U.S. 720, plaintiffs have not been able to recover damages suffered by indirect purchasers from anticompetitive conduct stemming from §1 of the Sherman Act.  While this bar has existed for more than 30 years, plaintiffs are not without recourse. That’s because more than 25 states enacted laws, sometimes called “Illinois Brick...

The Price Of Innovation

Many of us think the U.S. health care sector will withstand today’s economy because it supplies important consumer products and services.  Politicians and economists expect pharmaceutical companies to employ scientists, develop medically necessary products, and lead our nation to economic health.  But we must also safeguard companies’ incentive to innovate.  Otherwise we risk losing potentially large sources of...