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My Analysis of the Supreme Court’s North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. FTC Decision

If you haven’t yet heard, the Supreme Court upheld the FTC’s antitrust action against North Carolina’s state dental board. And I think they did a good job with the opinion. We wrote an amicus brief in this case and I have been studying these issues for years, so let me…

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The Supreme Court Makes it Easier to Sue State Licensing Boards Under the Antitrust Laws

The US Supreme Court issued its eagerly awaited decision today in North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission. As you might recall, this case involved an antitrust challenge by the FTC against a state dental board made up of practicing dentists that took actions to exclude…

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Takings and the Supreme Court’s Decision in Koontz v. St. Johns River Management District

If you read The Antitrust Attorney Blog regularly, you might have noticed that I think that the governments—federal, state, and local—tend to overreach into our business, our pursuits, and our lives. And I have strongly advocated that we apply the federal antitrust laws to counter the bloating influence of governments…

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US Supreme Court Allows Appeal of Terminated Individual Case from MDL Proceeding

The US Supreme Court just issued its decision in an antitrust case called Ellen Gelboim v. Bank of America Corporation. This case arises out of major multi-district litigation (an MDL) centered on allegations that major banks conspired to manipulate the London InterBank Offered Rate (which you probably know as LIBOR)…

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Do Real-Estate Brokers Violate the Antitrust Laws By Charging Identical Commissions?

I’ve often written about real estate on this blog. There are two reasons for this. The first and most important reason is because my wife and I invest in real estate and thus talk about real estate, so it is on my mind. In fact, I have my California real-estate license.…

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Entrenching a Monopolist: the FCC, Net Neutrality, and the Cable-Company Merger

An article in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye: “FCC Questions AT&T Over Investment Pause: Company Freezes Plans to Build Ultrafast Internet Service.” The reason for the pause is the FCC’s flirtation with the idea of net neutrality. A government policy of net neutrality would require internet service providers—like…

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The Antitrust Danger of Trade Associations with Power

The trade association necessitates a delicate balancing act between anticompetitive conduct condemned by the antitrust laws and pro-competitive information-sharing and best practices that ultimately help consumers. Trade associations should have antitrust policies and should consistently consult with an antitrust attorney. Antitrust law reserves its greatest scorn to the horizontal agreements—the…

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The US Supreme Court Hears Arguments in North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. FTC

The US Supreme Court does not review many antitrust cases. So when they do, it is kind of a big deal for antitrust attorneys around the world. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. FTC, which addressed the scope of state-action…