Issues

Big Tech’s ‘Buy and Kill’ Tactics Come Under Scrutiny

In this Financial Times article, Stanford Professor of Law Mark Lemley weighs in on the FTC's request to the five largest U.S. technology companies to provide information about prior acquisitions.
Mark Lemley
Source: Financial Times
February 13, 2020

FTC Turns Up Heat with Justice Department in Dueling Tech Probes

"It is a remarkably hostile gesture by the Department of Justice to do this," — William Kovacic, Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School

William E. Kovacic
Source: Bloomberg
February 13, 2020

FTC Will Review Past Mergers by Facebook, Google and Other Big Tech Companies

"The acquisition practices of the leading tech companies long have been the subject of tremendous scrutiny, and this will be an opportunity to assemble the best body of data on how many of these deals took place and what their competitive significance was." — William Kovacic, Professor of Law, George Washington University

William E. Kovacic
Source: The Washington Post
February 11, 2020

T-Mobile-Sprint Merger Wins Approval from U.S. Judge

"If this merger is not anticompetitive, even with the remedies agreed to, it is hard to know what is." — Eleanor Fox, Professor of Law, New York University

Eleanor Fox
Source: Reuters
February 10, 2020

Justice Department Announces Broad Antitrust Review of Big Tech

"It looks like the antitrust winter is over." — Tim Wu, Professor of Law, Columbia University

Tim Wu
Source: The Washington Post
July 23, 2019

Is ‘Big Tech’ Too Big? A Look at Growing Antitrust Scrutiny

The article reports on investigations at the U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission over “aggressive business practices” at Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple. Additionally, the report includes a look into the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust probe. New York University antitrust law professor Eleanor Fox is quoted.

Eleanor Fox
Source: The Washington Post
June 4, 2019

EU and US Still Searching for Way to Curb Tech Giants

US regulators have "taken a curious turn toward trying to help Google and other massive digital platforms to consolidate market power, rather than policing them." — Frank Pasquale, Professor of Law, University of Maryland

Frank Pasquale
Source: Independent
March 14, 2019

Europe Is Beginning to Break Up Facebook's Business

"In many ways, they are internally breaking up Facebook by limiting how they do business, how the different services interact. It's not a breakup, but it is certainly ramping up the pressure. The Commission doesn't have the power itself to go after Facebook on privacy grounds, but it has plenty of powers under competition law." — Anu Bradford, Professor of Law, Columbia University

Anu Bradford
Source: CNN
February 8, 2019

Big Tech Is Way Too Big

"There's been a profound change in the tech economy, and I think one that's very dangerous for the United States' economy. Right now, what we're seeing is a lack of innovation. A lack of starts. That's why I think it's important to have a shake-up of the industry every so often." — Tim Wu, Professor of Law, Columbia University

Tim Wu
Source: CNN
December 17, 2018

The Case for Breaking Up Facebook and Instagram

In this opinion piece written for The Washington Post, Columbia law professor Tim Wu argues that Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram in 2012 never should have been given the okay by antitrust regulators. Professor Wu emphasizes: “It’s not too late to create a meaningful check on the power of Mark Zuckerberg’s company.”

Tim Wu
Source: The Washington Post
September 28, 2018