Competition policy uses economic analysis to enhance our understanding of how firm behavior affects social welfare. Scholars featured on this site consider how technology markets function, and the special issues raised by networks, platforms, interoperability, and bundling by firms like Google, Apple, and Microsoft.
"It looks like the antitrust winter is over." — Tim Wu, Professor of Law, Columbia University
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.
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
"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
"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
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.”
"The merger will in fact harm consumers and the harm is significant in terms of the dollar amount." — Carl Shapiro, Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley
"Any way you count it, the result is a grand and easily predictable reduction in effective competition. This is what most clearly justifies Justice’s opposition to the merger." — Tim Wu, Professor of Law, Columbia University
"If the standard narrative is that because the Republicans are in town, Simons is not going to do anything, he will really surprise people." — William Kovacic, Professor of Law, George Washington University
This article tells the story of survival in the age of Facebook. "Facebook has grown at a pace and had an impact that it’s really hard to say anybody planned. It isn’t just a mere commercial platform. It’s a place that people are turning to to get their sense of what’s going on in the world. That’s a combination that should be carefully navigated. It would be awfully strange, back in the day, if the Yellow Pages rearranged themselves every other day." — Jonathan Zittrain, Professor of Law, Harvard University
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TAP Academics
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TAP Blog
Several TAP scholars will be sharing their insights during next week’s FTC Hearing on whether changes in the economy, new technologies, or international developments warrant adjustments to the competition and consumer protection laws and policies.
November 2, 2018
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Fact Sheets
In the United States, “antitrust law” refers to the body of State and Federal laws that prohibits unlawful agreements and practices by firms with market power that harm competition. Europe, Asia and Latin America call the governance of market competition “competition law”.
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Featured Article
This paper looks at how regulators can support more competition between different wireless services.
January 31, 2011
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