CPI March 2012 Blog o’ Blogs

By CPI | March 29, 2012

The competition world has been really active this month. Among other treats, Great Britain is planning to reorganize its competition administration, the DOJ is attacking digital book prices, Carlos Slim is trying to get even wealthier, the Chinese are looking askance at some of their own large companies, and let’s not forget the French are unearthing serious problems in the food and produce world. Endive salad, anyone?

How Cheap Should Books Be?

Its hard to escape the sense that this means the book business will simply have to go back to living on Amazon’s terms. And we’ll have the Justice Department to thank for that.

Jordan Weissmann (The Atlantic)

Lawyers Give Mixed Response to Launch of New Competition and Markets Authority

What justifies widening the goalposts when you haven’t yet mustered a single shot on goal?

Sam Chadderton (The Lawyer)

The Economist Corner: When State Aid Rules Get Seriously Wrong…

One cannot help but thinking that the enforcement of State aid rules can go seriously astray.

Benoît Durand (Chillin’ Competition)

Google Isn’t “Leveraging Its Dominance,” It’s Fighting to Avoid Obsolescence

Neither consumers nor firms are well served by regulatory policy informed by nostalgia.

Geoffrey Manne (Truth on the Market)

Antitrust a Buzz Word at China’s Parliamentary Meeting

There likely will be an increase in antitrust investigations and lawsuits targeting not only foreign companies but large, Chinese conglomerates.

Joy Shaw & Lisha Zhao (Financial Times)

A Discussion of Bohannen & Hovenkamp’s Creation Without Restraints

The biggest difference between antitrust law and intellectual property is that antitrust law has developed through the common law process on the basis of a skimpy statute.

Keith Hylton (Antitrust and Competition Law Blog)

In Defense of Defining Markets

Werden v. Kaplow on whether the entire “market definition/ market share” paradigm of antitrust is misguided and beyond repair.

Josh Wright (Truth on the Market)

Joaquín Almunia on IPR and Patents

An interview with Joaquín Almunia on IPRs, patents, and competition issues.

Cosmo Graham (Competition Law Blog)

Can’t They Cooperate?

Does double jeopardy matter to regulators?

Catherine Dunn (Corporate Counsel)

Carlos Slim Needs More Competition

Mexico’s telecommunications market sorely lacks competition.