By: Daniel McCuaig (ProMarket)
The Federal Trade Commission recently failed to stop Meta’s acquisition of virtual reality company Within, while the Department of Justice is now attempting to mitigate Google’s monopolization of the online “ad tech stack” by unwinding its 2008 purchase of DoubleClick. Daniel McCuaig outlines the parallels between the two cases and argues that consumers are threatened with anticompetitive harm if the courts continue to side with tech monopolist defendants when faced with uncertainty…
technology behemoth shells out hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase the most successful innovator in a nascent market adjacent to one dominated by the behemoth. The direct competition between the two is insignificant and the government agency evaluating the merger lacks a sufficiently clear crystal ball to state with grounded confidence that the combination will lead to anticompetitive effects down the line.
That was the fundamental story in 2008 when Google acquired DoubleClick and it is the fundamental story today as Meta acquires Within.
Featured News
Lawmaker Probes FTC and EU’s Role in Amazon’s Failed iRobot Acquisition
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
FTC to Approve Exxon’s $64 Billion Deal with Pioneer Resources, Excludes
May 1, 2024 by
CPI
UK Competition Watchdog Raises Alarm Over Nvidia’s ARM Takeover
May 1, 2024 by
CPI
Sen. Klobuchar Urges Regulators to Probe Collusion in Healthcare Pricing
May 1, 2024 by
CPI
Multiple States Join Tennessee’s Antitrust Lawsuit Against NCAA Over NIL Rules
May 1, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI