Portfolio 32-3rd: Trade Associations and the Antitrust Laws
I. Introduction II. Summary of the Antitrust Laws A. The Sherman Act 1. Section 1: restraints of trade a. The requirement of a ‘combination' or an ‘agreement' b. The requirement of ‘commerce among the several states’ c. The ‘rule-of-reason’ and ‘per se’ violations 2. Monopolization B. The Clayton Act C. The Federal Trade Commission Act D. Enforcement and Penalties 1. Enforcement by the Department of Justice a. Criminal actions b. Civil actions 2. Enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission 3. Enforcement by private parties 4. Penalties for antitrust violations a. Criminal actions b. Civil suits for damages III. Application of the Antitrust Laws to Trade Association Activities A. Membership and Availability of Association Services to Nonmembers 1. Membership restrictions may create a risk of antitrust liability 2. Suggested guiding principles for membership policy B. Codes of Ethics & Other Restrictions on Member Conduct 1. Analysis of conduct restrictions imposed by trade associations 2. Voluntary conduct restrictions 3. Summary and guidelines C. Disciplinary Proceedings D. Joint Research Projects 1. In general 2. Summary and guidelines E. Group Buying 1. Exchange of information within joint-purchasing arrangements 2. Participation of group members in selecting suppliers 3. Summary and guidelines F. Standardization and Certification 1. In general 2. Summary and guidelines G. Lobbying 1. In general 2. Summary H. Statistical Reporting/Information Sharing 1. In general 2. Summary and guidelines I. Price-fixing 1. Per se price-fixing 2. Agreements analyzed under rule of reason 3. Summary and guidelines
Wks. 1 Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. §§1 and 2 Wks. 2 Clayton Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. §§13, 13a, 13b, 13c, 14, 15, and 15a Wks. 3 Federal Trade Commission Act §5, 15 U.S.C. §45 Wks. 4 National Cooperative Production Amendments of 1993, 15 U.S.C. §§4301–4306 Wks. 5 Standards Development Organization Advancement Act of 2004 Wks. 6 Report of the FTC's Noerr-Pennington Task Force (2006) Wks. 7 U.S. Department of Justice & Federal Trade Commission, Antitrust Guidelines for Collaborations Among Competitors (2000) Wks. 8 DOJ Antitrust Guide Concerning Research Joint Ventures (1980) Wks. 9 Report of the FTC's State Action Task Force (2003) Wks. 10 DOJ Business Review Letter: Woodwork Institute of California Wks. 11 DOJ Business Review Letter: American Welding Society Wks. 12 DOJ Business Review Letter: VMEbus International Trade Association (VITA) Wks. 13 DOJ Business Review Letter: American Trucking Associations, Inc. Wks. 14 DOJ Business Review Letter: American Peanut Shellers Association Wks. 15 CALIFORNIA DENTAL ASSOCIATION v. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, 526 U.S. 756 (1999) Wks. 16 ALLIED TUBE & CONDUIT CORP. v. INDIAN HEAD, INC., 486 U.S. 492 (1988) Wks. 17 NORTHWEST WHOLESALE STATIONERS, INC. v. PACIFIC STATIONERY & PRINTING CO., 472 U.S. 284 (1985) Wks. 18 ASSOCIATED PRESS v. UNITED STATES, 326 U.S. 1 (1945) Wks. 18A Address by FTC Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch: Section 2 and Standard Setting: Rambus, N-Data & The Role of Causation (Oct. 2, 2008) Wks. 19 Address by Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gerald F. Masoudi: Efficiency in Analysis of Antitrust, Standard Setting, and Intellectual Property (Jan. 18, 2007) Wks. 20 Address by FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras: Recognizing the Procompetitive Potential of Royalty Discussions in Standard Setting (Sept. 23, 2005) Wks. 21 Address by FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Trade Associations and Antitrust (Mar. 30, 2005) Wks. 22 Address by FTC Commissioner Thomas B. Leary: Self-Regulation and the Interface Between Consumer Protection and Antitrust (Jan. 28, 2004) Wks. 23 Address by FTC Commissioner Roscoe B. Starek, III: Antitrust and Trade Associations at the FTC (April 16, 1997)