Microsoft-Yahoo!
 Alex Epstein, an analyst at the Ayn Rand Institute, has published an op-ed explaining why antitrust regulators should not get in the way of any potential combinations of Microsoft, Google and Yahoo! Esptein notes, "What we are observing in the battle over Yahoo! is not genuine, merit-based competition, but competition based on political pull." You can read Epstein's article, "Set Yahoo! Free," at this link.
PATENT HOLD UP
 Bruce Kobayashi and Joshua Wright of George Mason University recently posted an article examining "restraint when applying the antitrust laws to conduct that is normally regulated by state and other federal laws," specifcially the use of antitrust "to regulate the problem of patent hold up of members of standard setting organizations." You can download their paper at this link.
Mises.org
 S.M. Oliva, president of the Voluntary Trade Council, authored an article for the Ludwig von Mises Institute on Mark and Marianne Hershiser's landmark First Amendment lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission. You can read the article, "Consumer Protection or Legal Extortion?" at this link.
IP & Antitrust
 Damien Geradin, a professor at Tilburg University and a partner at Howrey LLP, recently presented a paper entitled, "What's Wrong with Royalties in High Technology Industries?" which focuses on royalties paid by companies seeking to implement industry standards, such as those at issue in the FTC's case against Rambus. You can dowload the paper at this link.
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Inova, PWHS Abandon Merger |
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Written by VoluntaryTrade.org Staff
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Friday, 06 June 2008 09:33 |
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Arlington, Virginia (June 6, 2008) -- Facing a rigged trial with no reasonable chance of success, Inova Health System and Prince William Health System (PWHS) abandoned their planned merger, according to a press release issued today by the two not-for-profit hospital groups.
Inova's planned to invest over $200 million in PWHS' facilities, but the Federal Trade Commission objected, citing the threat of hypothetical price increases to insurance companies and other third-party payers that deal with Inova and PWHS. The FTC has interperted the antitrust laws to confer superior bargaining power on payers, and the agency routinely acts at the behest of insurers to violate the private property rights of hospitals and other health care providers.“We are disappointed to have to take this step because we strongly believe the community would best be served by bringing these two strong healthcare systems together," PWHS Chairman Michael Dailey said in the press release. “Going forward, we will take our time to reevaluate our options given the decision by the FTC and its impact on the marketplace.” Skip Oliva, president of the Voluntary Trade Council, said the FTC's illegal and unconstitutional actions would have negative reprecussions for years to come. "The FTC openly and arrogantly denied PWHS and Inova even the appearance of due process. As a consequence, residents of Prince William County will be deprived of the opportunity to receive superior health care services. The FTC put the interests of the antitrust community and the insurance industry ahead of consumers, and not for the last time." Oliva said that VTC would continue to investigate and pursue the FTC's misconduct in this case. "The FTC made every effort to eliminate independent review of its actions. Federal Trade Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch violated federal law and applicable rules of professional conduct when he colluded with his fellow commissioners to install himself as the trial judge. And there's probable cause to believe that the FTC violated other laws as well in this case. Now that Inova and PWHS have abandoned their transaction, VTC will pursue every available angle to hold Rosch and his co-conspirators accountable to the public." For more information contact Skip Oliva at (703) 740-8309. You can read the Inova-PWHS statement at this link. You can read VTC's previous coverage of this case at this link. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 06 June 2008 09:52 )
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Suggested Reading
Antitrust: The Case for Repeal
Dominick T. Armentano
2nd ed. 1999
Purchase from Mises.org ...................................... 
Markets Don't Fail!
Brian P. Simpson
2005
Purchase from Amazon
...................................... 
The Antitrust Religion
Edwin S. Rockefeller
2007
Purchase from Cato.org
Read the review ...................................... 
Winners, Losers & Microsoft
Liebowitz & Margolis
1999
Purchase from Independent Institute
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