Statement: Results-Oriented House Antitrust Report Undermines the Law, Harms Consumers
You can view our letter bellow, or view it as a PDF here.
Media: info@allianceonantitrust.org;
(704) 214-0542
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The following is a statement from the Alliance on Antitrust on the release of the report by the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law: Investigation of Competition in the Digital Marketplace: Majority Staff Report and Recommendations:
Washington, D.C. — The Alliance on Antitrust strongly disagrees with the recommendations released by the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law in its report, Investigation of Competition in the Digital Marketplace: Majority Staff Report and Recommendations. The report is a radical attempt to undo centuries of legal and economic learning and progress. If the recommendations become law, they would harm American consumers, stifle innovation, and penalize businesses for their successes.
The report wrongly equates business success with monopoly. While acknowledging the strength and importance of the American digital economy, the report goes on to make claims and offer recommendations that would restrict consumer choice and weaken the American economy. The report reflects a results-oriented approach to antitrust that seeks to weaponize the law to empower those who govern at the expense of the governed, while sacrificing basic economics and the rule of law.
Disturbingly, the Subcommittee’s efforts are an assault on the consumer welfare standard, which is the standard by which antitrust violations are—and should continue to be—evaluated. The Alliance on Antitrust will continue to speak up for consumers, and advocate for legal standards that facilitate a vibrant American economy and innovation, even as the subcommittee fails to do so.
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Note: The Alliance on Antitrust is a growing alliance of conservative and free market voices defending the consumer welfare standard and the rule of law. Find out more: https://www.allianceonantitrust.org
