Markets Wired

What are the antitrust laws and how do they promote and protect competition? Find the answers in a new online resource from the Federal Trade Commission, the FTC Guide to the Antitrust Laws.

This plain-language guide is written for consumers and business people with questions about the antitrust laws. The Guide summarizes the core laws that ban unfair business practices and prevent mergers that harm consumers, and explains how antitrust cases are brought by U.S., state, and international authorities, as well as private parties. Antitrust rules are organized into four basic areas by the business conduct they regulate: Dealings with Competitors, Dealings in the Supply Chain, Single Firm Conduct, and Mergers.

There are 25 fact sheets on specific antitrust topics, such as price fixing, bid rigging, and refusals to deal. These fact sheets can also be downloaded and used as handouts. The Guide uses FTC cases as examples of different types of antitrust violations, and points to other guidance documents developed with the U.S. Department of Justice to help businesses comply with the U.S. antitrust laws. The online version of the Guide links directly to these other resources for easy reference.

Find the FTC Guide to the Antitrust Laws at http://www.ftc.gov/bc/antitrust/index.shtm.

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.

(BC Web FYI.2008.wpd)