Antitrust & Unfair Competition

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When companies collude, consumers, workers, and small businesses pay the price.

We investigate and litigate issues that protect consumers, workers, and small businesses from anticompetitive business conduct.

Antitrust laws generally forbid agreements between competitors to reduce competition. Less competition usually means higher prices for consumers and lower wages for workers.

Unlawful arrangements can take many forms, like these.

Price-fixing & Wage-fixing. Prices and wages are supposed to be set by market supply and demand—not secret handshakes or gentleman’s agreements. Prohibited price-fixing can include agreements about pricing formulas, discounts, and other terms and conditions, or to limit supply or price advertisements.

Market allocation . Competitors aren’t allowed to agree to stay out of each other’s way—whether that’s by not soliciting one another’s customers, or dividing up territories or business lines.

No-poach agreements. Employers aren’t allowed to agree not to compete for workers. That includes no-poach, no-hire, and non-solicitation agreements between competitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

The antitrust laws are designed to protect the public—consumers, workers, and small businesses alike—from unfair anticompetitive practices.

Are non-compete agreements illegal?

Agreements between competitors to limit competition are generally unlawful. Non-competes between employers and employees can also be unlawful, depending on where.

A recruiter told me they weren’t allowed to hire me because of where I work. Is that okay?

A company’s policy not to hire people from a specific competitor or business may be unlawful if it’s the product of an agreement with another business. Read more.

What do anticompetitive agreements look like?

They can take many shapes and forms, including wage-fixing, price-fixing, dividing territories, non-solicitation, and so on.

Are monopolies illegal?

It’s unlawful to secure a monopoly by using anticompetitive tactics, or to attempt to do so.

What are the rule of reason, per se, and quick look tests?

These are different ways that courts evaluate whether a particular restraint is unreasonable or unlawful.

Do antitrust laws protect student athletes?

Yes! The Supreme Court has held that student athletes are also protected from anticompetitive agreements.

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