For the first time in a century, Republicans find themselves on the brink of an antitrust revival, a new trust-busting era in the tradition of the Boston Tea Party, Teddy Roosevelt, and John Sherman (yes, the senator who gave his name to our nation’s founding antitrust law was, in fact, a pro-Lincoln, anti-slavery Republican from Ohio).
As a lawyer who studied under Robert Bork and practiced antitrust law for 20 years (two of them with the Antitrust Division), I couldn't agree more. The big techies are monopolists who have acquired and solidify their dominant positions by acquiring competitors and other practices that used to be considered garden-variety violations of section 2 of the Sherman Act. They may not be in the business of selling products in the same sense as an automobile manufacturer or oil company, but they are nonetheless engaging in abuses of market power that clearly violate the law. Perhaps the law could be strengthened, but what we need most is an aggressive enforcement program of the kind pursued by Thurmond Arnold 80 years ago.
As a lawyer who studied under Robert Bork and practiced antitrust law for 20 years (two of them with the Antitrust Division), I couldn't agree more. The big techies are monopolists who have acquired and solidify their dominant positions by acquiring competitors and other practices that used to be considered garden-variety violations of section 2 of the Sherman Act. They may not be in the business of selling products in the same sense as an automobile manufacturer or oil company, but they are nonetheless engaging in abuses of market power that clearly violate the law. Perhaps the law could be strengthened, but what we need most is an aggressive enforcement program of the kind pursued by Thurmond Arnold 80 years ago.
Very timely and well laid out. This may be the most important topic to the future of a free nation. I'm surprised there are not more commenting on this article. But then, how would people even know this exists? The NY Post jumps in: https://nypost.com/2021/06/11/will-we-finally-be-able-to-rein-in-the-abusive-power-of-big-tech/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons