The approach of antitrust law toward excessive pricing a matter of policy or fairness?

Main Article Content

Ricardo Villela Mafra Alves da Silva

Abstract

This essay analyzes the approach of antitrust law toward excessive pricing, inquiring whether antitrust law should be enforced against excessive pricing as a matter of policy and/or fairness. Upon examination of basic concepts of price theory to explain why price matters, and brief review of literature regarding criteria to define excessive pricing, this essay concludes that excessive pricing should not be subject to prosecution as a matter of policy, but abusive pricing should be subject to prosecution as a matter of fairness, provided that the firm has significant market power and faces an inelastic demand curve.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Villela Mafra Alves da Silva, R. (2023). The approach of antitrust law toward excessive pricing: a matter of policy or fairness?. Revista Do IBRAC, 22(2), 33–50. Retrieved from https://revista.ibrac.org.br/index.php/revista/article/view/130
Section
Prêmio IBRAC-TIM 2016 - Artigos Ganhadores

References

ABBOTT, Frederick M. Excessive pharmaceutical prices and competition law: doctrinal development to protect public health. Available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=2719095. Accessed on August 27, 2016.

AKMAN, Pinar; GARROD, Luke. When are excessive prices unfair? Available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1578181. Accessed on September 14, 2016.

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION; DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. Horizontal Merger Guidelines. Available at https://www.ftc.gov/. Accessed on September 16, 2016.

GRADY, Mark F. Cases and materials on antitrust. Los Angeles [s.n.], 2016. 1074 p.

ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT. Excessive prices. Available at http://www.oecd.org/competition/abuse/49604207.pdf. Accessed on August 27, 2016.

PADILLA, Jorge; EVANS, David S. Excessive Prices: Using Economics to Define Administrable Legal Rules. Available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=620402. Accessed on September 11, 2016.

POLLACK, Andrew. Drug goes from $13.50 a tablet to $750, overnight. The New York Times, New York, 20 Sept. 2015. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/business/a-huge-overnight-increase-ina-drugs-price-raises-protests.html?_r=0. Accessed on August 27, 2016.

PITTMAN, Russell. Consumer Surplus as the Appropriate Standard for Antitrust Enforcement. Available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=996643. Accessed on September 15, 2016.

POSNER, Richard. The social costs of monopoly and regulation. The Journal of Political Economy, Chicago, vol. 83, pp. 807-828, 1975. pp. 807-809.

RAGAZZO, Carlos Emmanuel Joppert. A eficácia jurídica da norma de preço abusivo. Available at http://works.bepress.com/carlos_ragazzo/16/. Accessed on September 14, 2016.

RAGAZZO, Carlos Emmanuel Joppert. Preço abusivo, eficácia jurídica e análise econômica: afinal, onde está a cabeça de bacalhau? Revista do IBRAC, v. 18, p. 21-43, 2011.

SIDAK, J. Gregory; TEECE, David J. Comments of J. Gregory Sidak and David J. Teece before the Federal Trade Commission & U.S. Department of Justice on the Horizontal Merger Guidelines Review Project. Available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1504706. Access on September 14, 2016.

WILLIAMSON, Oliver E. Economies as an antitrust defense: The Welfare Tradeoffs. The American Economic Review, Pittsburgh, Vol. 58, pp. 18-36, 1966.

WILLIAMSON, Oliver E. Economies as an antitrust defense revisited. The University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Philadelphia, Vol. 125, pp. 699-736, 1977.