Federal Trade Commission/Department of Justice Hearings on Single-firm Conduct to Continue on September 26

The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division today announced that the fifth in a series of joint public hearings designed to examine the implications of single-firm conduct under the antitrust laws will take place on September 26, 2006, in Washington, DC. As previously announced, these hearings will examine whether and when specific types of single-firm conduct may violate Section 2 of the Sherman Act by harming competition and consumer welfare, and when they are procompetitive and lawful. The hearings will continue during the coming months.

The panel on September 26 will examine existing empirical work regarding single-firm conduct and address areas where future work would be helpful. The session will be held at the FTC’s Conference Center at 601 New Jersey Ave., N.W., Washington, DC, Conference Room C.

Further information is provided below:

Understanding Single Firm Behavior: Empirical Perspectives Sessions
(9:00 AM - 12:30 PM):

F. Michael Scherer is Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Corporate Management in the Aetna Chair, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and former Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics.

Luke M. Froeb is the William C. and Margaret W. Oehmig Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, and former Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics.

Wally Mullin is an Associate Professor of Economics, George Washington University.

Jonathan B. Baker is a Professor of Law, Washington College of Law, American University, and former Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics.

Clifford Winston is a Senior Fellow in Economic Studies, The Brookings Institution.

David Reitman is a Principal at CRA International Inc.

Robert C. Marshall is Head of the Department of Economics and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Auctions, Procurements, and Competition Policy, Pennsylvania State University (currently on leave), and Partner at Bates White LLC.

The public and press are invited to attend the hearings. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested parties may submit written comments to the FTC and the Antitrust Division.

Further information about these hearings will be posted on the FTC’s Web site, http://www.ftc.gov/os/sectiontwohearings/index.htm and the Antitrust Division’s Web site, http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/hearings/single_firm/sfchearing.htm. Individuals seeking more information on the hearings should contact Patricia Schultheiss, FTC, at section2hearing2@ftc.gov, or Gail Kursh, Deputy Chief, Legal Policy Section, Antitrust Division, at singlefirmconduct@usdoj.gov

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to thousands of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.