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Sessions on January 30 and February 13 to Focus on Business Testimony

The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division today announced that the latest in a series of joint public hearings designed to examine the implications of single-firm conduct under the antitrust laws will take place on January 30, 2007, in Berkeley, California, and on February 13, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois.

These hearings have been examining whether and when specific types of single-firm conduct may violate Section 2 of the Sherman Act (which prohibits monopolization and attempted monopolization) by harming competition and consumer welfare and when they are pro-competitive and lawful. The January and February sessions will be hosted by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology and the Competition Policy Center at the University of California, Berkeley, and by the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, respectively.

The January and February panels will provide an opportunity for business executives to express their views on Section 2 issues, including areas where the companies perceive that single-firm conduct has harmed consumers and areas where legitimate pro-competitive behavior may have been chilled. These panels also will provide an opportunity for company executives to identify areas where they believe additional Agency antitrust guidance would be useful.

The agencies encourage companies that are interested in participating in these hearings to contact Jim Taronji, Attorney, FTC, at 202-326-2420 or jtaronji@ftc.gov. Information about the specific times, locations, and panelists for these hearings, as well as information about other future hearings, will be made available at a later date.

Further information about these hearings will be posted on the FTC’s Web site, http://www.ftc.gov/os/sectiontwohearings/index.shtm and the Antitrust Division’s Web site,
http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/hearings/single_firm/sfchearing.shtm. Individuals seeking more information on the hearings should contact Patricia Schultheiss, FTC, at section2hearings@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.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mitchell J. Katz,
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2161

STAFF CONTACT:

Patricia Schultheiss,
202-326-2877

 
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