Consumers get forgotten in all the politics. The best way to protect consumers is to protect an open, competitive market process, in which companies succeed or fail based not on their political connections or ideological correctness, but on how well they serve consumers.
Antitrust regulation’s problems are structural and incurable. The Competitive Enterprise Institutes advocates abolishing antitrust law, removing remaining government monopolies, and preventing the creation of new ones.
Featured Posts
News Release
Kroger-Albertsons merger blocked by federal judge: CEI analysis
Today, a federal judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission in its lawsuit to stop a merger between Kroger and Albertsons. CEI experts weigh in…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Big tech, antitrust, and the courts with Patrick Hedger
In this week’s episode we cover the DOGE effort to reform government spending, review survey results about US transportation choices, and…
Blog
Fred Smith and the Hourglass of Market Evolution
Our much–loved CEI founder Fred L. Smith Jr. would often insist that we not refer merely to antitrust or antitrust policy, but…
Search Posts
News Release
Senate Judiciary Antitrust Hearing on Big Data Based on Flawed Premises
WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust will hold a hearing today on the implications of data on competition. Subcommittee Chair Senator Amy…
News Release
Court Rules Apple App Store Rules Do Not Violate Antitrust Laws
A federal district court today ruled that Apple’s rules regarding payments on its App Store do not violate antitrust laws. The case, brought by video…
Real Clear Policy
UK Antitrust Bureaucrats Could Kill American Startups
In case you thought the “techlash” threatening Big Tech companies with greater regulation was largely driven by former President Trump’s bluster, think again. An antitrust…
Blog
UK’s Attempt to Block a Merger Between American Firms Could Cripple Innovation
As I explain in both an op-ed and regulatory comments submitted yesterday, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s version…
Comment
Comments to the CMA in re: Facebook/GIPHY merger
Submitted to the Inquiry via [email protected], 1 September 2021 Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments in the matter of the Competition and…
News Release
Former FTC Policymakers Find FTC Complaint Against Illumina-GRAIL Merger Lacking in New CEI Paper
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) published a new paper today by former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Timothy J. Muris and former director…
Study
Screening Out Innovation
Executive Summary This report addresses the appropriate antitrust standards for vertical mergers. It first provides an overview, and then analyzes a specific application to the Federal Trade Commission’s…
The Miami Herald
Consumers and the Private Sector Can Fight Robocalls Better than Government Can
“We have been trying to reach you regarding your car’s extended warranty.” In an age of great political partisanship, robocalls vex American consumers of all…
Blog
The Progressive Playbook? Thoughts on a Slippery Slope
Is there a master plan behind the blunders of governments? Or are politicians just making it up as they go along? The cabal model…
News Release
FTC’s Latest Antitrust Case Against Facebook a Conflict-of-Interest in Search of a Crime
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to re-file an antitrust case against Facebook, accusing the social media company of being a monopoly and seeking to…
The National Interest
The EU’s Recently Proposed Artificial Intelligence Act Goes Too Far
The European Union is now considering what could become the world’s first comprehensive legislation on artificial intelligence (AI). The aim is to promote European leadership…
National Review
Property Rights and Infinite Cyberspace
What is the one force that can prevent the purported Big Tech villains such as Facebook and Google from being displaced as the dominant platforms? Republicans.
Blog
Big Tech Critic Jonathan Kanter Nominated to Lead Justice Department Antitrust Division
President Biden’s announcement to nominate long-time Big Tech adversary Jonathan Kanter to lead the Department of Justice Antitrust Division follows on the heels of…
The Orange County Register
Conservative Social Media Platforms Can’t Succeed Without Content Moderation
The latest social media platform from the Trump team, Gettr, went from an intended safe space for conservative beliefs to a hellscape of imposter accounts, offensive memes and…
The Southern Illinoisan
A Proposed Law Would Break the Internet
The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a law that would break the internet as we know it. Dressed up in legalese as a ban…
S&P Global
Targeting Amazon Brands, House Bill Could Spur Competition — or Raise Prices
S&P Global cites Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray on proposed regulations targeting Amazon brands: Iain Murray — a vice president with…
Forbes
How Biden’s Executive Order On Promoting Competition Instead Consolidates Government Power
July brought headlines announcing, “Biden to sign order to crack down on Big Tech, boost competition ‘across the board’” and “launch…
News Release
CEI Experts React to President Biden’s Wide-Ranging Executive Order on Competition
President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy today, which the White House claims is aimed at enhancing…
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Lawsuits by Trump Aimed at Sites’ Bans
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette cites Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation on Trump’s legal actions against social media platforms: Jessica Melugin, director of…
Blog
Relevant Markets, A Dozen Keystrokes, and the Google Play Store Antitrust Lawsuit
Yesterday, after markets closed, 36 state attorneys general announced another antitrust lawsuit against Google. This complaint centers around Google’s Play Store, in which it…
The Washington Times
Trump Announces Lawsuits Against Twitter, Facebook and Google
The Washington Times cites Director for the Center for Technology and Innovation Jessica Melugin on Trump’s legal actions against social media platforms:…
The International Business Times
US States Accuse Google of App Store Monopoly
The International Business Times cites Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation Jessica Melugin on a recent lawsuit against the Google Play Store:…
KRWG
Donald Trump Sues Facebook, YouTube And Twitter For Alleged Censorship
KRWG cites Director for the Center for Technology and Innovation Jessica Melugin on Trump’s legal actions targeting social media platforms: “These social…
The Seattle Times
Trump Files Class Action Lawsuits Targeting Facebook, Google and Twitter over ‘Censorship’ of Conservatives
The Seattle Times cites Director for the Center for Technology and Innovation on Trump’s legal actions against social media platforms: Jessica Melugin,…
News Release
Trump Class Action Suit Against Social Media Platforms for Political Gain, Not a Serious Legal Argument
Former President Donald Trump filed a class action lawsuit against social media platform CEOs Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Jack Dorsey…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Urging Lawmakers To Reject Frivolous Spending Request
Dear Chairs Klobuchar and Cicilline and Ranking Members Lee and Buck: We, the undersigned organizations, representing millions of taxpayers and consumers, urge you to reject…
The Orlando Sentinel
If Businesses are Liable for Internet Posts, Consumers Lose
Even amid Washington gridlock, one thing almost everyone seems to agree on is that the way companies moderate online content that makes people mad, and that…
Fox Business
Experts Warn Big Tech Antitrust Bills Could ‘Shackle Innovation and Hurt Consumers’
Fox Business cites Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation Jessica Melugin on proposed antitrust bills: Jessica Melugin, director of the…
The Teller Report
American Elected Officials Attacking Tech Giants: Overhaul or Demolition?
The Teller Report cites Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray on antitrust laws and Apple: “In general, the experience of the average…
The Foundation for Economic Education
Breaking Down the Latest Bipartisan Assault on Big Tech—And How It Could Blow Up in Consumers’ Faces
The Foundation for Economic Education cites Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray on a series of proposed antitrust bills targeting “Big Tech”:…
News Release
New EU Antitrust Investigation into Google More Proof European Antitrust Policy is Untethered from Consumer Harm Standard
The European Union announced today it is launching a new antitrust investigation into Google, alleging the company is using anticompetitive practices in its advertising…
National Review
When Antitrust Is Anti-Consumer
Lina Khan, a noted proponent of expanding and altering U.S. antitrust law, was confirmed last week as a commissioner to the Federal…
The World News
Huge Changes Coming Soon for Internet and Big Tech Under US Antitrust Proposal
The World News cites Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray on antitrust laws and Apple: Iain Murray, a senior fellow at the…
Bloomberg Law
Podcast: Would Reforming Section 230 Break the Internet?
Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation Jessica Melugin joins Unchecked to discuss Section 230: Click here to read more.
Letters
CEI Joins HJC Letter Opposing Cicilline Jayapal Bills
Dear Members of the House Judiciary Committee: At a time when voters are looking to Congress to address the country’s most pressing challenges, it seems…
Letters
25+ Conservative Groups and Activists Urge Congress to Reject Democrat Antitrust Power Grab
Dear Member of Congress: We urge you to reject the package of European-style over-regulation in the antitrust bills spearheaded by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and…
Blog
Why Increase the Cost and Scope of Antitrust?
Widely regarded as the least controversial of the five antitrust bills introduced in the House last week, the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act would…
News Release
Billions in Taxpayer Funded Subsidies for Broadband Unnecessary to Expand Internet Connectivity
A bipartisan group of United States Senators introduced the Broadband Reform and Investment to Drive Growth in the Economy Act (BRIDGE Act), which would…
Blog
Platform Competition and Opportunity Act Is An Innovation Killer That Won’t Serve Consumers
One of five antitrust bills introduced last week, The Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, would prohibit leading tech platforms from acquiring companies that are…
National Review
Why Ohio’s Attempt to Regulate Google as a ‘Common Carrier’ Is a Terrible Idea
A decade ago, when Google search was first accused of self-preferencing its own results, a colleague of mine created a meme with text over…
Blog
What Do We Want from Our Platforms?
Two recently introduced House bills seek to restructure antitrust law, supposedly to tackle purported abuses by “big tech” firms. They aim to change how the…
News Release
House Judiciary Committee Antitrust Bills Would Compromise U.S. as Global Leader on Tech and Harm Consumers
Several antitrust bills were introduced today by members of the House Judiciary Committee, including the “American Innovation and Choice Online Act,” the “Platform Competition and…
News Release
Facebook’s Content Moderation Decisions Preferable to One-Size-Fits-All Government Regulation
Facebook announced today it suspended former President Donald Trump from the platform for two years retroactive to January 7, 2021. Responding to a ruling against…
Real Clear Policy
Government Regulation of App Stores Could Wind Up Costing Consumers
App stores are in the crosshairs of regulators around the world, threatening the privacy and security of consumers in jurisdictions throwing the red tape at…
News Release
DC Antitrust Suit Against Amazon Could Actually Harm Consumers by Making Online Goods More Expensive
The District of Columbia’s Attorney General filed a lawsuit today against Amazon, alleging the tech company is engaged in anti-competitive behavior by controlling retail…
Blog
Microsoft to Retire Internet Explorer: Lessons for Today’s Antitrust Cases
Microsoft just announced it will retire its Internet Explorer browser next year. This is the same program that was at the heart of an…
National Review
It’s Time to Exempt News Organizations from Antitrust Restrictions
Congress is currently considering a bill that would allow news organizations to collectively negotiate with online-content distributors, such as Google and Facebook. If passed,…
Blog
One of Google’s Antitrust Cases Dismissed, for Now
A District judge on Thursday dismissed a private antitrust case against Google brought by a group of advertisers. It does not affect separate cases…
The American Conservative
Why Small Firms Sell Out
Among some conservatives’ main complaints about Big Tech is the way it acquires smaller competitors, stopping them from displacing them like Facebook displaced MySpace. The…
Cleveland.com
Why You Shouldn’t Trust The Big-Tech Trustbusters: Tom Haren
Cleveland.com cites Vice President for Policy Iain Murray on antitrust enforcement: Ian Murray, a vice president and senior fellow at the…
Staff & Scholars
Richard Morrison
Senior Fellow
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Capitalism and Free Enterprise
Iain Murray
Vice President for Strategy and Senior Fellow
- Banking and Finance
- Trade and International
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Ryan Young
Senior Economist
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform
Jessica Melugin
Director of the Center for Technology & Innovation
- Antitrust
- Innovation
- Media, Speech and Internet Freedoms
Alex Reinauer
Research Fellow
- Antitrust
- Innovation
- Tech and Telecom