Opposing view: Laudable ends don’t justify collusive means
The loftiest of purported motivations do not excuse anti-competitive collusion among rivals. That’s longstanding antitrust law.
The law recognizes that when companies compete, consumers win. It deems competition to be intrinsically good, because rivalry, particularly in the form of free markets, benefits consumers by offering them both better prices and products. In turn, antitrust law negatively views conduct that harms competition.
Indeed, the Supreme Court has made it clear that in seeking to cultivate competition, antitrust laws should not render judgment on the “moral” aspirations behind the conduct.
While companies are free to make any individual public commitments or set any sales or technical limits for themselves, when competitors agree with each other on how they should act in the marketplace, antitrust law enforcers have stepped in and taken a good, hard look. Anti-competitive agreements among competitors — regardless of the purported beneficial goal — are outlawed because they reduce the incentives for companies to compete vigorously, which in turn can raise prices, reduce innovation and ultimately harm consumers.
Indeed, in multiple instances, the Supreme Court has struck down collective efforts by engineers to enhance “public safety” as well as a collective effort by criminal defense lawyers with the goal of improving quality of representation for “indigent criminal defendants.” Even laudable ends do not justify collusive means in our chosen system of laws.
This is why the nonpartisan nature of antitrust enforcement remains of utmost importance. Antitrust enforcement must prioritize protecting competition. And we do so.
The Antitrust Division’s decisions to look into an industry are based on whether the underlying conduct has the potential to harm competition. It does not look into industries because of political objectives, nor can it refrain from examining possible anti-competitive conduct because it would be politically unpopular.
Nevertheless, media personalities and politicians recently have levied the charge of “politicization” of antitrust in light of enforcement scrutiny that may not align with their political objectives. Fortunately for all Americans, the Department of Justice’s sole consideration is the law.
No goal, well-intentioned or otherwise, is an excuse for collusion or other anti-competitive behavior that runs afoul of the antitrust laws. Those who criticize even the prospect of an antitrust investigation should know that, when it comes to antitrust, politically popular ends should not justify turning a blind eye to the competition laws.