Antitrust Law
Antitrust laws serve to promote competition and inhibit monopolies and restraints of trade in our free enterprise market system. Competition is important because it yields the lowest prices, the highest quality and greatest material progress, while at the same time providing an enviornment conducive to the preservation of our democratic political and social institutions. (Marin County Bd. of Realtors v. Palsson (1976) 16 Cal.3d 920-931)
Antitrust offenses injure consumers, competitors, and society as a whole. Antitrust laws were designed primarily to aid the consumer.
The three federal antitrust laws are the Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. §1), the Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. § 12), and the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. § 41). California has three basic antitrust statutes that parallel the three federal statutes in many respects: the Cartwright Act (Business and Professions Code § 16700-16761), the Unfair Practices Act (B&PC § 17000-17101), and the unfair competition statute (B&PC § 17200-17208).
You can read the list of typical antitrust offenses in the grey box to the right. If you believe that you have been harmed by an antitrust violation, contact us today.
