CPI Publishes Professor Semeraro’s Article on DOJ’s e-Books Antitrust Case
June 14, 2012
The June 14 issue of the CPI Antitrust Chronicle features a series of articles, including one by Thomas Jefferson School of Law Professor Steve Semeraro, with differing viewpoints about the Department of Justice antitrust suit filed in April against Apple and five major publishing houses that alleges price-fixing on e-Books.
Professor Semeraro’s article, “Should the e-Book Case Presage the Decline of The Per Se and Market Share Doctrines,” is one of five articles addressing antitrust issues related to the suit. Read the Article
“The per se and market definition rules were developed to simplify the difficult economic concepts that pervade antitrust law,” says Professor Semeraro about his article. “Now, however, these legal doctrines have developed a complexity all their own. And economists have developed simplifying techniques that make it easier for judges to do their own economic analysis. The piece questions whether the time has come to abandon the old doctrines that may have outlived their usefulness.”
According to CPI Chronicles Senior Editor Lindsay McSweeney, “It’s a fun issue, with opinions across the board — which certainly accurately reflect the antitrust world at large!”
More specifically, McSweeney told Professor Semeraro that “Your perspective was especially valuable. This was a very informative article. I don’t think I’ve seen an article on this topic that addressed the per se and market definition issues you did, and it made for some very solid arguments, especially in this context. I think our readers will find it most interesting.”
Professor Semeraro, a graduate of Stanford Law School, has published numerous articles on antitrust law and teaches an antitrust course at TJSL. He formerly worked for the D.O.J.’s Antitrust Division, where he led civil antitrust investigations of the optical disc and credit card industries. In 2003, he authored the Law Professors’ Amicus Brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Verizon v. Trinko. He currently serves as the antitrust and competition expert for the Ethics & Compliance Alliance.