Cartels and Anti-Competitive Agreements

Posted by Social Science Research Network

Cartels and Anti-Competitive Agreements

By Sandra Marco Colino (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Antitrust and competition law have grown dramatically in importance and significance over the last fifty years. US antitrust law has been the principal source of inspiration for jurisdictions wishing to introduce regulation to control cartels and monopolization, and antitrust regulation has now been adopted in more than 120 countries. The significance of this ‘new’ field of law continues to grow as more and more antitrust cases are brought to the courts in Europe and the US, and with operators becoming increasingly inventive. The Library of Essays on Antitrust and Competition Law gathers some of the most relevant literature covering on the principal aspects of the subject. Each of the three volumes focuses on a distinct area of economic activity affected by antitrust law: cartels and anti-competitive agreements; dominance and monopolization; and mergers and acquisitions. The selected essays cover the legal, economic and policy issues relating to attempts to regulate competition and provide insight into legal issues which have proven to be particularly relevant and contentious over the years. The series brings together the best of the extensive literature that has been published in this fast-moving field in recent years, and is an invaluable resource for both students and lecturers. This paper opens Volume I, and explains the relevance of the pieces chosen to cover the principal relevant areas: the aims and scope of the prohibition of anti-competitive joint conduct, horizontal agreements, vertical agreements, and procedure.

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