13 comments

  • fmajid 2 hours ago

    At this point, Antitrust law is no longer the right statute for prosecution.

    RICO is.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corru...

    • 113 an hour ago

      Seems like that's just for protesters.

    • cucumber3732842 6 minutes ago

      That would be like showing up for the battle of Kursk with an M18 batallion Might go well for the first minute, you might score some big flashy wins, but....ugh... it's an ill advised strategy.

      Rico as written walks right up to the limit of constitutionality in a dozen ways. It's built for speed. It's never really been thrown into a knock down drag out legal action between titans on equal footing (i.e. a bigco legal team, potentially helped by other bigcos). It might survive nominally but it probably won't be in serviceable at the other end.

      I say go for it. Heads I win. Tails you get RICO reform.

    • add-sub-mul-div an hour ago

      Anything trying to protect consumer rights at the federal level risks getting shut down during a future Republican administration.

  • lelandfe an hour ago

    If you've ever seen those "Click To Reveal Price" or "Price Only Revealed At Checkout" products online, this here is one reason why. They help businesses keep discounted prices hidden from Amazon's crawlers.

    • fg137 13 minutes ago

      Is it effective, like, at all?

  • trollbridge 2 hours ago

    Amazon would be smart to settle with no admission of wrongdoing and an agreement to seal documents lest every other state end up following suit.

    • ikidd an hour ago

      The documents can be subpoenaed for a new proceeding from the source.

  • SilverElfin 20 minutes ago

    We need all new antitrust laws. The size of these companies is itself a problem. They have so much power that there is no possibility for fair competition. Maybe we can start by taxing companies that are worth more than 1 trillion at an extremely high rate.

  • worik 2 hours ago

    Unsurprising

    Did Amazon think they were too big to convict?

    I wonder if they will meet the fate of Standard Oil, back in the day.

    • fmajid 2 hours ago

      No, Antitrust law was effectively neutered by the Chicago School and their agent Robert Bork.

      https://www.theamericanconservative.com/robert-borks-america...

      (BTW that source is right-wing and can hardly be said to be biased against Bork).

      • vondur 33 minutes ago

        That's fascinating. Bork was denied being on the supreme court but his ideas shaped current antitrust laws. It feels a bit like the old Standard Oil argument: It's ok to have a huge market share so long as pricing for goods gets cheaper even if it hurts competition overall. *edited* for grammar.

  • jshzglr 16 minutes ago

    Online marketplaces seem to be functioning about as well as anything I can think of. How about you prosecute the individuals smoking fentanyl on the streets, the shoplifters, and the homeless trashing every corner and crevice of major cities.