...(and doing everything they can to kill the small competitors)
One year ago, in California, Huntigton Beach, big names in Antitrust legislation, from countries like China, Japan, Australia, America, Brazil and seven other ones, were having a feast with $115 per plate steaks and unlimited $70 per bottle wines, in a beachfront restaurant, in the sunset, with a view over the Pacific Ocean. This was the end of a week long event, with the participation of over 25 foreign government officials specialized in competition legislation. Their trip was organized and paid by the Global Antitrust Institute, part of the Law School at George Mason University, Fairfax, Vancouver. The event was part of the continuing education for antitrust regulators, but the hidden schedule was deliver the following message to the international officials: best way to do this is to maintain a hands-off approach to the antitrust law. Less is better.
Why i am saying that? Because, unless they practice a masochistic ''shot in my own leg'' strategy, the purpose of this event was more about how to maintain control and avoid scrutiny, than to teach for real about the antitrust laws. The benefactors sponsoring this event via The Global Antitrust Institute were, surprise, Google, Amazon and Qualcomm, Big Tech companies facing antitrust scrutinies in different countries, some even being directed by the regulators who attended the event. In Brazil, for example, 3 different investigations into Google Antitrust activities were dismissed, for a lack of evidence. (Note: Google is responsible for 97% of the search traffic in Brazil.) In Europe, Qualcomm paid more than 1 billion dollars in fines for anticompetitive behaviour, Amazon is the target on an inquiry related to alleged abuses of its dominance in online commerce in order to destroy lesser rivals, and Google lost 3 competition cases in the last 4 years. Australia and Brazil are investigating Google, and India is checking the antitrust measures taken by Amazon. In U.S., all three of them companies, plus Apple and Facebook, are under investigation at the moment, mostly related to their market dominance and manipulation.
The Institute leaders, in general, and Joshua Wright in particular, has longstanding ties to Google and Amazon. All the judges who attended events promoted by the Global Antitrust Institute seems to be more likely to rule against environmental protections and organized labor, and to approve mergers, according to an academic study financed by Elliot Tash.
Both Google and Amazon listed George Mason University as a receiver of their donations, but none will specify the Global Antitrust Institute, even if investigative journalists found that Google donated $200.000 in 2017, and $300.000 in 2018, with Amazon closely there on the second place with $225.000 last year. But the biggest fist to fry is Qualcomm, with $2.9 millions donated in the last three years. The idea promoted by the Institute is that markets left on their own work well. Fun fact, Mr.Wright served 3 years as one of the five Federal Trade Comission members from 2013 to 2015, then become the executive director of the Global Antitrust Institute, while being also a lawyer at Wilon Sonsini Goodrich an d Rosati, the firm representing Google in the antitrust legat issues. He was also paid by Google and funded for his academic work (2011, ''Google and the limits of Antitrust: the case against the case against Google'').
Elizabeth Farina, a former president of CADE (Brazilian Comission Antitrust), asked for transparency related to the source of the money and accountability of the staff taking part in these conferences, as she would not let her staff to attend any of these conferences.
This is just another example of how the big tech companies will do almost everything in their power to maintain the market dominance. Until now. Hopefully, in becoming a fully decentralized global economy, we will avoid this situations in the years to come. This is still a distant dream, but one can only hope. This is the time to be Brave!
Sources:
1. NYTimes.com
3. Academic paper: Joshua D Wright 2011, ''Google and the limits of Antitrust: the case against the case against Google''
4. CADE website - CONSELHO ADMINISTRATIVO DE DEFESA ECONÔMICA
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Disclaimer: This text also can be re-published on my personal blogs, such as this one.
But this article is only confirming that this is the right direction.