antitrust legal case

You will need to select an antitrust legal case centered around an industry of your own choice and discuss it.
For the final case study in this course, choose an antitrust case that was adjudicated any
time between 1990 and the present. I recommend two sources for identifying possible
cases of interest. The first is The Antitrust Case Browser web site
(http://www.stolaf.edu/people/becker/antitrust/index.htm), hosted by Professor Anthony
Becker of St. Olaf College. This web site lists antitrust cases by legal area, by product,
and by date. You will find a variety of cases listed here through the early 2000s. For
more recent antitrust cases, I recommend consulting The BNA (Bureau of National
Affairs) Antitrust & Trade Regulation Report. This is a non-circulating reference that
you can find at the Suffolk Law Library; the call number is KF1645.N87.
Once you have identified the industry involved in your case study, I encourage you to
read a current periodical that provides careful industry and policy analyses, on a regular
basis throughout the semester. Doing so will help you understand the nature of
competition in the industry you are studying and will help inform your analysis of your
case. Periodicals that you might find of particular value include The Economist, The Wall
Street Journal, and The New York Times. There are many other sources of information
on current events in various industries and policy settings, so please feel free to consult
other sources as you prepare your final case study.
The grade on your final case study will be based on the quality of the final paper, in
addition to the quality and timely completion of the intermediate assignments detailed
below.
DETAILED ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
Case Study Topic Proposal (Submit Two Copies)
Due: Wednesday, February 27th.
Proposal Length: Up to two pages.
In your topic proposal, you will identify the case you have chosen to study. Your
proposal should include a brief summary of the facts of the case, an overview of the main
economic and legal principles involved in the case, and a brief summary of your initial
view on the final decision for the case. You are required to submit two hard copies of
your proposal. I will review your proposal, as will one of your classmates, as described
below.
Peer Review (Submit Two Copies)
Due: Wednesday, March 20th.
Peer Review Length: Up to two pages.
After I receive the case study topic proposals, I will group proposals together that cover
common topics. During this process, I will assign each student a proposal to review that
is related to their own proposal. On Wednesday, March 6th, I will distribute one proposal
to each student for review. Read through the proposal that you have received, and
prepare a written review for the author. In your peer review, you should summarize the
main facts of the case and the key points raised in the author’s position on the case. You
should identify strengths of the author’s position and also offer suggestions, including
possible alternative approaches or extensions to their initial analysis. You should submit
one copy of your review to the author, and one to me, on the due date.
Classroom Peer-Review Session, Attendance Required: Wednesday, March 20th.
On March 20th, students will be assigned to groups of approximately 3-5 students, based
on the proposed case study topics. Each group will engage in a discussion session during
the allotted class time. During the discussion period, each student will informally
summarize to the group the facts of his or her case, along with the main economic and
legal principles involved, and present a brief summary of their analysis of the case. After
each student has presented his or her topic to their group members, the group will engage
in a discussion of each group member’s case. Each group should organize the available
time such that each student’s topic receives a fair share of the discussion time.
Final Case Study
Due: Wednesday, April 17th.
Case Study Length: Up to ten pages, including tables, diagrams, and references.
In your final case study, you will present an overview of the case you have studied, along
with your own analysis of the case. I recommend that you organize your case study
following the format below, using the indicated section headers in your paper; however,
you may choose to organize your case study with an alternative format if it better suits
your analysis.
€¢ Introduction. Provide an overview of the main facts of your case study, the key
economic and legal principles involved, and the decision on the case.
€¢ Case Study Facts and Background. Present the facts of the case in detail. In
addition, supplement the discussion of the facts with historical and institutional
background on the industry involved in the case. The purpose of this section is to
provide a detailed context for the arguments that follow.
€¢ Plaintiff’s Arguments. Identify the main arguments presented by the plaintiffs in
the case. Be sure to discuss these arguments in detail, using appropriate economic
and legal terminology and, where relevant, graphical analysis to illustrate the
economic and legal principles involved.
€¢ Defendant’s Arguments. Identify the main arguments presented by the
defendant, following the guidelines above for presenting the plaintiff’s arguments.
€¢ Final Decision. Present the Court’s decision, and the rationale, in detail.
€¢ Analysis and Critique. In the final section of the paper, choose a position (for or
against the decision) and present your arguments, with supporting discussion and
evidence.
€¢ Summary and Conclusions.
€¢ References (see below).
€¢ Diagrams and Tables (labeled clearly).