The Collusion Codex
An authoritative exploration of agreements to control market prices, detailing their definition, legal ramifications across jurisdictions, historical examples, and economic impact.
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Defining Price Fixing
Anticompetitive Agreements
Price fixing constitutes an anticompetitive agreement among participants on the same side of a market. This involves agreeing to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity exclusively at a predetermined price, or manipulating market conditions to maintain prices at a specific level by controlling supply and demand.[1]
Objectives and Mechanisms
The primary objective of price fixing is often to maximize profits for all sellers by setting prices artificially high. However, it can also aim to fix, peg, discount, or stabilize prices. The core characteristic is any agreement concerning price, whether explicit or implicit.[1]
Distinguishing from Market Norms
It is crucial to differentiate price fixing from normal market phenomena. Similar pricing or simultaneous price changes do not inherently indicate collusion. For instance, uniform prices for undifferentiated commodities like agricultural products or synchronized price increases due to natural disasters or demand shifts are typically market-driven, not the result of illegal agreements.[1]
Global Legal Frameworks
United States
In the U.S., price fixing is a criminal offense under Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Federal Trade Commission also holds jurisdiction over civil antitrust violations. State attorneys general also pursue such cases. Private parties can file lawsuits for triple damages. Exchanging price information among competitors, even without explicit agreement, can be evidence of illegal price fixing.[3][5]
Vertical price fixing (manufacturer controlling retail price) is no longer a per se violation, but horizontal price fixing remains illegal.[6]
Canada
Price fixing is an indictable criminal offense in Canada under Section 45 of the Competition Act. Bid rigging, a specific form of price fixing, is also illegal under Section 47.[45]
Australia
Price fixing is prohibited under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) enforces these provisions. Section 48 explicitly prohibits resale price maintenance, with broader definitions in Section 96(3).[48]
New Zealand
The Commerce Act 1986 prohibits price fixing and other anti-competitive behaviors. Enforcement is handled by the Commerce Commission.[9][10]
European Union
The EU's leniency program incentivizes whistleblowing by reducing or eliminating penalties for firms that cooperate with antitrust authorities in price-fixing investigations.[11]
United Kingdom
British competition law largely prohibits price fixing. Historically, the Net Book Agreement (1900-1991) maintained fixed book prices, but it collapsed due to discounting. While generally illegal, specific industry exceptions, such as in magazine distribution, have existed.[12][13][14]
Specific Exemptions
Sovereign Agreements
Agreements to control prices sanctioned by multilateral treaties or entered into by sovereign nations, rather than individual firms, may be protected from lawsuits and antitrust prosecution. A prime example is OPEC, the global petroleum cartel, which has historically operated outside the scope of U.S. antitrust law.[16]
Industry-Specific Waivers
International airline tickets have historically had their prices fixed through agreements managed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This practice has benefited from specific exemptions within antitrust law.[16]
Notable Cases & Examples
Compact Discs (1995-2000)
Music companies engaged in illegal marketing agreements, including minimum advertised pricing, to inflate CD prices and end discounter price wars. This resulted in an estimated $500 million in overcharges. Settlements involved major labels and retailers, leading to fines and distribution of CDs as restitution.[1]
Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
In 2005, Samsung pleaded guilty to conspiring with other chip manufacturers to fix DRAM prices, resulting in a $300 million fine. Executives from other companies also faced penalties for their involvement in this international cartel.[17]
Capacitors (2018)
The European Commission fined eight firms, primarily Japanese, โฌ254 million for operating an illegal price cartel for capacitors. Nippon Chemi-Con and Hitachi Chemical were among the largest penalized entities.[17]
Perfume (2006)
The French government fined 13 perfume brands and three vendors for price collusion between 1997 and 2000. Companies like L'Orรฉal, Chanel, and LVMH faced significant fines.[18]
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)
In 2008, LG Display, Sharp, and Chunghwa Picture Tubes agreed to plead guilty and pay $585 million in U.S. criminal fines for conspiring to fix LCD panel prices. The EU also imposed substantial fines on related companies.[19][20][23]
Air Cargo Market (2005-2006)
Investigations revealed widespread price-fixing schemes for cargo and passenger surcharges involving numerous airlines. This led to substantial fines totaling $1.7 billion in the U.S. and legal proceedings in other countries like New Zealand.[26][27]
Tuna (2017-2020)
Price-fixing attempts in the tuna market resulted in significant fines for Bumble Bee Foods ($25 million) and StarKist ($100 million). The former CEO of Bumble Bee received a prison sentence for his involvement.[30]
Coronavirus Vaccine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, differing vaccine pricing announced by companies like Pfizer and Moderna, influenced by government deals, sparked debate regarding pricing strategies and potential impacts on the pharmaceutical industry.[31]
Rent Algorithm (ProPublica Investigation)
An investigation by ProPublica highlighted the use of algorithms by rental companies to set rents, raising concerns about limiting competition and artificially increasing housing costs. The U.S. DOJ has escalated its investigation and filed antitrust lawsuits in this area.[32][33][34]
Indicators During Bidding
Suspicious Pricing Patterns
Several signs may indicate potential price fixing during the bidding process:
- Unusually High Bids: Bid prices significantly exceeding expectations could suggest collusion or simply overpricing, though the latter is legal.
- Synchronized Price Increases: All suppliers raising prices simultaneously, beyond justifiable cost changes, is a red flag.
- New Supplier Dynamics: A new supplier offering a lower price might indicate existing companies colluding to maintain higher prices, or it could be a new entrant forcing competition.
- Post-Bid Price Drops: A significant price decrease from a new supplier after initial bidding could suggest they were forced to compete against a previously collusive group.[35]
Economic Consequences
Consumer and Business Effects
Price fixing significantly impacts consumers by limiting choices and increasing costs. It also affects small businesses reliant on suppliers, as artificially inflated prices ripple through the entire supply chain. For example, increased freight costs due to collusion can lead to higher prices for goods and services, ultimately impacting consumer purchasing decisions.[36][35]
Inefficiency and Deadweight Loss
From a neo-classical economic perspective, price fixing is inefficient. Agreements to set prices above market rates transfer consumer surplus to producers and create a deadweight lossโa loss of economic efficiency that occurs when the equilibrium outcome is not achieved.[1]
Legislative Critiques
Economic Liberal Arguments
Economic liberals argue that price fixing, when voluntary and consensual, should be free from government intervention. They contend that such agreements can stabilize markets for both producers and consumers. Short-term price competition, they argue, can lead to market exits, product shortages, and eventual monopolies anyway. Legislation against price fixing, in this view, may inadvertently lead to the very market consolidation it seeks to prevent.[37]
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