New ABA book provides updates in antitrust law and economics of product distribution

A product distribution’s organization, business practices and competitive arrangements affect the price, quantity and quality of all goods in a market economy.   The American Bar Association’s newly released book, “Antitrust Law and Economics of Product Distribution, Second Edition,” captures the latest economic thinking and jurisprudence in the enforcement of competition law in the area of product distribution.

“There are acts and practices in the distribution chain that can result in efficient provision of goods, others that can adversely affect competition and consumers and some that have both effects to some degree,” says James Langenfeld, managing director of Navigant Economics and a contributing editor to the book. “Competition law attempts to identify and prevent acts and practices in product distribution that adversely affect competition and consumers, and this book will be an essential resource for lawyers and economists evaluating distribution issues.”

This new second edition not only updates all of the content from the earlier 2006 edition, including the substantial developments in case law in key areas such as bundled discounts and resale price maintenance, but also contains three new chapters:

• Customer and Territorial Restraints – Summarizing the competitive effects of distribution restraints.

• The Impact of the Internet on Distribution – Discussing how technological developments and the internet have affected antitrust law and economics.

• EU Law of Product Distribution – Providing a detailed overview of the relevant distribution laws and their enforcement in the European Union.

“Antitrust Law and Economics of Product Distribution” is a definitive and user-friendly reference book for those who want to understand the key concepts and case law on this topic.