Everybody hated the cable company, always raising the monthly rate, always screwing with the packages and channels. Well, now you know why they were always doing that: The studios and media producers were always charging more. And bashing the cable company any chance they got. Now I'm not going to excuse bad service, but now that cable isn't the middleman we now see that Hollywood isn't your friend and there was a reason why the DOJ forced the studios to divest their theaters a century ago.
Thanks Matt. I am sure all your followers will agree the Clayton Act is clear. The problem is relying on judges to make good decisions is a gamble that American citizens should not have be at risk for. As we all agree, continued corporate consolidation will be the end of a free market economy and our democracy with it.
My wife and I are in our 70s. We were always avid cinephiles. Even though we are wired we are deeply saddened seeing an industry we love destroying itself. “ It’s the pictures that got small!”
There is still one layer down that needs to be remedied before anti-trust can be restored. Big money or multi-national corporations, the FANGS, and Wall Street thru the "Too big to fail" banks (bankers) are put into check like they had to be back in the 1930's we will continue to have judges, lawyers, media, everybody bought and paid for by these giants. These entities business model is "greed is good", we owe only to our shareholders (mostly themselves) and we do not have to show any social value or give back to our communities and places of origin, then this all will continue. Anti-trust is just part of this dynamic playing out as Stoller has been saying. Friedman, Bork and the gang were wrong and just plain out panicked back in the 70's thinking the Japanese are going to demolish us, we lost Vietnam, the Russians (communists) will over run us soon, and it's the end of America. They panicked and they were wrong.
If we don't tell these oversized entities that they DO owe us social values. They exist because we support a country that allows them to exist with rules, laws, and workers to work their businesses.
Until this deeper challenge is solved then anti-trust will not be achieved and brought back under control as we did in the 1930's.
Sadly, just before I got to this, I read that the the FTC's motion to continue blocking the merger was tossed by the Appeals Court. Bad news for gamers, though it will take them awhile to figure that out.
Along the subject of walled gardens: Internet and telephone cost me $150 a month. That seems like it ought to cover a lot, but no. I also subscribe to two major newspapers, which are not cheap; but with those two subscriptions I can dependably read something related to a story that a news reader will link me to, even if I can't read the linked story because it is behind a paywall. It is similar in other areas of the internet; I can't read what I haven't subscribed to, even when referred to it by a link in another posting.
But I can't subscribe to everything. And, on a limited income, I can't afford to.
It would make so much more sense if, out of my monthly internet payment, a small bit were paid out to the publisher of each article I read, something like the way royalties are paid to writers. Right now, I can't read what I haven't subscribed to -- including the substack piece you linked to in this article.
I also still think it is worthwhile to set up a conference targeting lawyers and yes whichever judges would attend discussing the history of anti trust in the US since the progressive era to now. There should be some sympathetic lawyers at the American Constitution Society
I think you should at the very least write a letter to The NY Times.
Even better I think you should write an oped and ask The NY Times to publish it because the so called news piece fundamentally was misleading, incomplete and skewed as to what the real issues were in the lawsuit. As you said the judge demanded the FTC prove and reprove its evidence though she treated every assertion by Microsoft as the gospel handed down from Sinai. ( Yes I know I am mixing historic religious metaphors). And I pointed out she literally rewrote the Clayton Act in her decision just as Alito rewrote the Coting Rights Act in his Brnovich decision.
The FTC seems to be making a good case on video gaming but I can relate to non-gaming judges that struggle to understand it. On another front, the FTC is getting bad press on its treatment of Twitter that threatens the tenuous semi-bipartisan coalition of anti-monopoly forces that have supported its recent efforts. FTC is being portrayed as a bully enforcer to social media censorship efforts exerted by other government agencies. If true, not a good look - just the wedge needed to destroy the anti-trust movement.
Hello, I am trying to find help to renew my subscription. Someone please call me or chat to lead me through renewal. The link I received yields a forever circle and asks me to log in and I don't remember login or password ever being specified. I'm sure it's supposed to be easy; I'm not finding it that way. I just want to keep this great! newsletter coming and renew. Thank you, 309 682 1111 is voicemail. email is grubercfp@gmail.com . Keep up the good work!
Everybody hated the cable company, always raising the monthly rate, always screwing with the packages and channels. Well, now you know why they were always doing that: The studios and media producers were always charging more. And bashing the cable company any chance they got. Now I'm not going to excuse bad service, but now that cable isn't the middleman we now see that Hollywood isn't your friend and there was a reason why the DOJ forced the studios to divest their theaters a century ago.
Thanks Matt. I am sure all your followers will agree the Clayton Act is clear. The problem is relying on judges to make good decisions is a gamble that American citizens should not have be at risk for. As we all agree, continued corporate consolidation will be the end of a free market economy and our democracy with it.
Corporatization and corporate greed stifles creativity and innovation. :(
My wife and I are in our 70s. We were always avid cinephiles. Even though we are wired we are deeply saddened seeing an industry we love destroying itself. “ It’s the pictures that got small!”
It’s the people running “the industry” that have got small ...
There is still one layer down that needs to be remedied before anti-trust can be restored. Big money or multi-national corporations, the FANGS, and Wall Street thru the "Too big to fail" banks (bankers) are put into check like they had to be back in the 1930's we will continue to have judges, lawyers, media, everybody bought and paid for by these giants. These entities business model is "greed is good", we owe only to our shareholders (mostly themselves) and we do not have to show any social value or give back to our communities and places of origin, then this all will continue. Anti-trust is just part of this dynamic playing out as Stoller has been saying. Friedman, Bork and the gang were wrong and just plain out panicked back in the 70's thinking the Japanese are going to demolish us, we lost Vietnam, the Russians (communists) will over run us soon, and it's the end of America. They panicked and they were wrong.
If we don't tell these oversized entities that they DO owe us social values. They exist because we support a country that allows them to exist with rules, laws, and workers to work their businesses.
Until this deeper challenge is solved then anti-trust will not be achieved and brought back under control as we did in the 1930's.
Sadly, just before I got to this, I read that the the FTC's motion to continue blocking the merger was tossed by the Appeals Court. Bad news for gamers, though it will take them awhile to figure that out.
Along the subject of walled gardens: Internet and telephone cost me $150 a month. That seems like it ought to cover a lot, but no. I also subscribe to two major newspapers, which are not cheap; but with those two subscriptions I can dependably read something related to a story that a news reader will link me to, even if I can't read the linked story because it is behind a paywall. It is similar in other areas of the internet; I can't read what I haven't subscribed to, even when referred to it by a link in another posting.
But I can't subscribe to everything. And, on a limited income, I can't afford to.
It would make so much more sense if, out of my monthly internet payment, a small bit were paid out to the publisher of each article I read, something like the way royalties are paid to writers. Right now, I can't read what I haven't subscribed to -- including the substack piece you linked to in this article.
We need the equivalent of BMI for the internet.
I also still think it is worthwhile to set up a conference targeting lawyers and yes whichever judges would attend discussing the history of anti trust in the US since the progressive era to now. There should be some sympathetic lawyers at the American Constitution Society
Matt
I think you should at the very least write a letter to The NY Times.
Even better I think you should write an oped and ask The NY Times to publish it because the so called news piece fundamentally was misleading, incomplete and skewed as to what the real issues were in the lawsuit. As you said the judge demanded the FTC prove and reprove its evidence though she treated every assertion by Microsoft as the gospel handed down from Sinai. ( Yes I know I am mixing historic religious metaphors). And I pointed out she literally rewrote the Clayton Act in her decision just as Alito rewrote the Coting Rights Act in his Brnovich decision.
Oy Voting Rights Act NOT Coting Rights Act
The FTC seems to be making a good case on video gaming but I can relate to non-gaming judges that struggle to understand it. On another front, the FTC is getting bad press on its treatment of Twitter that threatens the tenuous semi-bipartisan coalition of anti-monopoly forces that have supported its recent efforts. FTC is being portrayed as a bully enforcer to social media censorship efforts exerted by other government agencies. If true, not a good look - just the wedge needed to destroy the anti-trust movement.
Please see case of Amy Nelson and her husband for ‘prime’ example of corporate power run amok!
Hello, I am trying to find help to renew my subscription. Someone please call me or chat to lead me through renewal. The link I received yields a forever circle and asks me to log in and I don't remember login or password ever being specified. I'm sure it's supposed to be easy; I'm not finding it that way. I just want to keep this great! newsletter coming and renew. Thank you, 309 682 1111 is voicemail. email is grubercfp@gmail.com . Keep up the good work!