Quote:
Originally Posted by tubemonkey
Resetting wholesale prices would've been easier and saved them from the legal nightmare they got themselves into.
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Is it really a nightmare?
I wonder if the conspiring firms saw profits decline, relative to other publishers and computer companies, in the wake of the settlements. My hypothesis is no.
One problem with civil antitrust is that real punishment would hurt average to low paid company employees most. As a result, civil penalties are too low to bite.
Now, there is such a thing as criminal antitrust. I'm glad the publishing executives who went to the infamous conspiracy dinner didn't get hit with it, on grounds of
generally disliking prisons. But I don't know why the publishing executives were exempt. Would they have dared indict the arguable chief conspirator,
Steve Jobs, if he had lived? Didn't think so. See:
Antitrust Division 2013 Criminal Enforcement Update