Antitrust & Competition

Expert Dr. Daniel Spulber recently published the article "How should antitrust market definition address innovation?" in Concurrences. This article discusses the increasing importance of innovation competition requires adjusting the definition of an antitrust market.

Our featured expert Jeff Prince is a Professor at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, specializes in industrial organization and applied econometrics, focusing on technology markets and telecommunications. He has provided expert testimony in intellectual property, antitrust, and damages cases. 

Our featured expert Prof. Ted Frech is a Professor of Economics and Technology Management at UC Santa Barbara, specializing in Industrial Organization, Health Economics, and Antitrust. His work spans academic research, policy consulting, and expert testimony, particularly in health care antitrust and regulation. 

This article explores the analytical tools that antitrust authorities and parties may employ several analytical tools to define the relevant market in hospital merger cases including: Hypothetical Monopolist Test (HMT), Critical Loss Analysis, Diversion Ratio, and the Elzinga-Hogarty Test.

CMS released data in April 2022 on hospital mergers and consolidations since 2016, revealing a slowdown in ownership changes, a rise in larger, for-profit acquisitions, and increased health system penetration.

Vega Economics and Prof. Dan Spulber were retained by Fedex in several cases in which it was sued for allegations involving federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Expert Dr. Daniel Spulber recently published the article "Antitrust Merger Policy Innovation Competition" with co-author Alden F. Abbott in the Journal of Business & Technology Law. 

We look forward to seeing you at the Antitrust Spring Meeting at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC on April 10-12, 2024!

Vega Economics was retained by Cineplex to support Professor On Amir to provide expert opinions regarding certain allegations of deceptive marketing practices related to an online booking fee. 

We had the privilege of supporting numerous exceptional experts from diverse fields in 2023 and were delighted to welcome several new experts into our network. To delve into our achievements over the past year, you can find more details in our 2023 Year in Review brochure.

This insight explores some common challenges the FTC might raise in a pharmaceutical merger and how our economists can analyze relevant issues in such actions.

In two ITC investigations, Prof. Spulber examined the scope of the domestic semiconductor industry, assessed the significance and sustainability of related investments, and addressed public interest factors.

This article discusses the origins of PBMs, their business models, some reasons why they are blamed for rising drug prices, and how the industry is changing.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI pricing, economists can help untangle the complexities associated with algorithm-driven pricing strategies. Let's delve into the way economic analysis can address complex questions in both the business and litigation contexts.

Dr. Daniel Spulber was retained to analyze and opine on competition in the e-prescribing markets. Dr. Spulber examined how exclusionary contracts limited the choices of users on different sides of the network to utilize multiple service providers and the resulting adverse impact on market competition. Dr. Spulber also proposed a methodology to determine whether and to what extent class members were damaged due to the alleged anticompetitive conduct. 

Meet our featured expert, Dan Scheitrum! Dr. Scheitrum is an expert economist with an extensive background in litigation. He is an expert in agricultural economics and with a specialty in employment disputes, large data & statistics, and antitrust. 

Congratulations to Prof. Daniel Spulber of Northwestern University on winning the 2023 Concurrences Antitrust Writing Award for his groundbreaking article on antitrust and innovation competition!

Our featured expert, Dr. Dan Ingberman, is a leading economist who has significant testifying experience in both antitrust and intellectual property matters. He has over 30 years of experience teaching both law and economics at Washington University, UC Berkeley, and U Penn.

We had the opportunity to support several outstanding experts in 2022 from a variety of disciplines and welcomed several new experts to our network. You’ll learn more about our work last year in this brochure, our 2022 Year in Review.

The Network Law Review featured a guest article by expert Prof. Daniel Spulber discussing the FTC's complaint to block Illumina's proposed acquisition of Grail. He argues that the approach taken by the FTC's complaint should not guide antitrust policy toward vertical mergers.

The antitrust legal community has been buzzing about the legal battle between the PGA Tour and its players. The article by Dr. Tim Derdenger from Carnegie Mellon University and Alison Palo from Vega Economics, published by Law360, discusses the issues contributing to that legal battle, including the economic factors that will play a role in evaluating the PGA Tour's actions.

TAP features a paper, “Measuring the Private and Social Returns to R&D: Unintended Spillovers versus Technology Markets,” by Professors Daniel Spulber and Pere Arque´-Castells establishing the importance of markets for technology for innovation.

This article by expert Dr. Daniel Spulber from Northwestern University considers U.S. and EU antitrust policies regarding intermediaries with digital platforms. The article examines antitrust concerns about "Big Tech." The discussion emphasizes the need to apply advances in the Economics of Markets and Platforms in developing these antitrust policies.

Following the buzz in the antitrust community about the potential legal battles looming between the PGA and the LIV tour golfers, Vega is thrilled to gain insight on this hot topic from Dr. Tim Derdenger, Associate Professor of Marketing and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business. 

Expert Dr. Daniel Spulber recently published the article "Antitrust and Innovation Competition" in the Journal of Antitrust Enforcement. The article argues that although antitrust policy makers recognize the importance of innovation competition, they need to update their economic frameworks. Dr. Spulber discusses that antitrust policy makers need to move beyond traditional analysis based on the twin frameworks of perfect competition and imperfect competition. 

Prof. Daniel Spulber's paper, Measuring the Private and Social Returns to R&D: Unintended Spillovers versus Technology Markets, was recently accepted by one of the most prestigious journals in economics, Journal of Political Economy.

Our featured expert, Jon Riddle, PhD, has worked as a professional economist for over 30 years. Dr. Riddle has provided expert opinions on a wide range of engagements including antitrust, health care, the pharmaceutical industry, and valuation and damages. In a recent case, Vega recently supported Dr. Riddle's profitability analysis of an infusion center. 

Prof. Daniel Spulber joined more than 150 public comments that were submitted to weigh in on the Draft Revised Statement on remedies for the infringement of standards-essential patents (or SEPs) that are subject to a RAND or F/RAND licensing commitment. 

Vega was retained by a group of major hedge funds as opt-out plaintiffs in several securities class actions to support Professor Lou Rossiter in analyzing issues related to pricing pressures and price fixing for certain drugs in the generic drug market.

Certain structural factors, when present in a given market, can facilitate anticompetitive behavior. In this article, we discuss ten factors that provide a useful starting point for contextualizing the competitive environment of a given market and providing a general framework within which to evaluate the specific data related to that market. 

This brochure highlights Vega's leading experts in antitrust litigation who can offer opinions on market definition and market power, market structure, pricing, profitability, and damages.

The regulatory framework for pharmaceuticals has evolved alongside this boom to facilitate the safe and affordable access to medicine as consumers increase their use of generics. This article reviews the historical development of the regulatory framework for generic pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and its economic impact, particularly in facilitating price competition.

President Biden's recent Executive Order announced a government-wide effort to fight overconcentration, monopolization, and unfair competition. To unpack the implications of this Order, Vega interviews Professor Daniel Spulber, who shares his insights about what businesses should be thinking about in light of this Order and how economic analysis can help evaluate its implications. 

Vega’s recently welcomed Dr. Daniel Spulber to our expert network. Dr. Spulber is an expert in antitrust, platforms and two-sided markets, intellectual property, technology and innovation, and industrial organization.

Our featured expert, Dr. Thomas Lys is is an expert in areas including accounting, corporate finance, corporate governance, real estate, and finance. Dr. Lys was recently supported by Vega to rebut plaintiffs’ damages calculations in seven cases brought against RMBS servicers and master servicers.

Our featured expert, Haim Kassa, is is an expert in the areas of investments and portfolio management and he is experienced in the design and testing of trading strategies using historical firm level data from the stock, bond, and option markets.

Our featured expert, Lou Rossiter, is an expert in health economics. He has served as an expert on numerous cases and most recently he has been retained with the support of the Vega team to provide an analysis of pricing pressure and price fixing in the generic drug market for certain drugs.

Vega discusses the threshold questions that will need to be answered in the antitrust analyses of the recent Facebook cases brought by the FTC and attorney general from numerous states.

The Vega team and experts provide analyses of the complete range of economic issues arising in antitrust litigation including market definition and market power, market structure, pricing, profitability, and damages. This publication highlights Vega's antitrust practice, explaining both our significant experience with antitrust engagements and some of the qualifications of our antitrust experts.