Major Antitrust Laws - Explained
Sherman Act, Clayton Act, and FTC Act
Written by J. Mance Gordon
Updated at April 20th, 2024
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What are the major antitrust laws in the United States?
Since the inception of antitrust law, the Federal Government has passed three sweeping antitrust laws:
- The Sherman Act of 1890,
- The Clayton Act of 1914, and
- The Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914.
These acts still provide the primary sources of antitrust law effective today. They have been subject to amendment and are the source of an extensive web of regulations used to effectuate these statutes. They provide for both civil and criminal penalties for violations.
Related Topics
- Antitrust Law (Intro)
- What is Antitrust Law?
- What are the Major Antitrust Laws?
- What government agency enforces antitrust law?
- What Sanctions are available under antitrust law?
- What is the Sherman Act of 1890 (Sherman Act)?
- What is a Contract, Combination, of Conspiracy in restraint of trade?
- What is Per Se Illegality and the Rule of Reason?
- What is a Monopoly?
- Herfindahl Hirschman Index (HHI) Definition
- What businesses are exempt from the Sherman Act?
- Horizontal Restraint Sherman Act?
- Sharing Information?
- Refusal to Deal?
- Territorial Agreement?
- Price Fixing?
- Resale restraint?
- Exclusive dealing?
- Tying products?
- Territorial agreements?
- What is Monopolization under the Sherman Act?
- What is the Clayton Act of 1914 (Clayton Act)?
- What is price discrimination under the Clayton Act?
- What are special arrangements prohibited under the Clayton Act?
- When are tying contracts an illegal restraint under the Clayton Act?
- When are reciprocal dealing contracts an illegal restraint under the Clayton Act?
- How does the Clayton Act regulate mergers and acquisition?
- FTC Act Antitrust Law