Overview/Description
This course outlines antitrust legislation as it applies to trade associations and describes how such associations can avoid antitrust violations. Competitors join a trade association to pursue a common business purpose. This makes such associations especially susceptible to antitrust investigation under federal and state laws, such as Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. These laws protect a competitive marketplace in which rival firms compete with respect to prices, products, and services. This precludes any trade association activities that would constitute price fixing, allocation of markets or customers, concerted refusal to deal, and price discrimination. A criminal conviction for an antitrust law violation could result in stiff fines for a trade association and its members, jail sentences for individuals who participated in the violation, and a court order disbanding the trade association or severely limiting its activities. Trade associations can protect themselves from such penalties by implementing suitable antitrust compliance procedures.
This SkillSoft course has been developed and maintained with subject matter support provided by the Labor, Employment, and Employee Benefits Law Group of the law firm of Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green PA.
Target Audience
Trade association members, trade association coordinators