Lee: DOJ Complaint Raises Serious Issues
April 11, 2012
WASHINGTON – Today, Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Senator Mike Lee made the following statement regarding the Department of Justice’s announcement of a lawsuit against several book publishers and Apple, Inc. alleging that the companies conspired to raise prices for e-books:
"The proper focus of our antitrust laws is consumer welfare. Although government regulators should not interfere with market forces absent a significant threat to competition, the allegations made in the complaint filed today by the Department of Justice raise serious concerns about the prices paid by consumers for e-books. Illegal price fixing harms consumers and must not be tolerated. I am confident the judicial process will properly resolve this matter and curtail any illegal actions that result in significant consumer harm."
"The proper focus of our antitrust laws is consumer welfare. Although government regulators should not interfere with market forces absent a significant threat to competition, the allegations made in the complaint filed today by the Department of Justice raise serious concerns about the prices paid by consumers for e-books. Illegal price fixing harms consumers and must not be tolerated. I am confident the judicial process will properly resolve this matter and curtail any illegal actions that result in significant consumer harm."
