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1、28THEANTITRUSTRISKSOFINFORMATIONSHARING信息交换的反托拉斯风险CorbyC.AndersonandTedP.Pearce23FranchiseL.J.17Copyright(c)2003AmericanBarAssociationFranchiseLawJournalSummer,2003TEXT:[*17]Competitorsinfranchisingroutinelyexchangeideasandinformationthroughbuyingcoop
2、erativesandtradeassociations,atfranchiseadvertisingmeetingsandconventions,andelsewhere.Theseinformationexchangesstrengthenfranchisenetworksandaffordadditionaltoolstomakeparticipantsmorecompetitive.Theseexchangesbenefitconsumersaswell,enablingfranchise
3、systemstoreduceprices,improvequality,andmarketnewproductsandservicesmorequickly.Nevertheless,althoughinformationsharingmakesfranchisesystemsmorecompetitive,italsoraisesseriousantitrustconcerns.Informationexchangescanmakeiteasierforfranchisingcompetito
4、rstocoordinatepricingandotherdecisionsabouttheirproductsandservices.However,thiscoordinationcanhaveanticompetitiveeffects.Intoday'sfranchisinglandscape,particularlywithcomplementaryfranchisesystemshousedunderthesamecorporateroofsellingcompetingproduct
5、sandservices,thepotentialforsuchinformationexchangestorunafouloftheShermanActisgreat.Forexample,withlittlethoughofantitrustimplications,companiesthatengageindualdistributionandthatoperatemultiple,competitivefranchisesystemsmaywellshareinformationabout
6、thecost-effectivenessofemployeesortheavailability28ofbuyingefficienciesamongdifferentfranchisesystems.Franchiseecompetitorsmayengageinregularexchangesofinformationaboutpricing;suchexchangeshavetheeffectofstabilizingpriceswithintheirmarket,anantitrustv
7、iolationevenwithoutany"formal"agreementaboutpricing.Thisarticleexamineshowfranchisorsandfranchiseescanavoidantitrust-relatedrisksininformationsharing.Itdefinesinformationsharing,exploresitsbenefits,examineshowcourtshavetreatedthepractice,looksatguidel
8、inesandantitrust"safetyzones"establishedbyfederalregulators,andsuggestsprecautionsthatcompetitorscantakewhentheyshareinformation.WhatIsInformationSharing?Informationsharingconsistsofexchangingvarioustypesofcommunications,mostoftenamongcompetit
