Panel Tells FTC Key Issues In E-Marketolace Merqers

摘要

Antitrust issues that may arise from the merger of several business-to-business (B2B) e-marketplaces could be allayed if the combined marketplace adds business efficiencies and is not exclusive, a panel of antitrust experts told attendees at a May 7 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) workshop on e-commerce competition policies. The workshop examined issues that rose out of an October 2000 FTC report examining B2B competition after five automotive manufacturers created Covisint - an Internet-based B2B marketplace providing services to firms in the automotive supply chain. The FTC's report found that such large e-marketplaces could create antitrust concerns - a greater share of B2B participant-owners; greater restraints on participation outside the B2B; and decreased interoperability with other B2Bs.