Antitrust and the Internet Standardization Problem

This article evaluates the economics of the Internet and Internet-relatedsoftware markets, which are heavily driven towards standardization. Itsuggests that a traditional section 2 antitrust analysis will fail toeffectively regulate competition in such a market, particularly if it isdirected at structural relief. Instead, the article recommends that section2 play a limited role in regulating conduct in a standards competition. Thearticle also suggests that private standard-setting may play aprocompetitive role in the Internet context, and that section 1 should berelaxed in order to permit such joint activity (within certain limits).