Expecting a good deal on a Sony Inc. HDTV or digital camera on Friday? Odds are against
it, and that not only has some consumers upset, but also the antitrust
bar. Antitrust lawyers expressed a lot of angst the weekend over
a recent announcement that Japanese electronics and media conglomerate
Sony has implemented a no-discount rule to retailers selling some
of Sony's top-end products, including flat-screen televisions, the
Alpha digital camera family and other products.
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A senior executive
told The New York Times that because of the new policy, stress levels
will drop during this chaotic holiday season. "Consumers don't have to
worry about whether I can get a better deal at retailer A or retailer
B," he said. "Everybody gets the best deal."
In addition to angering readers who have spent the weekend dissing Sony via blogs like the Times' Bits and AOL's Engadget, antitrust lawyers have also been chewing on the idea via an American Bar Association listserve.
Antitrust
law professors, private firm lawyers and even corporate lawyers who
handle antitrust issues for their companies have weighed in on the
matter, because the Supreme Court in June said it's no longer
automatically illegal for manufacturers to force retailers to hold
prices at a set point. Now, each case will be evaluated on its distinct
merits, and if the justification is sufficient, the requirement could
pass antitrust scrutiny.
It remains to be seen whether the "stress avoidance" notion will be sufficient. - Cecile Kohrs Lindell
See story from The New York Times' Bits blog
See story from AOL's EngadgetHD blog
Cecile Kohrs Lindell is a senior reporter in The Deal's Washington bureau.
