Wednesday, March 01, 2006

SCOTUS issues antitrust opinion

In Texaco v. Dagher, the Court examined a joint venture between Texaco and Shell--Equilon Enterprises-- to refine and sell gasoline in the western United States under the original Texaco and Shell Oil brand names. Service station owners alleged unlawful price fixing when Equilon set a single price for both Texaco and Shell Oil brand gasoline.

The Court held there was no antitrust violation because the pricing decisions of a legitimate joint venture do not fall within the narrow category of activity that is per se unlawful under the Sherman Act.

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