The way the government applies antitrust laws can significantly affect innovation and investment, for good or ill.  IT firms have characteristics that make antitrust enforcement more complex, including significant amounts of intangible capital, supply- and demand-side economies of scale, and rapidly changing markets characterized by continuous innovation.  The new administration has signaled a more proactive approach to antitrust enforcement, particularly with respect to high-tech and Internet-based markets.  This Congressional Seminar will examine the proper application of antitrust policy to the IT sector and the direction the new administration is taking.  The conference will focus on the following issues:

• The effects of antitrust policy on innovation and whether pro-competitive, pro-consumer behavior in high-tech may differ from such behavior in more traditional industries.
• How antitrust enforcement balances the risks of failing to stop potentially anticompetitive activities against the risks of stifling potentially pro-competitive activities, with specific reference to IT, and whether this balance is changing over time.
• The evolving role of economics in antitrust enforcement.
• The effects of multiple antitrust regimes on global companies.