As technology and interconnectivity have continued to flourish, so too has an important and complex form of enterprise: the platform. Services like Uber, Google Search, Hulu, and American Express cater to distinct but deeply-interdependent “sides” of customers that derive value or revenues from one another, such as the patients and care providers on a health insurance network, or the advertisers and consumers on a social media platform. A hallmark of “two-sided markets”--those in which platforms compete--is the need to get both sides on board. The platform cannot operate successfully without a critical mass of users on both sides, which is often challenging. Platform economics has important implications for antitrust policy, as the interdependence between sides adds new complexity to the evaluation of competitive effects. It becomes critical to discern whether a platform-defendant's conduct is plausibly necessary to get both sides on board. Until recently, courts had dealt with platform commerce only on an ad hoc basis, without articulating any general principles for evaluating restraints within two-sided markets. But the Supreme Court is poised to bring platform competition to antitrust's frontier, as its impending decision in American Express is likely to influence how core aspects of antitrust law and procedure are to be applied within two-sided markets moving forward. Against this backdrop, this article provides a broad analysis of antitrust in two-sided markets. It begins with a discussion of the distinctive features of platform commerce, explaining how they sometimes clash with established intuition and methods in antitrust. The bulk of the paper addresses a wide range of different antitrust concerns that might emerge from platform conduct, with emphasis on discerning when the market's two-sidedness might plausibly justify the practice in question (and when it probably doesn't). The balance of the paper then addresses the issues in American Express--both the market definition and burden shifting questions before the Supreme Court, and the substance of the original antitrust claim.

The most important book on antitrust ever written. It shows how antitrust suits adversely affect the consumer by encouraging a costly form of protection for inefficient and uncompetitive small businesses.

This book compiles a set of pieces on the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Ohio et. al. v. American Express and the preceding litigation for the treatment of multisided platforms under U.S. antitrust law. The authors consider that the Supreme Court ruling provides valuable guidance for antitrust analysis in such markets.

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: Good, Ruhr-University of Bochum, course: MA (ECUE), language: English, abstract: Two-sided markets consist of two or more exclusive groups, present simultaneously on a single platform. They both need each other. In order to succeed the platform provider must ensure active participation of both groups. In the beginning these bazaars face chicken-and-egg problem, which should be solved, sometimes even by providing free chicken. These markets include some of the most important industries in new economy such as mobile telephony companies, free TV services, OS suppliers, software providers, gaming companies, credit card companies, auction sites etc. Ebay and amazon are good examples of two-sided markets. In such two-sided markets buyers and sellers first trade with the intermediary/ies so as to gain access to the functionalities of a platform and then trade with each other under oligopolistic conditions. In chapter 1 of this paper an attempt has been made to describe finer nuances of two-sided markets. Thereafter I proceed to discuss the various dynamics of two-sided markets in chapter 2. Two-sided firms differ from traditional industries and they follow totally different business economics. Marginal cost does not help them in deciding optimal price. Pricing policies and other business strategies must be formulated in such a way that it should ensure active interaction of both groups. Pricing strategy should get both sides on board and should also solve chicken-and-egg problem. Chapter 3 describes the pricing policy adopted by two-sided markets. Chapter 4 deals with relevance of two-sided markets for competition policy. Competition Authorities do not need different set of rules to regulate these industries. However Competition Authorities must consider various economic principles that influence pricing and investment decisions in two-sided markets. Chapter 5 concludes with various observations and suggestions.

Industrial Organization: Markets and Strategies provides an up-to-date account of modern industrial organization that blends theory with real-world applications. Written in a clear and accessible style, it acquaints the reader with the most important models for understanding strategies chosen by firms with market power and shows how such firms adapt to different market environments. It covers a wide range of topics including recent developments on product bundling, branding strategies, restrictions in vertical supply relationships, intellectual property protection, and two-sided markets, to name just a few. Models are presented in detail and the main results are summarized as lessons. Formal theory is complemented throughout by real-world cases that show students how it applies to actual organizational settings. The book is accompanied by a website containing a number of additional resources for lecturers and students, including exercises, answers to review questions, case material and slides.

Digital platforms controlled by Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Tencent and Uber have transformed not only the ways we do business, but also the very nature of people's everyday lives. It is of vital importance that we understand the economic principles governing how these platforms operate. This book explains the driving forces behind any platform business with a focus on network effects. The authors use short case studies and real-world applications to explain key concepts such as how platforms manage network effects and which price and non-price strategies they choose. This self-contained text is the first to offer a systematic and formalized account of what platforms are and how they operate, concisely incorporating path-breaking insights in economics over the last twenty years.

Experts examine the application of economic theory to antitrust issues in both the United States and Europe, discussing mergers, agreements, abuses of dominance, and the impact of market features. Over the past twenty years, economic theory has begun to play a central role in antitrust matters. In earlier days, the application of antitrust rules was viewed almost entirely in formal terms; now it is widely accepted that the proper interpretation of these rules requires an understanding of how markets work and how firms can alter their efficient functioning. The Handbook of Antitrust Economics offers scholars, students, administrators, courts, companies, and lawyers the economist's view of the subject, describing the application of newly developed theoretical models and improved empirical methods to antitrust and competition law in both the United States and the European Union. (The book uses the U.S. term “antitrust law” and the European “competition law” interchangeably, emphasizing the commonalities between the two jurisdictions.) After a general discussion of the use of empirical methods in antitrust cases, the Handbook covers mergers, agreements, abuses of dominance (or unilateral conducts), and market features that affect the way firms compete. Chapters examine such topics as analyzing the competitive effects of both horizontal and vertical mergers, detecting and preventing cartels, theoretical and empirical analysis of vertical restraints, state aids, the relationship of competition law to the defense of intellectual property, and the application of antitrust law to “bidding markets,” network industries, and two-sided markets. Contributors Mark Armstrong, Jonathan B. Baker, Timothy F. Bresnahan, Paulo Buccirossi, Nicholas Economides, Hans W. Friederiszick, Luke M. Froeb, Richard J. Gilbert, Joseph E. Harrington, Jr., Paul Klemperer, Kai-Uwe Kuhn, Francine Lafontaine, Damien J. Neven, Patrick Rey, Michael H. Riordan, Jean-Charles Rochet, Lars-Hendrick Röller, Margaret Slade, Giancarlo Spagnolo, Jean Tirole, Thibaud Vergé, Vincent Verouden, John Vickers, Gregory J. Werden

This book provides a thorough treatment of the economic theory that guides and motivates the design and enforcement of American antitrust laws. Along with a comprehensive analysis of both horizontal and vertical antitrust issues, economic theory is used to evaluate antitrust policy through theexamination of relevant legislation and landmark cases. Theory is discussed through its relation to policy issues, and in turn, the role of theory in the development of new policy is examined.

Harnessing the power of software platforms: what executives and entrepreneurs must know about how to use this technology to transform industries and how to develop the strategies that will create value and drive profits. Software platforms are the invisible engines that have created, touched, or transformed nearly every major industry for the past quarter century. They power everything from mobile phones and automobile navigation systems to search engines and web portals. They have been the source of enormous value to consumers and helped some entrepreneurs build great fortunes. And they are likely to drive change that will dwarf the business and technology revolution we have seen to this point. Invisible Engines examines the business dynamics and strategies used by firms that recognize the transformative power unleashed by this new revolution—a revolution that will change both new and old industries. The authors argue that in order to understand the successes of software platforms, we must first understand their role as a technological meeting ground where application developers and end users converge. Apple, Microsoft, and Google, for example, charge developers little or nothing for using their platforms and make most of their money from end users; Sony PlayStation and other game consoles, by contrast, subsidize users and make more money from developers, who pay royalties for access to the code they need to write games. More applications attract more users, and more users attract more applications. And more applications and more users lead to more profits. Invisible Engines explores this story through the lens of the companies that have mastered this platform-balancing act. It offers detailed studies of the personal computer, video game console, personal digital assistant, smart mobile phone, and digital media software platform industries, focusing on the business decisions made by industry players to drive profits and stay a step ahead of the competition. Shorter discussions of Internet-based software platforms provide an important glimpse into a future in which the way we buy, pay, watch, listen, learn, and communicate will change forever. An electronic version of this book is available under a Creative Commons license.