What are the different approaches to antitrust enforcement?

Antitrust enforcement is the legal action taken to protect consumers and businesses from monopolies, cartels, and other anti-competitive practices. In the state of California, both the state and federal governments are responsible for enforcing antitrust laws. At the federal level, the enforcement of antitrust laws is generally handled by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The DOJ enforces the Sherman Act, which prohibits any agreement or practice that would restrain trade in interstate commerce. The FTC enforces the Clayton Act, which prohibits anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions. At the state level, enforcement of antitrust laws is handled by the California Attorney General’s office. The California Attorney General’s office (CA AG) may pursue civil or criminal actions against those that violate the Cartwright Act, which prohibits anti-competitive practices within the state of California. The CA AG also enforces the Unfair Practices Act, which prohibits businesses from engaging in unfair or deceptive practices. Both state and federal antitrust laws are enforced through two approaches: civil enforcement and criminal enforcement. Civil enforcement involves a lawsuit in which the government seeks to impose fines or penalties on a business that is found to have engaged in anti-competitive practices. Criminal enforcement involves criminal prosecutions against individuals or businesses found to have violated antitrust laws.

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What are the different approaches to antitrust enforcement?

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