Alden Abbott

- Senior Research Fellow
Alden Abbott is a Senior Research Fellow focusing on antitrust issues. Before joining Mercatus, Mr. Abbott served as the Federal Trade Commission’s General Counsel from 2018 to early 2021, where he represented the Commission in court and provided legal advice to its representatives. Prior to working at the FTC, Mr. Abbott worked at the Heritage Foundation and BlackBerry Ltd. He also served as an adjunct professor at Mason’s Antonin Scalia Law School from 1991 to 2018. Mr. Abbott has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.A. in economics from Georgetown University.
Latest Work
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
The Importance of Reducing Anticompetitive Market Distortions | Information Technology & Innovation Foundation’s “Innovation Files”
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Spooky Thinking Continues To Haunt Antitrust Enforcement – Be Afraid | Competition Corner
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Draft Merger Guidelines Do Not ‘Return Antitrust to a Sound Economic and Legal Foundation’ – A Response to Professor Kwoka | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FTC’s Amazon Complaint: Perhaps the Greatest Affront to Consumer and Producer Welfare in Antitrust History | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FTC's Amazon Lawsuit & More | Competition Corner
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More FTC Overreach in Labor Markets | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The FTC, DOJ, and International Competition Law: Convergence Away From the Consumer Welfare Standard? | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
The Importance of Patents for Innovation | IPWatchdog
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Pharmaceutical Innovation, Antitrust Enforcement and Patent Law | IPWatchdog
Latest Work
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
The Importance of Reducing Anticompetitive Market Distortions | Information Technology & Innovation Foundation’s “Innovation Files”
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Spooky Thinking Continues To Haunt Antitrust Enforcement – Be Afraid | Competition Corner
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Draft Merger Guidelines Do Not ‘Return Antitrust to a Sound Economic and Legal Foundation’ – A Response to Professor Kwoka | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FTC’s Amazon Complaint: Perhaps the Greatest Affront to Consumer and Producer Welfare in Antitrust History | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FTC's Amazon Lawsuit & More | Competition Corner
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More FTC Overreach in Labor Markets | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The FTC, DOJ, and International Competition Law: Convergence Away From the Consumer Welfare Standard? | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
The Importance of Patents for Innovation | IPWatchdog
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Pharmaceutical Innovation, Antitrust Enforcement and Patent Law | IPWatchdog
Latest Work
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Robinson-Patman Act: A Statute at Odds with Competition and Economic Welfare
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Problem with a Federal Ban on Noncompete Agreements
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Books Books
Trade, Competition and Domestic Regulatory Policy
Trade Liberalisation, Competitive Markets and Property Rights Protection
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Developments in Competition Policy during the Second Year of the Biden Administration
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
POLICY SPOTLIGHT | Is Weak Antitrust Enforcement Harming American Competition?
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Developments in Competition Policy during the First Year of the Biden Administration
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Reining In Market-Distorting Federal Regulation
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
FTC Rulemaking on Noncompete Agreements
Latest Work
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
The Importance of Reducing Anticompetitive Market Distortions | Information Technology & Innovation Foundation’s “Innovation Files”
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
The Importance of Patents for Innovation | IPWatchdog
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Pharmaceutical Innovation, Antitrust Enforcement and Patent Law | IPWatchdog
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Talking Trade, Energy, and the Environment | Heritage Foundation's "Power Hour Special"
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Regulations Blocking Health Care Progress | Freedom Works Radio
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
What’s the Role of FTC’s General Counsel? | ABA's "Our Curious Amalgam"
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Elon Musk Faces Another Challenge During Twitter Takeover | Fox Business
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Antitrust Policy and its Different Perspectives
Where do the Antitrust professionals agree and disagree?

- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Antitrust Competition and its Intersection with Privacy Data Protection
Also, potential major change of direction in the federal agencies, not just the FTC, but potentially in the justice department as well.

- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Antitrust, Christianity, and Market Regulation
What can Christianity teach us about free markets and capitalism?

Latest Work
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
The European Commission's Draft "Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Standard Essential Patents" is Unnecessary and Harmful
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
A WTO Trips Agreement Waiver to Promote the Dissemination of COVID-19 Diagnostics and Therapeutics Is Unneeded and Would Impose Harm
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Federal Trade Commission's Proposed Noncompete Clause Rule Requires Rethinking, as a Matter of Law and Policy
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
New Merger Guidelines Should Be Concise, Be Administrable, and Avoid Antimerger Bias
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Pharmaceutical Merger Enforcement Should Be Supported by Evidence and Sound Economic Theory
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Addressing Anticompetitive Conduct and Consolidation in Healthcare Markets: The Roles of State and Federal Regulation and Antitrust Law
Statement for the Record Submitted to the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights
Latest Work
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Spooky Thinking Continues To Haunt Antitrust Enforcement – Be Afraid | Competition Corner
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Draft Merger Guidelines Do Not ‘Return Antitrust to a Sound Economic and Legal Foundation’ – A Response to Professor Kwoka | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FTC’s Amazon Complaint: Perhaps the Greatest Affront to Consumer and Producer Welfare in Antitrust History | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FTC's Amazon Lawsuit & More | Competition Corner
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More FTC Overreach in Labor Markets | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The FTC, DOJ, and International Competition Law: Convergence Away From the Consumer Welfare Standard? | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
When Greg Werden Talks, the Courts May Be Expected to Listen | Truth on the Market
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Let’s Not Go the Way of Rome! | Competition Corner (Substack)
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Guided Out of Line | Competition Corner (Substack)
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary