Alden Abbott
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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
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Vintage Statute, Sour Results: The Robinson-Patman Revival in FTC v. Southern Glazer’s | Truth on the Market
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Creative Discussion, With Alden Abbott | ITIF Podcast
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
From Buenos Aires to the World: Trading Away Distortions | Truth on the Market
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Antitrust Unmoored: Constitutional Limits on California’s RSFC | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Save Bayh-Dole’s $2 Trillion Impact on American Innovation | National Review
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Visa Case and the Perils of Prosecuting Discounts | Truth on the Market
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How a Bad Presumption Became Too Useful to Kill | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Foreign Governments’ Ex Ante DMA-Style Rules Harm Competition and Innovation in Digital Markets While Discriminating Against US Firms
Examines how DMA-style digital regulation affects competition, trade, and antitrust policy -
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FTC v. Meta: The End of Antitrust Populism? | ITIF
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Legal Challenges to Algorithmic Pricing May Undermine Market-Process Improvements | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Is Data Really a Barrier to Entry?
Rethinking Competition Regulation in Generative AI -
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Is Data Really a Barrier to Entry? Rethinking Competition Regulation in Generative AI
Fears of data scarcity and monopolization are unfounded and risk leading to overregulation. -
- | 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
- | Research Papers Research Papers
The Globalization of Antitrust
Spreading the Consumer Welfare Standard Worldwide
-
- | 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
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
FTC Competition Regulation: A Cost-Benefit Appraisal
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
US Antitrust Laws: A Primer
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Efficient Infringement Rewards Copycats and Erodes Competition | IPWatchdog.com
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
When Should We Recognize Something as a Property Right? | Federalist Society Forums
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Creative Discussion, With Alden Abbott | ITIF Podcast
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Here Are the Supreme Court Arguments for and Against Trump’s Tariffs | Marketplace Radio
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
DOJ v. Google: What to Expect With Ad Tech Remedies | ITIF Tech Policy Podcast
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
US-China Artificial Intelligence Competition Intensifies | American Radio Journal
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Trump Fired the Two Democrats From the FTC, Is It a Risky Move, or Is It About Time? | Lars Larson Show
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
If You Expected Trump 2.0 To Be Soft on Antitrust, ‘Think Again’ | Yahoo Finance
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Net Neutrality Reversal | WTAN Radio's Freedom Works
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Federal Courts Have Ended Joe Biden’s Net Neutrality | Lars Larson Show
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Draft Merger Guidelines Jointly Proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission Are Seriously Flawed in Their Discussion of Merger Case Law
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- | 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
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Addressing Anticompetitive Conduct In Pharmaceutical Markets: Antitrust Enforcement Is Robust and Effective, but Additional Market-Oriented Legal Reform Would be Helpful
US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights -
- | 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 -
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Lack of Resources and Lack of Authority Over Nonprofit Organizations Are the Biggest Hindrances to Antitrust Enforcement in Healthcare
Testimony before the US House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law
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- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The EPA Takes Its Thumb Off the Power Switch | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Prime Targets: Amazon, No-Poach Rules, and the Limits of Antitrust | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Reserve Judgment: The FTC Takes on Amazon’s Ad Auctions | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Competing Too Well: Europe’s New Guide to Dominance | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Your Price May Vary: The FTC’s Personalized-Pricing Puzzle | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Four Patents and a Time Machine: CareFirst and the Perils of Backdated Antitrust | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Cartels With Benefits: The Trouble With Extending Labor’s Antitrust Exemption | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Settlement | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
New Jersey’s War on Pricing Software Won’t Build More Apartments | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Competition Law’s Fairness Gap: Why Better Procedure Requires Better Incentives | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Vintage Statute, Sour Results: The Robinson-Patman Revival in FTC v. Southern Glazer’s | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Creative Discussion, With Alden Abbott | ITIF Podcast
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
From Buenos Aires to the World: Trading Away Distortions | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Antitrust Unmoored: Constitutional Limits on California’s RSFC | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Save Bayh-Dole’s $2 Trillion Impact on American Innovation | National Review
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Visa Case and the Perils of Prosecuting Discounts | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How a Bad Presumption Became Too Useful to Kill | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Foreign Governments’ Ex Ante DMA-Style Rules Harm Competition and Innovation in Digital Markets While Discriminating Against US Firms
Examines how DMA-style digital regulation affects competition, trade, and antitrust policy -
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FTC v. Meta: The End of Antitrust Populism? | ITIF
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Legal Challenges to Algorithmic Pricing May Undermine Market-Process Improvements | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Is Data Really a Barrier to Entry?
Rethinking Competition Regulation in Generative AI -
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Is Data Really a Barrier to Entry? Rethinking Competition Regulation in Generative AI
Fears of data scarcity and monopolization are unfounded and risk leading to overregulation. -
- | 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
- | Research Papers Research Papers
The Globalization of Antitrust
Spreading the Consumer Welfare Standard Worldwide
-
- | 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
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
FTC Competition Regulation: A Cost-Benefit Appraisal
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
US Antitrust Laws: A Primer
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Efficient Infringement Rewards Copycats and Erodes Competition | IPWatchdog.com
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
When Should We Recognize Something as a Property Right? | Federalist Society Forums
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Creative Discussion, With Alden Abbott | ITIF Podcast
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Here Are the Supreme Court Arguments for and Against Trump’s Tariffs | Marketplace Radio
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
DOJ v. Google: What to Expect With Ad Tech Remedies | ITIF Tech Policy Podcast
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
US-China Artificial Intelligence Competition Intensifies | American Radio Journal
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Trump Fired the Two Democrats From the FTC, Is It a Risky Move, or Is It About Time? | Lars Larson Show
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
If You Expected Trump 2.0 To Be Soft on Antitrust, ‘Think Again’ | Yahoo Finance
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Net Neutrality Reversal | WTAN Radio's Freedom Works
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Federal Courts Have Ended Joe Biden’s Net Neutrality | Lars Larson Show
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Draft Merger Guidelines Jointly Proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission Are Seriously Flawed in Their Discussion of Merger Case Law
-
- | 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
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Addressing Anticompetitive Conduct In Pharmaceutical Markets: Antitrust Enforcement Is Robust and Effective, but Additional Market-Oriented Legal Reform Would be Helpful
US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights -
- | 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 -
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Lack of Resources and Lack of Authority Over Nonprofit Organizations Are the Biggest Hindrances to Antitrust Enforcement in Healthcare
Testimony before the US House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The EPA Takes Its Thumb Off the Power Switch | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Prime Targets: Amazon, No-Poach Rules, and the Limits of Antitrust | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Reserve Judgment: The FTC Takes on Amazon’s Ad Auctions | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Competing Too Well: Europe’s New Guide to Dominance | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Your Price May Vary: The FTC’s Personalized-Pricing Puzzle | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Four Patents and a Time Machine: CareFirst and the Perils of Backdated Antitrust | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Cartels With Benefits: The Trouble With Extending Labor’s Antitrust Exemption | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Settlement | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
New Jersey’s War on Pricing Software Won’t Build More Apartments | Truth on the Market
-
- | Antitrust and Competition Antitrust and Competition
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Competition Law’s Fairness Gap: Why Better Procedure Requires Better Incentives | Truth on the Market