Collusion among all the big players in an industry, in order to exclude other players from succeeding in that industry is indeed anti-competitive, and potentially illegal. There’s potential merit here in businesses coordinating with each other on who to blacklist withing the industry, which is why lawyers were willing to take on the case.
Ultimately, it’s a question for a judge whether they’re doing this for the purpose of suppressing competition, somehow, or whether they’re doing it for valid business reasons (like, say, avoiding a company with a history of not paying its bills, or avoiding a company with a history of sabotaging business relationships, or avoiding a company that their own customers actively hate, and would lose them business).
Of course, with the courts the way they are these days, I’m not holding my breath for the obviously-sensible ruling.
The problem with that is companies who advertise with X and X themselves are not in the same industry. That’s like saying if I had a hardware store who advertises with a newspaper, that means my hardware store is in the same business as the newspaper. What?
As far as “why lawyers were willing to take on the case” I’d guess it’s because they’re going to rake in huge fees regardless of the outcome.
Because legally speaking X has an uphill battle to try and prove collusion. Brands are not competitors, they’re buyers. Outside of some outstanding finding that GARM and co. colluded with the likes of Facebook and Snapchat for kick backs or rate reductions, X doesn’t have a win here.
The thing Poppa X does have is lots of money. So far that’s worked a little, the WFA has shut down GARM citing that the legal battle has “drained its resources and finances.” But the WFA and some of the brands they represent are still named (Unilever has settled - never heard of them) - do they have the cash to push back? WFA doesn’t, they’re a non-profit. The rest? Not sure.
What is the supposed legal basis of this?
Collusion among all the big players in an industry, in order to exclude other players from succeeding in that industry is indeed anti-competitive, and potentially illegal. There’s potential merit here in businesses coordinating with each other on who to blacklist withing the industry, which is why lawyers were willing to take on the case.
Ultimately, it’s a question for a judge whether they’re doing this for the purpose of suppressing competition, somehow, or whether they’re doing it for valid business reasons (like, say, avoiding a company with a history of not paying its bills, or avoiding a company with a history of sabotaging business relationships, or avoiding a company that their own customers actively hate, and would lose them business).
Of course, with the courts the way they are these days, I’m not holding my breath for the obviously-sensible ruling.
The problem with that is companies who advertise with X and X themselves are not in the same industry. That’s like saying if I had a hardware store who advertises with a newspaper, that means my hardware store is in the same business as the newspaper. What?
As far as “why lawyers were willing to take on the case” I’d guess it’s because they’re going to rake in huge fees regardless of the outcome.
Something about a conspiracy theory that they are colluding against Obergruppenführer Musk.
Musk is a petulant child who is running the government now, and will abuse it to whatever ends he desires
This is honestly the most likely reason.
Because legally speaking X has an uphill battle to try and prove collusion. Brands are not competitors, they’re buyers. Outside of some outstanding finding that GARM and co. colluded with the likes of Facebook and Snapchat for kick backs or rate reductions, X doesn’t have a win here.
The thing Poppa X does have is lots of money. So far that’s worked a little, the WFA has shut down GARM citing that the legal battle has “drained its resources and finances.” But the WFA and some of the brands they represent are still named (Unilever has settled - never heard of them) - do they have the cash to push back? WFA doesn’t, they’re a non-profit. The rest? Not sure.