WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today announced that the fifth in a series of joint public hearings designed to examine the implications of single-firm conduct under the antitrust laws will take place on Oct. 26, 2006, in Washington, D.C. As previously announced, these hearings will examine whether and when specific types of single-firm conduct may violate Section 2 of the Sherman Act by harming competition and consumer welfare and when they are procompetitive and lawful. The hearings will continue during the coming months, with three days of hearings scheduled for November.

The morning panel on Oct. 26 will explore business history perspectives regarding single-firm conduct, and the afternoon panel will explore business strategy perspectives. Both panels will be held at the FTC Headquarters Building at 600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., Room 532.

Further information is provided below:

Understanding Single-Firm Behavior: Business History Session (9:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.):

Tony Allan Freyer is a university research professor of history and law at the University of Alabama School of Law.

Louis Galambos is a professor of history at Johns Hopkins University, president of the Business History Group, and co-director of the Institute for Applied Economics and the Study of Business Enterprise.

James P. May is a professor of law at the Washington College of Law, American University.

George David Smith is a clinical professor of economics, entrepreneurship and innovation at the New York University Stern School of Business.

Understanding Single-Firm Behavior: Business Strategy Session (1:30 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.):

Jeffrey P. McCrea is vice president of the Sales and Marketing Group at Intel Corporation.

David J. Reibstein is the William S. Woodside professor and professor of marketing at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

David T. Scheffman is director of LECG LLC, an adjunct professor of business strategy and marketing at the Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, and former director of the Bureau of Economics at the FTC.

George David Smith is a clinical professor of economics, entrepreneurship and innovation at the New York University Stern School of Business.

In addition to the hearings scheduled for Oct. 26, further public hearings will be held regarding tying on Nov. 1, exclusive dealing on Nov. 15, and loyalty discounts on Nov. 29. Information about the times, locations and panelists for these hearings, as well as information about other future hearings, will be made available at a later date.

The public and press are invited to attend all of the hearings. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested parties may submit written comments to the Antitrust Division and the FTC.

Further information about these hearings will be posted on the Antitrust Division's Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/hearings/single_firm/sfchearing.htm and on the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/os/sectiontwohearings/index.htm. Individuals seeking more information on the hearings should contact Gail Kursh, Deputy Chief, Legal Policy Section, Antitrust Division, at singlefirmconduct@usdoj.gov, or Patricia Schultheiss, FTC, at section2hearings2@ftc.gov.

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