North Carolina

• Pages: 1833-1893

Chapter 36

for the

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Updated and Revised by

George F. Sanderson III, Esq.

Ellis & Winters LLP

Raleigh, North Carolina

The Section of Antitrust Law thanks K.D. Sturgis, Assistant AttorneyGeneral,

Consumer Protection Section, North Carolina Department of Justice, forhis review

of this chapter.

The Section gratefully acknowledges John F. Graybeal, Esq., Caswell O. Hobbs,

Esq., and Matthew W. Sawchak, Esq. for their work on this chapter in prior editions.

North Carolina 36-iii

CONTENTS

1.Introduction ................................................................................................... 1

1.a.Overview.......................................................................................... 1

1.b.Source of Law–Statutes and Other................................................... 1

1.c.History.............................................................................................. 2

1.d.Relation to Federal Law................................................................... 2

1.e.Remedies.......................................................................................... 2

1.f.Enforcement ..................................................................................... 4

2.The Per Se Rule and the Rule of Reason ....................................................... 4

3.Horizontal Agreements Other Than Group Boycotts .................................... 5

3.a.Price Fixing...................................................................................... 5

3.b.Market Allocation ............................................................................ 5

3.c.Customer Allocation ........................................................................ 5

3.d.Bid Rigging...................................................................................... 6

3.e.Covenants Not toCompete ..............................................................6

4.Group Boycotts.............................................................................................. 7

4.a.Concerted Refusals to Deal.............................................................. 7

4.b.Expulsion or Exclusion from Membership in Trade

Associations or Other Groups .......................................................... 7

5.Resale Price Maintenance.............................................................................. 8

5.a.Generally.......................................................................................... 8

5.b. Monsanto Rule ................................................................................. 9

5.c.Impact of Leegin .............................................................................. 9

6.Nonprice Vertical Restraints–Intrabrand..................................................... 10

7.Nonprice Vertical Restraints–Interbrand..................................................... 11

8.Tying Arrangements .................................................................................... 14

9.Dual Distribution ......................................................................................... 15

10.Intracorporate Conspiracy............................................................................ 15

11.Monopolization............................................................................................ 15

11.a.Monopolization.............................................................................. 15

11.b.Attempts to Monopolize................................................................. 17

11.c.Predatory Pricing............................................................................ 17

11.d.Conspiracy to Monopolize............................................................. 18

12.Mergers........................................................................................................ 18

13.Discrimination & Other Single-Firm Pricing Regulation............................19

13.a.Price Discrimination ...................................................................... 19

13.c.Specific Industry Rules ..................................................................20

13.c.2.Cigarettes ....................................................................20

13.c.3.D airy...........................................................................20

13.c.4.Fueland Petroleum ..................................................... 20

14.Exemptions and Defenses to Antitrust Liability.......................................... 20

14.a.Statutory Exemptions and Defenses............................................... 20

14.a.2.Contribution ................................................................ 20

14.a.3.Filed R ate Doctrine..................................................... 21

14.a.4.Statuteof Limitations.................................................. 22