The research of University of Tennessee College of Law Professor Maurice Stucke is playing a role in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s investigation into whether tech companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon have too much power in the marketplace.

During a meeting last week of the of the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, legislators heard testimony about online platforms and market power with a focus on how data and privacy affect competition.

Stucke and Ariel Ezrachi, co-authors of the forthcoming book “Competition Overdose,” were asked to submit a written statement for the committee’s consideration in this third hearing on the subject matter since June.

In their statement, Stucke and Ezrachi concluded, “Congress needs to act.”

“Part of the problem is an ongoing erosion of the scope and relevance of U.S. antitrust law,” the two wrote. “A series of Supreme Court decisions have emasculated antitrust under a consumer welfare standard that neither concerns citizens nor promotes their welfare.”



“We are at a risk of using a tool ill-equipped and limited in its ability to address the challenges of the digital economy and deliver on its intended promise.”

Stucke and Ezrachi also offered the following for consideration as a new enforcement approach is considered: