Full Definition of Antitrust and Trade Regulation Law

In the effort to prevent trusts and monopolization from creating restraints on commercial trade and reducing competition, the federal government as well as several states have created antitrust laws and trade regulations that reflect virtually all industries and operations of business, including marketing and advertising, manufacturing and production, transportation, and distribution. The core antitrust laws passed by the federal government are: the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Clayton Act, the Wilson Act, Robinson-Patman Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act.

The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing antitrust laws for the federal government, but private lawsuits may also be brought to curb antitrust activities. Most if not all states have comparable statutes prohibiting monopolistic conduct, price fixing agreements, and other acts in restraint of trade having strictly local impact.