"Control" and "predatory behavior" are inaccurate terms used to describe a company(s) that, from a retrospective measurement, has sold a greater percentage of product or service in a market. The past does not necessarily represent the future. For instance, the names of Fortune 500 firms in 1980 is vastly different from the names of the Fortune 500 firms in 1990 and 2005.
What should trigger anti-trust violations are collusion and price fixing among competitors, both of which harm the consumer and reduce the freedom to transact. What usually triggers anti-trust lawsuits are competitors using political power to try and gain "special rights" against other competitors that are simply better managed firms. Anti-trust is normally the substitution of government decision making for the decisions of individuals in the marketplace, and the anti-trust lawsuits usually harm the consumer by artificially raising prices, or by raising prices for some individuals that should not be paying a higher cost, and lowering prices for those that should be paying more.
As a related aside take a look at Uber. That start-up company is reportedly valued at $50billion. What a great idea someone had! However, Uber existed in another form back in the early 1900s under a different name. Due to the artificially high prices of municipal transit services in some American cities, owner-operated vehicles were used to transport passengers at lower costs than the municipally controlled transportation methods. The owner-operated vehicles were known as "jitneys", which is slang for a nickel. The jitneys were not controlled by a central decision making authority. The owners could adjust their schedules to meet demand as needed. The jitneys were put down in every American city to protect the inefficient municipal transit systems. Recently, Austin, Texas entered the economic fight of regulation vs. freedom. The proponent of "jitney" regulation has been given $4,000 by the taxi industry, but also makes a valid point (mixed with other unnecessary requirements) about the need for background checks on drivers.
Last edited: Feb 20, 2017