Article | Antitrust Chronicle | August 2018

An Introduction to the Competition Law and Economics of 'Free'

by Benjamin Edelman and Damien Geradin

Abstract

Many of the largest and most successful businesses today rely on providing services at no charge to at least a portion of their users. For consumers, it is easy to celebrate free service. At least in the short term, free services are often high quality, and users find a zero price virtually irresistible. But long-term assessments could differ, particularly if the free service reduces quality and consumer choice. In this short paper, we examine these concerns.

Keywords: Cost; Quality; Competition; Economics;

Format: Electronic Read Now

Citation:

Edelman, Benjamin, and Damien Geradin. "An Introduction to the Competition Law and Economics of 'Free'." Antitrust Chronicle (Summer 2018).

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