"Antitrust laws are based on the proposition that possession of unchallenged economic power deadens initiative, discourages thrift and depresses energy; that immunity from competition is a narcotic, and rivalry is a stimulant to industrial progress; that the spur of constant stress is necessary to counteract an inevitable disposition to let well enough alone."
--Judge Learned Hand
The Antitrust Section’s attorneys work to foster competition in the marketplace by enforcing both state and federal antitrust laws. These laws prohibit collusive or otherwise anticompetitive business practices. Attorneys investigate potential violations and ask courts to order that violations stop. The Section in some cases may also seek compensation for consumers and the state. They also conduct “business reviews” at the request of private companies considering mergers, acquisitions or other combinations. Through the Partnership for Competitive Purchasing, they perform periodic on-site reviews of Ohio public entity purchase records in an effort to detect bid-rigging or price-fixing schemes of which the public entity may have been a victim.