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Complementary Monopolies and Bargaining

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  • Daniel F. Spulber

Abstract

How should complementarities affect antitrust merger policy? I introduce a two-stage strategic model in which complementary-input monopolists offer supply schedules to producers and then engage in bilateral bargaining with producers. The main result is that there is a unique weakly dominant strategy equilibrium, the equilibrium attains the joint-profit-maximizing outcome, and output equals that of a bundling monopoly. The result holds with perfect competition in the downstream market with both unit capacity and multiunit capacity. The result also holds with oligopoly competition in the downstream market. The result contrasts with the Cournot effect, which states that complementary-input monopolists choose total prices that are greater than the bundled-monopoly level. The analysis shows that consumers' surplus and total producers' surplus are greater with supply schedules and bargaining than with posted-price competition. The analysis has implications for antitrust policy toward vertical and conglomerate mergers.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel F. Spulber, 2017. "Complementary Monopolies and Bargaining," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 60(1), pages 29-74.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlawec:doi:10.1086/692586
    DOI: 10.1086/692586
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Didier Laussel & Joana Resende, 2020. "Complementary Monopolies with asymmetric information," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 70(4), pages 943-981, November.
    2. Pierre Larouche & Florian Schuett, 2019. "Repeated interaction in standard setting," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 488-509, June.
    3. Laurent Linnemer, 2022. "Doubling Back on Double Marginalization," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 61(1), pages 1-19, August.
    4. Rockett Katharine, 2023. "Is Data the New Gold? Considering Intellectual Property Protection and Regulation of Data," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 17(1), pages 1-15, January.
    5. Gloria Sheu & Charles Taragin, 2021. "Simulating mergers in a vertical supply chain with bargaining," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 52(3), pages 596-632, September.
    6. Alexandrov, Alexei & Pittman, Russell & Ukhaneva, Olga, 2018. "Pricing of Complements in the U.S. freight railroads: Cournot versus Coase," MPRA Paper 86279, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Derek J. Clark & Jean-Christophe Pereau, 2021. "Group bargaining in supply chains," Review of Economic Design, Springer;Society for Economic Design, vol. 25(3), pages 111-138, September.
    8. Dobson, Paul W. & Chakraborty, Ratula, 2020. "Strategic incentives for complementary producers to innovate for efficiency and support sustainability," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 431-439.
    9. Baron, Justus, 2020. "Counting standard contributions to measure the value of patent portfolios - A tale of apples and oranges," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(3).
    10. Alexander Cuntz & Franziska Kaiser, 2020. "Batman forever? The economics of overlapping rights," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 61, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division.
    11. Alexander Cuntz & Carsten Fink & Hansueli Stamm, 2024. "Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property : An Economic Perspective," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 77, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division.

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