Price fixing

Methods of price fixing can include,

• Agreements to adhere to a price book.
• Agreements to engage in cooperative price advertising.
• An agreement to standardize credit terms offered to purchasers.
• Agreements to use uniform trade-in allowances.
• Agreements to limit discounts.
• Agreements to discontinue free service or to fix any other element of prices.
• Agreement to adhere to previously announced prices and terms of sale.
• Agreements establishing uniform costs and markups.
• Agreements imposing mandatory surcharges.

Bid rigging[?] is sometimes regarded as price fixing.

There are persistent allegations that the record industry engages in price fixing as a standard business practice. Athough illegal, one example of the possible reasoning runs as follows:

• price fixing keeps CDs in the United States artificially expensive to the tune of $480 million since 1997 (source: [1] (http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2002-09-30-cd-settlement_x.htm))
• the states sue
• the record companies settle the lawsuit for a fine of $67.4 million and distribute $75.7 million in CDs (source: as above)
• $480m - ($67.4m + $75.7m) = $336.9m profit!

See also: Antitrust law, cartel, monopoly, oligopoly

External links:

• Antitrust settlement in Nevada price-fixing case (http://ag.state.nv.us/agpress/2002/02_0930b.pdf)