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[James Love <love@CPTECH.ORG>]

  Center for Study of Responsive Law statement on Judge Thomas Hogan's
  ruling today, to grant the FTC a preliminary injunction, to block the
  Staples/Office Depot merger.
  
  James Love, 202.387.8030
  http://www.cptech.org
  
  
  General comments:
  
  The government had an impressive body of empirical evidence that the
  merger was anticompetitive, and would harm consumers.  This case is an
  important test of the FTC's use a "unilateral effects" analysis.  While
  Staples tried to argue that the market" included everything from all sales
  of personal computers to all office furniture, the FTC provided the court
  with direct evidence that competition between the three office superstores
  resulted in lower consumer prices.  On the basis of this empirical
  evidence, the court blocked the merger. 
  
  Today's ruling means there is still life in the federal antitrust statues. 
  We were pleased that the judge will permit the FTC to do its job and
  protect consumers from the predictable anticompetitive consequences of the
  merger. Judge Hogan's ruling will mean consumers will benefit from lower
  prices and better service, as a result of competition. 
  
  
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  James Love | Center for Study of Responsive Law | P.O. Box 19367,
  Washington, DC 20036 | love@cptech.org | Voice 202/387-8030 | Fax
  202/234-5176 | Current Projects: Consumer Project on Technology:
  http://www.cptech.org | Antitrust: http://www.essential.org/antitrust
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