Associated Press v. United States
United States Supreme Court
326 U.S. 1 (1945)
Relevant factsFree
AP (defendant), a membership news cooperative of over 1,200 newspaper publishers, enforced bylaws prohibiting members from selling pooled news to non-members and letting existing members block prospective competitors from obtaining AP membership; the federal government (plaintiff) sued, and the district court found these bylaws intentionally restrained trade by disadvantaging non-member newspapers trying to compete.
IssueFree
Whether a membership association designed to restrain competition by placing non-members and new market entrants at a competitive disadvantage violates antitrust law under the Sherman Act.