The Computer & Communications Industry Association is praising the return of a top information economy and antitrust expert to the Department of Justice. President Obama has appointed economist Carl Shapiro to become the chief economist for the DOJ’s antitrust division, according to various news reports. Shapiro served in the Clinton administration, is the author of “Information Rules” (with Hal Varian) and was an expert witness in the 1999 Microsoft antitrust case while a professor at the Haas Business School at the University of California in Berkeley.
The following comments can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“Shapiro is a leading authority on the economics of competition in the information economy. This is a top-flight appointment by the Obama administration and this expertise is just what the country needs now as it looks for ways to turn the economy around.
“Innovation can boost the economy, but a lack of antitrust oversight and badly needed intellectual property reforms can hold the information technology sector back. Shapiro deeply understands the impact of different types of corporate behavior on competition and what that means for creating a business climate where the next YouTube or other start up can make it. Shapiro also has done pioneering work on patents. He has produced ground-breaking studies of emerging patent phenomena such as ‘holdup,’ ‘thickets,’ ‘royalty stacking,’ and the uncertain nature of patent rights. We welcome this appointment and look forward to seeing how his expertise changes the climate of government, and later, corporate behavior.”