Oregon, Wisconsin 53575 Atty. I write this letter in regard to the proposed Thomson - West merger solely on my own behalf as a consumer and citizen. I do not think the merger agreement should be approved. The Department's conditions are insufficient to protect competition. Failure to create viable competition.
Legal publishing has a synergy when a publisher produces law for multiple jurisdictions.
In additio there are substantial economies of scale in the editing and production processes. The result is a series of isolated products that will not compete effectively with West's system and are of questionable viability in the marketplace. The proposed license agreement has a price for use of West's citations that would foreclose its use by any small or new competitors. The only competitor who could afford the flat pricing would be a large one. But the merger eliminates the only large competitor who does not already license West's system.