A copy of the ad in .PDF form can be downloaded from this link. A copy of the ad as simple text file can be viewed from this link. The ad was prompted by the recent spate of antitrust actions against such companies as Intel, Microsoft, and Visa and MasterCard. High technology markets are among the most dynamic and competitive in the world, and it is a tribute to open markets and entrepreneurial genius that American firms lead in so many of these industries. But, these same developments place heavy pressures on rival businesses, which must keep pace or lose their competitive races.
Rivals can legitimately respond by improving their own products or by lowering prices.
Increasingly, however, some firms have sought to handicap their rivals' races by turning to the government for protection. The results of this, the letter noted, include weakened U.S. firms and reduced international competitiveness. The following articles from The Independent Review discuss various aspects of antitrust policies and their economic impact.