Randal C. Picker : Courses and Seminars
Antitrust Law
LAWS 42801
This course provides an introduction to the law of antitrust. The course focuses on the practices by which competing firms eliminate, or are alleged to eliminate, competition among themselves. The practices considered include formal cartels, price-fixing conspiracies, conscious parallelism, trade association activities, resale price maintenance, and mergers to monopoly and other types of horizontal merger. The course also looks at the practices by which firms, either singly or in combination, exclude actual or potential competitors from their markets, by means of practices such as boycotts, predatory pricing, tying arrangements, vertical integration, and price discrimination under the Robinson-Patman Act. Both price and non-price vertical restrictions are considered. The student's grade is based on a final examination. The syllabus for the course is found at http://picker.uchicago.edu/antitrust/Syllabus.htm.
Autumn 2009
Randal C. Picker
Independent Research
LAWS 49901
Second- and third-year students may earn course credit by independent research under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Such projects are arranged by consultation between the student and the particular member of the faculty in whose field the proposed topic falls.
Autumn 2009
Randal C. Picker
Independent Research
LAWS 49901
Second- and third-year students may earn course credit by independent research under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Such projects are arranged by consultation between the student and the particular member of the faculty in whose field the proposed topic falls.
Winter 2010
Randal C. Picker
Independent Research
LAWS 49901
Second- and third-year students may earn course credit by independent research under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Such projects are arranged by consultation between the student and the particular member of the faculty in whose field the proposed topic falls.
Spring 2010
Randal C. Picker
Copyright
LAWS 45801
This course explores the major areas of copyright law, with special emphasis on how modern technology might challenge traditional copyright principles. Topics include copyright duration, subject matter, and ownership; the rights and limitations of copyright holders, including the fair use doctrine; remedies for copyright infringement; and federal preemption of state law. The student's grade is based on a final examination. The syllabus for the course is found at http://picker.uchicago.edu/Copyright/Syllabus.htm.
Winter 2010
Randal C. Picker
Network Industries
LAWS 73501
This course addresses state and federal regulation of price, quality, and entry, with an emphasis on the regulation of natural monopolies, cost-of-service rate-making, rate design, and the problem of partial competition within a regulated environment. While the scope of the course precludes a detailed investigation of any particular industry or system of regulation, particular attention is paid to electrical generation and transmission, the Internet, and telecommunications, with exposure to problems of the other network industries, such as transportation and consumer electronics. This course emphasizes the substantive law and regulated industries and pays scant attention to the procedural questions addressed in Administrative Law, which should be taken at some point, but which is not a prerequisite for this course. The student's grade is based on a final examination. The syllabus for the course is found at http://picker.uchicago.edu/NetIndus/Syllabus.htm.
Spring 2010
Randal C. Picker
Technology Policy
LAWS 91311
This seminar will look at a mixture of old and new materials on technology and the law, with a special focus on the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property. We typically read 2-5 recent books. Students write blog posts on the readings which will be posted on the class blog. Students will also comment on posts by other students. The student's grade is based on class and blog participation. The blog postings do not fulfill one of the substantial writing requirements. The syllabus for the course is at http://picker.uchicago.edu/seminar/syllabus.htm and the class blog is at http://picker.typepad.com/picker_seminar/.
Winter 2010
Randal C. Picker
