On Fri, 20 Aug 2010, J.A. Simmons V wrote: > A natural monopoly existed as ALCOA. They drove prices down in the aluminum > market down by always looking to be more efficient in their processes and > owning the patent that made aluminum smelting possible. > Even though they were also competing against other building materials, the > courts still found them guilty using the Antitrust Act. Guilty of what? It isn't illegal to be a monopoly in the sense that you have no competitors. It is illegal to engage in anti-competitive activities to eliminate the competitors you have. So what did they do? Low prices can be anti-competitive. For example, in Minnesota the price of gasoline can only go so low -- it is illegal to sell at below cost. Why not? Because the bigger guys would use low prices to drive the little guys out of business, then, without competitors, they would jack the prices sky high. Mike