The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit finds that the dominant company has violated section 2 of the Sherman Act by using its bundled rebate program and certain exclusive dealing arrangements to maintain its monopoly in the transparent tape (LePage’s / 3M)

LePage’s, Cascade Health Solutions, and a Bundle of Confusion* Discounts on bundled products are commonplace. Consumers value and often expect discounts when purchasing a bundle of products. Sellers use bundled product discounts to compete effectively and maximize sales. As one court has observed, “the world’s largest corporations offer bundled discounts as their product lines expand with the convergence of industries . . . [and] a street corner vendor with a food cart—a merchant with limited capital—might offer a discount to a customer who buys a drink and potato chips to complement a hot dog.” Cascade Health Solutions v. PeaceHealth, 515 F.3d 883, 895 (9th Cir. 2008). Despite the ubiquity of the practice, however, the law in this area is more than just unsettled—it is a mess. Sellers,