Quote from: Richy_T on June 02, 2013, 12:33:05 AM

Quote from: myrkul on June 01, 2013, 04:07:44 PM

As I said, you have to go through proper channels to get a monopoly in the US. If you don't, the penalties are harsh. But if you do, the benefits are enormous. And just like you can't go into a smoke shop and ask for a bong (it has to be called a "water pipe"), you can't call it a monopoly. It's a "government contract."

Also, legal remedies are typically only taken when there is an abuse of a monopoly. It's not illegal to have a monopoly, it's illegal to use it in ways that gain you an unfair position that you wouldn't otherwise have. Of course, I agree that problematic monopolies typically only arise due to government interference. But the solution to problems created by government being more government is nothing new.

If I am the only maker of gerbil hearses in the market, I have the monopoly. Legally, that doesn't mean anything needs to be done about it unless I use my monopoly position to lock out new entrants or to destroy competitors to my small-mammal-vehicle tire division.

This is where the types of monopolies start to make things complex. Sort of like the "capitalism" confusion, the various meanings attached to the word cause this sort of confusion. A natural monopoly is not prevented, nor specifically allowed for, in any law.
A coercive monopoly, on the other hand, is explicitly outlawed, unless you have specific permission and charter from the big coercive monopoly itself. And like I said, you can't call it a monopoly, you have to say "government contract"