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Senate Judiciary hears AB 325 to update antitrust law for algorithmic price-fixing
Summary
Lawmakers and advocates debated AB 325, a bill to modernize California antitrust law to address algorithmic and software-facilitated price fixing. Supporters said the bill protects small businesses and consumers from platforms that can coerce pricing; opponents urged tightened definitions and raised concerns about vagueness and litigation risk.
Assemblymember present the bill as AB 325, saying the state must update antitrust law to address modern tools that facilitate illegal price fixing. The author said amendments had been accepted to create safe harbors for good-faith business conduct, exempt end users who are not part of price fixing, remove joint-and-several liability for small businesses, and clarify certain data provisions.
Supporters described the problem as widespread. Lee Heppner of the American Economic Liberties Project told the committee that third‑party software platforms can act as “hubs” that…
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