United States v. American Can Co.
United States District Court for the District of Maryland
230 F. 859 (1916)
- Written by Nicholas Decoster, JD
Facts
American Can Company (American Can) (defendant) was a leader in the market for tin cans. In 1899, American Can began purchasing market competitors, generally inducing the purchases by offering sums well above the value of the acquired assets. Additionally, American Can had an association with a tin-plate provider, and there was a fear among can makers that a refusal to sell out to American Can would ultimately force the can makers out of business, as the can makers would not be able to acquire raw material necessary to make the cans. Eventually, American Can acquired enough competitors to raise the prices of cans. The United States (plaintiff) brought a complaint against American Can, claiming that American Can’s actions in obtaining the large market share violated the Sherman Antitrust Act’s prohibition on unlawful attempts to monopolize an industry. American Can argued that American Can had operated lawfully for many years and that its market strength had allowed American Can to create new product standards and efficiencies that greatly benefitted customers.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Rose, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 797,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.