{"id":32551,"date":"2023-03-25T17:01:29","date_gmt":"2023-03-25T17:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/?page_id=32551"},"modified":"2025-03-29T02:09:40","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T09:09:40","slug":"californias-underused-unfair-practices-act","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/","title":{"rendered":"California&#8217;s Unfair Practices Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Inner Top Banner and Title Section&#8221; module_class=&#8221;inner-banner-sec&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.0&#8243; background_image=&#8221;https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/court-header-2.jpg&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;120px||20px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;80px||20px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;50px||||false|false&#8221; background_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; collapsed=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row module_class=&#8221;pstatic&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;||||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; module_class=&#8221;pstatic&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Title&#8221; module_class=&#8221;leftborder&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|900|||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; header_font=&#8221;|700||on|||||&#8221; header_text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; header_text_color=&#8221;#303030&#8243; header_font_size=&#8221;40px&#8221; header_line_height=&#8221;1.3em&#8221; header_2_font=&#8221;|700|||||||&#8221; header_2_text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; header_2_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; header_2_font_size=&#8221;27px&#8221; header_2_line_height=&#8221;1.25em&#8221; header_3_font=&#8221;|700|||||||&#8221; header_3_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; header_3_font_size=&#8221;27px&#8221; header_3_line_height=&#8221;1.2em&#8221; max_width=&#8221;700px&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;left&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; text_font_size_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; text_font_size_phone=&#8221;20px&#8221; text_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; header_text_align_tablet=&#8221;left&#8221; header_text_align_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; header_text_align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_font_size_tablet=&#8221;36px&#8221; header_font_size_phone=&#8221;30px&#8221; header_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_line_height_tablet=&#8221;1.3em&#8221; header_line_height_phone=&#8221;1.3em&#8221; header_line_height_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_2_text_align_tablet=&#8221;left&#8221; header_2_text_align_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; header_2_text_align_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; header_2_font_size_tablet=&#8221;32px&#8221; header_2_font_size_phone=&#8221;24px&#8221; header_2_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; header_3_font_size_tablet=&#8221;27px&#8221; header_3_font_size_phone=&#8221;21px&#8221; header_3_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_style=&#8221;preset1&#8243; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length=&#8221;2px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length=&#8221;2px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=&#8221;2px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_color=&#8221;#303030&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_css_main_element_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h1>California\u2019s Unfair Practices Act<\/h1>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Main Content Section&#8221; module_class=&#8221;inner-content-sec&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.0&#8243; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; collapsed=&#8221;on&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Main Text&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.0&#8243; text_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; header_font=&#8221;|900|||||||&#8221; header_font_size=&#8221;48px&#8221; header_2_font=&#8221;|700||on|||||&#8221; header_2_text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; header_2_text_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; header_2_line_height=&#8221;1.2em&#8221; text_line_height_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; text_line_height_phone=&#8221;&#8221; text_line_height_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_font_size_tablet=&#8221;36px&#8221; header_font_size_phone=&#8221;27px&#8221; header_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_2_text_align_tablet=&#8221;left&#8221; header_2_text_align_phone=&#8221;&#8221; header_2_text_align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_2_font_size_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; header_2_font_size_phone=&#8221;27px&#8221; header_2_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2><strong>An Overlooked, Important Antitrust Statute<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>California\u2019s Unfair Practices Act is codified at Cal. Bus. &amp; Prof. Code \u00a7 17000 <em>et seq<\/em>. The California courts have not yet given a definitive clarification of the full meaning and reach of this law, which is cast in the language of classical antitrust, enumerates forbidden practices, and is openly directed against monopolists, would-be monopolists, and mere sharp competitors that use any of these practices in their sales agreements or advertising.<\/p>\n<p>Broadly speaking, the practices forbidden by the Unfair Practices Act can be classified as various kinds of predatory and exclusionary pricing that undermine competitive markets or thwart an incipient competitive threat posed by a disruptive innovator or fledgling competitor.<\/p>\n<p>We think that this law is an overlooked resource that antitrust lawyers can use to challenge certain kinds of monopolistic pricing practices that too often get a free pass in federal court \u2014 namely, exclusionary and predatory pricing that to all appearances undermines competition in a properly defined relevant market, but nevertheless escapes liability or the least reproach under current federal standards.<\/p>\n<p>The challenge will lie in identifying or isolating offending practices that have a substantial adverse impact on California commerce, but only an incidental or separable impact on interstate or foreign commerce. Otherwise, California\u2019s enforcement of its Unfair Practices Act might be challenged in federal court as a forbidden exercise of the U.S. Congress\u2019s \u201cdormant\u201d powers under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California\u2019s Unfair Practices ActAn Overlooked, Important Antitrust Statute California\u2019s Unfair Practices Act is codified at Cal. Bus. &amp; Prof. Code \u00a7 17000 et seq. The California courts have not yet given a definitive clarification of the full meaning and reach of this law, which is cast in the language of classical antitrust, enumerates forbidden practices, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":26545,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<h2><strong>California's Underused Unfair Practices Act<\/strong><\/h2><p>California\u2019s Unfair Practices Act is codified at Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code \u00a7 17000 et seq. The California courts have not yet given a definitive clarification of the full meaning and reach of this law, which is cast in the language of classical antitrust, enumerates forbidden practices, and is openly directed against monopolists, would-be monopolists, and mere sharp competitors that use any of these practices in their sales agreements or advertising.<\/p><p>Broadly speaking, the practices forbidden by the Unfair Practices Act can be classified as various kinds of predatory and exclusionary pricing that undermine competitive markets or thwart an incipient competitive threat posed by a disruptive innovator or fledgling competitor.<\/p><p>We think that this law is an overlooked resource that antitrust lawyers can use to challenge certain kinds of monopolistic pricing practices that too often get a free pass in federal court \u2014 namely, exclusionary and predatory pricing that to all appearances undermines competition in a properly defined relevant market, but nevertheless escapes liability or the least reproach under current federal standards.<\/p><p>The challenge will lie in identifying or isolating offending practices that have a substantial adverse impact on California commerce, but only an incidental or separable impact on interstate or foreign commerce. Otherwise, California\u2019s enforcement of its Unfair Practices Act might be challenged in federal court as a forbidden exercise of the U.S. Congress\u2019s \u201cdormant\u201d powers under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-32551","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.8 (Yoast SEO v24.8.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>California&#039;s Unfair Practices Act<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We litigate claims for unlawful price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices under California&#039;s Unfair Practices Act, which complements California&#039;s Cartwright Act\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"California&#039;s Unfair Practices Act\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We litigate claims for unlawful price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices under California&#039;s Unfair Practices Act, which complements California&#039;s Cartwright Act\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM MARKHAM, P.C.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LawOfficesofWilliamMarkhamPC\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-29T09:09:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sandiego-harbor-2.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1917\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1074\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/\",\"name\":\"California's Unfair Practices Act\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-25T17:01:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-29T09:09:40+00:00\",\"description\":\"We litigate claims for unlawful price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices under California's Unfair Practices Act, which complements California's Cartwright Act\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Practice Areas\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Antitrust Litigation and Counseling\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"California&#8217;s Unfair Practices Act\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/\",\"name\":\"LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM MARKHAM, P.C.\",\"description\":\"Trial and Appellate Attorneys in San Diego\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#organization\",\"name\":\"LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM MARKHAM, P.C.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sandiego-harbor-2.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sandiego-harbor-2.webp\",\"width\":1917,\"height\":1074,\"caption\":\"LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM MARKHAM, P.C.\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LawOfficesofWilliamMarkhamPC\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"California's Unfair Practices Act","description":"We litigate claims for unlawful price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices under California's Unfair Practices Act, which complements California's Cartwright Act","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"California's Unfair Practices Act","og_description":"We litigate claims for unlawful price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices under California's Unfair Practices Act, which complements California's Cartwright Act","og_url":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/","og_site_name":"LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM MARKHAM, P.C.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LawOfficesofWilliamMarkhamPC\/","article_modified_time":"2025-03-29T09:09:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1917,"height":1074,"url":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sandiego-harbor-2.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/","url":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/","name":"California's Unfair Practices Act","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-03-25T17:01:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-29T09:09:40+00:00","description":"We litigate claims for unlawful price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices under California's Unfair Practices Act, which complements California's Cartwright Act","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/californias-underused-unfair-practices-act\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Practice Areas","item":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Antitrust Litigation and Counseling","item":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/practice-areas\/antitrust-law\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"California&#8217;s Unfair Practices Act"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/","name":"LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM MARKHAM, P.C.","description":"Trial and Appellate Attorneys in San Diego","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#organization","name":"LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM MARKHAM, P.C.","url":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sandiego-harbor-2.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sandiego-harbor-2.webp","width":1917,"height":1074,"caption":"LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM MARKHAM, P.C."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LawOfficesofWilliamMarkhamPC\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32551\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markhamlawfirm.com\/mystaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}