Just in time for #Davos, here’s 'Taken, not earned: How monopolists drive the world’s power and wealth divide," a report from a coalition of international tax justice and anti-corporate activist groups:

https://www.balancedeconomy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Davos-Taken-not-Earned-full-Report-2024-FINAL.pdf

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/17/monopolies-produce-billionaires/#inequality-corruption-climate-poverty-sweatshops

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  • Cory Doctorow@mamot.frOP
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    10 months ago

    (Khan’s winning like crazy. Just last month she killed four megamergers:)

    https://www.thesling.org/the-ftc-just-blocked-four-mergers-in-a-month-heres-how-its-latest-win-fits-into-the-broader-campaign-to-revive-antitrust/

    The EU and UK are taking actions that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Canada is finally set to get a real competition law, with the Trudeau government promising to add an “abuse of dominance” rule to Canada’s antitrust system.

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    • Cory Doctorow@mamot.frOP
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      10 months ago

      Even more exciting are the moves in the #GlobalSouth. In South Africa, “competition law contains some of the most progressive ideas of all”:

      > It actively seeks to create greater economic participation, particularly for ‘historically disadvantaged persons’ as part of its public interest considerations in merger decisions.

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      • Cory Doctorow@mamot.frOP
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        10 months ago

        Balzac wrote, “Behind every great fortune there is a crime.” Chances are, the rapsheet includes an antitrust violation. Getting rid of monopolies won’t get rid of all the billionaires, but it’ll certainly get rid of a hell of a lot of them.

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        • Cory Doctorow@mamot.frOP
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          10 months ago

          I’m Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by #WilWheaton! Pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover. There’s also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback:

          http://thebezzle.org

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