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Home›Courses›HR Compliance›Anti-Trust Law Made Simple

Anti-Trust Law Made Simple

21 minutesENHR ComplianceSherman Act (15 U.S.C. 1-7); Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. 12-27); FTC Act (15 U.S.C. 41-58)
Quick Answer

Anti-Trust Law Made Simple is a 21-minute online course that provides employees with a foundational understanding of U.S. antitrust laws, including the Sherman Act, Clayton Act, and Federal Trade Commission Act. It is designed for employees at all levels who may encounter antitrust issues in their business dealings and includes a downloadable certificate of completion.

Course Overview

Antitrust violations carry some of the most severe penalties in federal law. The Sherman Act authorizes criminal penalties of up to $100 million for corporations and $1 million for individuals, along with up to 10 years of imprisonment per violation. The Department of Justice Antitrust Division actively prosecutes price-fixing, bid-rigging, and market allocation schemes, and in recent years has secured billions of dollars in criminal fines across multiple industries. Civil liability under the Clayton Act allows injured parties to recover treble damages, meaning three times the actual damage sustained, making even a single antitrust violation potentially catastrophic for a company.

This course trains your employees to recognize and avoid conduct that could violate federal antitrust laws. Your team will learn the basics of the Sherman Act's prohibition on agreements in restraint of trade, the Clayton Act's rules on mergers and exclusive dealing, and the FTC Act's ban on unfair methods of competition. The course uses practical scenarios to help employees understand what conversations and agreements are off-limits with competitors, customers, and suppliers.

What You'll Learn

  • Overview of the Sherman Act and its prohibition on agreements in restraint of trade
  • Clayton Act provisions on mergers, acquisitions, and exclusive dealing arrangements
  • Federal Trade Commission Act and its ban on unfair methods of competition
  • Price-fixing, bid-rigging, and market allocation as per se violations
  • Recognizing and avoiding anticompetitive conversations at trade shows and industry events
  • Penalties for antitrust violations, including criminal fines, imprisonment, and treble damages

Who Needs This Training

  • Sales and business development employees who interact with competitors at trade events or industry meetings
  • Procurement managers who negotiate contracts with suppliers and vendors
  • Executives and senior leaders who make pricing, distribution, or market strategy decisions
  • Compliance officers responsible for corporate antitrust training programs
  • Marketing managers involved in pricing discussions or competitive intelligence gathering
  • New employees at companies in industries with heightened antitrust scrutiny

Regulatory Background

U.S. antitrust law rests on three primary federal statutes: the Sherman Act of 1890 (15 U.S.C. 1-7), the Clayton Act of 1914 (15 U.S.C. 12-27), and the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 (15 U.S.C. 41-58). The Sherman Act makes it a criminal felony to engage in conspiracies to restrain trade, with penalties of up to $100 million for corporations and $1 million and 10 years imprisonment for individuals. The DOJ Antitrust Division has historically prosecuted dozens of criminal cases annually and has secured criminal fines exceeding $1 billion in individual enforcement years. The Clayton Act provides a private right of action with treble damages, creating substantial civil liability for companies engaged in anticompetitive practices. Employers in industries where employees interact with competitors have a heightened obligation to train staff on antitrust compliance to avoid both criminal prosecution and civil suits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Under the Sherman Act, corporate fines can reach up to $100 million per violation, and individuals face up to $1 million in fines and 10 years of imprisonment. In practice, courts can impose fines exceeding the statutory maximum if the gain from the violation or the loss to victims warrants it. Additionally, the Clayton Act allows injured parties to sue for treble damages, meaning three times their actual losses, plus attorney's fees.
Per se violations are categories of conduct that are automatically illegal without further analysis of their competitive effects. Price-fixing, bid-rigging, and market allocation agreements among competitors are per se violations. Rule of reason analysis applies to other business practices where the court weighs the pro-competitive benefits against the anti-competitive harm to determine if the conduct violates antitrust law.
Yes. Antitrust liability can arise from informal conversations, not just written agreements. Discussing prices, costs, customers, territories, or bids with competitors - even casually at trade shows, industry conferences, or social events - can be used as evidence of an anticompetitive conspiracy. Employees should avoid these topics entirely when interacting with competitors and report any attempt by a competitor to discuss them.
Industries with a history of cartel behavior face elevated enforcement risk, including construction, automotive parts, electronics, financial services, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products. However, the DOJ Antitrust Division investigates and prosecutes violations across all sectors. Any industry where competitors regularly interact through trade associations, conferences, or joint ventures should maintain robust antitrust training programs.
Training alone does not immunize a company from antitrust liability, but it is a critical component of an effective compliance program. The DOJ considers the existence and quality of a company's antitrust compliance program when making charging decisions and determining penalties. Companies with robust training programs may receive credit during sentencing under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

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Organizations building a corporate compliance training program often pair this course with Insider Trading: It's Not Worth the Risk and The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Made Simple to address the full spectrum of legal risk areas that affect employees who engage in business dealings and financial transactions.

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$24.95
per person
Volume Pricing
Team Size Price per Person
1 - 9$24.95
10 - 24$19.95
25 - 49$17.95
50 - 99$17.50
Subtotal $24.95

Certificate of completion included. Downloadable upon passing the final assessment.

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$24.95
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