Antitrust today could best be summed up by the __________. ( \(\mathrm{OO} 3)\) a) 90 percent rule c) rule of reason b) 60 percent rule d) one-year rule

To choose the correct answer, we first need to understand what each of these rules means. a) 90 percent rule: This rule suggests that if a company controls 90% or more of a market, it is likely to be violating antitrust laws. b) 60 percent rule: This rule suggests that if a company controls 60% or more of a market, it is likely to be violating antitrust laws. c) Rule of reason: This rule requires a case-by-case examination of the conduct of a firm to determine if it is violating antitrust laws. The courts weigh the pro-competitive aspects of an agreement or behavior against its anti-competitive effects. d) One-year rule: This rule suggests that if a company has held a certain market share for one year or less, it is unlikely to be violating antitrust laws.

Based on the explanations provided in the first step, we can eliminate two options quickly: a) 90 percent rule: This rule is not applicable to antitrust law today as it relies solely on a market share threshold, not considering other factors such as consumer welfare or barriers to entry. b) 60 percent rule: Similar to the 90 percent rule, only relying on a simple market share threshold is too simple to sum up modern antitrust law. This leaves us with two remaining options: the rule of reason and the one-year rule.

Now that we have narrowed down our choices, let's compare the remaining options: c) Rule of reason: As mentioned earlier, this rule requires case-by-case examination, weighing the pro-competitive aspects of a firm's conduct against its anti-competitive effects. It evaluates if a firm's behavior (such as price-fixing or market allocation agreements) is reasonable by considering the specific circumstances, rather than relying solely on a specific threshold or time frame. d) One-year rule: Antitrust law today does not rely on a fixed time frame, like the one-year rule presents, to determine if a firm is violating antitrust laws. Instead, a more comprehensive, case-by-case analysis is employed, as suggested by the rule of reason.

Based on our comparison and elimination of alternatives, we can conclude that: Antitrust today could best be summed up by the rule of reason. Therefore, the correct answer is (c) rule of reason.