The FTC Guidelines for Collaborations Among Competitors https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/dealings... says it’s illegal to share “competitively sensitive variables”, not just any data. Some forms of data sharing such as industry averages may not be illegal, but more detailed data such as numbers of applicants or price elasticity that enable the companies to act together as if they were a monopoly probably are. RealPage crossed the line by sharing an optimization algorithm and encouraging collective action. I’m not sure what Pave does.
> Under the Sherman Act, agreements among competitors to fix prices or wages, rig bids, or allocate customers, workers, or markets, are criminal violations. Other agreements such as exclusive contracts that reduce competition may also violate the Sherman Antitrust Act and are subject to civil enforcement.Dec 20, 2023
A good US.A. could probably argue this meets that bar. Didn't they just do something similar with the rent fixing from that similar SaaS product?
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How sure are you that the incentives in place don't encourage inching toward this behavior as they begin to establish themselves?