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How an artificial tooth monopoly put the DOJ’s blockbuster Apple antitrust suit in New Jersey

What do Apple and teeth have in common?

The DOJ previously filed — and won — a similar antitrust case against a company that makes fake teeth in the Third Circuit, which includes New Jersey. While a district court initially ruled in Dentsply’s favor, the Third Circuit reversed this decision and found that the company’s “grip on its 23 authorized dealers effectively choked off the market for artificial teeth, leaving only a small sliver for competitors.” Since the DOJ emerged victorious in this particular case, it may think it’ll have an advantage against Apple here. “The [Dentsply] case focuses very much on the effort by the dominant firm to use exclusive dealing arrangements to prevent rivals from getting inputs they need to succeed,” Kovacic says.

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