How Antitrust Laws Might Save Your Budget

How Antitrust Laws Might Save Your Budget

May 10, 2016

Have you ever wondered what the most regularly broken law in the parking printer & paper industry is? Probably not, because you've got better things to worry about. Unfortunately, there's a good chance that it's the Sherman & Clayton Acts and it could be costing your operation valuable budget dollars. These two laws come together to form what is known as the Sherman-Clayton Antitrust Law.

If you want the full legalese version of the law, as well as it's other components, check out this article.

Why does this 100+ year old law matter to you and your parking operations? Because it could save you thousands of dollars a year, and not just on parking citation rolls & pay station receipts. The law states (among other things) that a company cannot require that you use only their separate product in their equipment. For instance, a handheld printer manufacturer cannot claim that using a competitors paper will void their warranty. This is a clear example of a breach of Antitrust Law. 

The OEM may not even be aware of the regulation but regardless it limits your options and ties you to a price that may be well in excess of the market average. If you've been getting this sort of story from a supplier, we suggest telling them that such a claim is a breach of U.S. Antitrust law and ask that they check with their legal department before you proceed with the contract or proposal.

Some manufacturers have found a way around this by simply offering to provide the media as a part of the contract, or on a subscription based service. In this case, we suggest to see a version of the proposal that does not include media and use the difference to determine how much you're paying for the paper.

If you suspect you've been forced to pay a higher price for parking media be sure to discuss it with your legal department. 



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