Eastman Kodak Co. v. Image Technical Services, Inc., 504 U.S. 451, 17 (1992)

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Cite as: 504 U. S. 451 (1992)

Opinion of the Court

in antitrust law. This Court has preferred to resolve antitrust claims on a case-by-case basis, focusing on the "particular facts disclosed by the record." Maple Flooring Manufacturers Assn. v. United States, 268 U. S. 563, 579 (1925); Du Pont, 351 U. S., at 395, n. 22; Continental T. V., Inc. v. GTE Sylvania Inc., 433 U. S. 36, 70 (1977) (White, J., concurring in judgment).12 In determining the existence of market power, and specifically the "responsiveness of the sales of one product to price changes of the other," Du Pont, 351 U. S., at 400; see also id., at 394-395, and 400-401, this Court has examined closely the economic reality of the market at issue.13

Kodak contends that there is no need to examine the facts when the issue is market power in the aftermarkets. A legal presumption against a finding of market power is warranted in this situation, according to Kodak, because the existence of market power in the service and parts markets absent power in the equipment market "simply makes no economic sense," and the absence of a legal presumption would deter procompetitive behavior. Matsushita, 475 U. S., at 587; id., at 594-595.

Kodak analogizes this case to Matsushita, where a group

of American corporations that manufactured or sold consumer electronic products alleged that their 21 Japanese counterparts were engaging in a 20-year conspiracy to price

12 See generally Business Electronics Corp. v. Sharp Electronics Corp., 485 U. S. 717, 723-726 (1988); FTC v. Indiana Federation of Dentists, 476 U. S. 447, 458-459 (1986); National Collegiate Athletic Assn. v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla., 468 U. S. 85, 100-104 (1984); Continental T. V., Inc. v. GTE Sylvania Inc., 433 U. S., at 59.

13 See, e. g., Jefferson Parish, 466 U. S., at 26-29; United States v. Connecticut National Bank, 418 U. S. 656, 661-666 (1974); United States v. Grinnell Corp., 384 U. S. 563, 571-576 (1966); International Boxing Club of New York, Inc. v. United States, 358 U. S. 242, 250-251 (1959); see also Jefferson Parish, 466 U. S., at 37, n. 6 (O'Connor, J., concurring) (citing cases and describing the careful consideration the Court gives to the particular facts when determining market power).

467

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