ABA - The FTC Is Sharing Again: Lessons from the Sharing Economy Report

The emergence and rapid expansion of peer-to-peer platforms has generated novel competition policy and consumer protection questions.  Led by developments in local transportation and short-term lodging services,  these technology-enabled platforms continue to expand into other sectors of the economy and are projected to generate $335 billion by 2025.  In June 2015, the Federal Trade Commission held a workshop to explore legal and policy issues associated with what is commonly referred to as “the sharing economy.”  On November 17, the agency issued a staff report that synthesizes material from the workshop and the more than 2,000 associated comments that were submitted to the agency.  What does the report tell us about the characteristics of sharing economy platforms and, more broadly, the FTC’s thinking about how best to approach the intersection between competition and consumer protection in markets facing disruptive innovation?  Please join the panel of experts, regulators and industry stakeholders to discuss the report and the future of the sharing economy!

Antitrust Group Senior of Counsel Andy Gavil is moderating this event.