Smart contracts and cartel law

Abstract

This brief chapter focuses on smart contracts and cartel law. It argues that smart contracts have the potential to unsettle competition law. They are a step in an ongoing process of technological evolution, from enterprise-software powered big-box store chains, to Web 1.0 e-commerce, to algorithmic competition, and ultimately to further stages we cannot yet imagine. As markets and their substitutes and complements evolve, so too must competition law, if it is to continue to serve consumer welfare and the public interest.