美国反垄断法豁免中的诺尔-本灵顿原则介评

Review on Noerr-Pennington Doctrine in American Anti-trust Law Immunity

诺尔-本灵顿原则是由美国联邦最高法院通过几个案例确立的联邦反垄断法中的一个原则,其主要含义是:根据美国宪法第一修正案的规定,即使竞争者游说政府改变法律的方式将会削弱竞争,那么其行为也不违反反垄断法。诺尔原则是协调《谢尔曼法》的重要目标与公民请愿权利和各级政府有效决策之间关系的产物。诺尔原则对中国的反垄断法执法也有一定启发,在执法过程中应当全面协调经营者的竞争利益及其他经营者的宪法权利与政府行为的关系。

The Noerr-Pennington doctrine is a doctrine that is set forth by the United States Supreme Court in a pair of cases for United States antitrust law. It suggests that under the First Amendment it not be a violation of the federal antitrust laws for competitors to lobby the government to change the law in a way that would reduce competition. Noerr is interpreted as an attempt to reconcile the important goals of the Sherman Act with the right to petition and effective decision-making at all levels of government. Chinese anti-trust law enforcement can gain some enlightenments from Noerr doctrine. The law enforcer should well coordinate the relationships between competition rights and constitutional rights and governmental actions.