Robinson–Patman Act

§ 13)) is a United States federal law that prohibits anticompetitive practices by producers, specifically price discrimination.

Specifically, the law prevents suppliers, wholesalers, or manufacturers from supplying goods to "preferred customers" at a reduced price.

[2][3] This means that it is illegal for a supplier to sell one truckload of goods at a steep discount to a large business, such as Walmart or Amazon, and then charge a substantially higher price for a truckload of identical goods to a small business, such as a local grocery store.

[4] The law grew out of business practices in which chain stores were allowed to purchase goods at lower prices than other retailers.

[7] The United States Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have joint responsibilities for enforcement of the antitrust laws.

The Federal Trade Commission revived its use of the Act in the late 1980s, alleging discriminatory pricing against bookstores by publishers,[10] but enforcement has declined again since the 1990s.

[6] In 2022, FTC commissioner Alvaro Bedoya endorsed a revival of enforcing the RPA in order to curb price discrimination.

[19] Commentators have speculated that the FTC under Lina Khan may ramp up enforcement of the RPA in order to curb the unfair use of market power.

[4] Lax RPA enforcement since the 1980s has been a significant cause in the creation of rural and urban food deserts in the United States.