> vertically integrated companies are so efficient, and lower costs so much, that they force competitors out of business. I don't think you would want to argue

> vertically integrated companies are so efficient, and lower costs so much, that they force competitors out of business. I don't think you would want to argue that driving competitors out of business since antitrust legislation is partly designed to prevent that. My understanding is that using the lowering of costs as an argument works when the government is concerned with consumers but not when it is concerned with competition. I think the US is the former while the EU is the latter?