4 ms·

Is Mercedes a monopoly for Mercedes leather seating?

• bubblethink 6y ago
  Mercedes doesn't stop you from replacing the leather, does it? Why do you need a flawed analogy to make a flawed argument? You can make a flawed argument as is.
• AnthonyMouse 6y ago
  > Is Mercedes a monopoly for Mercedes leather seating? The key to understanding this is to realize that you're talking about two different markets, which makes your question ambiguous. Are you asking, do they have a monopoly over the market for the Mercedes brand of leather seating? In that case the answer doesn't really matter, and I suspect this is the point you were trying to make, because the market for the Mercedes brand of leather seating is not a meaningful market definition, since there could be other seating brands that compete for the same customers. But the analogous question to the one I'm asking is, do they have a monopoly over seating for Mercedes vehicles? That could very well be a sensible market definition, because if you need a new seat for your Mercedes, one designed for a Chevy may not fit. And then the answer depends entirely on whether they have any competitors in that market. If five different companies make seats you can put in a Mercedes, none of them have a monopoly. If Mercedes -- or another company which isn't Mercedes, if Mercedes itself doesn't make them anymore -- is the only one making seats that fit in a Mercedes, then they have a monopoly on that market. The question is whether the customer who has a Mercedes and needs a seat can only buy it from one place.
• ric2b 6y ago
  No, you can replace the seats without violating any laws or licenses.