Market Power Versus Regulation Forces: The Impact of Antitrust Regulation on Software Firms

The omnipresence of software firms is triggering substantial antitrust concerns, calling into question the adequacy of existing regulatory frameworks. This study explores this pivotal concern in the context of the software industry, which is characterized by profound network externalities among cust...

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Main Authors: Gwona Ko, Boreum Choi, Wooje Cho, Young Bong Chang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Marketing Association 2025-07-01
Series:Asia Marketing Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://amj.kma.re.kr/journal/vol27/iss2/2/
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author Gwona Ko
Boreum Choi
Wooje Cho
Young Bong Chang
author_facet Gwona Ko
Boreum Choi
Wooje Cho
Young Bong Chang
author_sort Gwona Ko
collection DOAJ
description The omnipresence of software firms is triggering substantial antitrust concerns, calling into question the adequacy of existing regulatory frameworks. This study explores this pivotal concern in the context of the software industry, which is characterized by profound network externalities among customers and a rapid pace of innovation. Our study used the event study methodology on data from 252 antitrust cases involving the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice from 2000 to 2022, which revealed important insights into the differentiated effects of U.S. antitrust announcements on the market value of software firms. Although antitrust announcements generally have a negative impact on market value, software firms in this study displayed notable resilience compared with other sectors within information technology, such as hardware. Of interest is the negative relationship identified between R&D intensity and abnormal returns, which challenges traditional perspectives on the role of R&D in market competition and risk mitigation.
format Article
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institution DOAJ
issn 1598-7868
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language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Korean Marketing Association
record_format Article
series Asia Marketing Journal
spelling doaj-art-910745693a1b476a9e165442cbdca32f2025-08-20T03:15:42ZengKorean Marketing AssociationAsia Marketing Journal1598-78682765-65002025-07-01272106116https://doi.org/10.53728/2765-6500.1647Market Power Versus Regulation Forces: The Impact of Antitrust Regulation on Software FirmsGwona Ko0https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2160-5076Boreum Choi1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7944-3597Wooje Cho2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6148-5820Young Bong Chang3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8958-4203Graduate School of Business, Seoul National University, Seoul, KoreaSchool of Business Administration, University of Seoul, Seoul, KoreaGraduate School of Business, Seoul National University, Seoul, KoreaBusiness School, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, KoreaThe omnipresence of software firms is triggering substantial antitrust concerns, calling into question the adequacy of existing regulatory frameworks. This study explores this pivotal concern in the context of the software industry, which is characterized by profound network externalities among customers and a rapid pace of innovation. Our study used the event study methodology on data from 252 antitrust cases involving the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice from 2000 to 2022, which revealed important insights into the differentiated effects of U.S. antitrust announcements on the market value of software firms. Although antitrust announcements generally have a negative impact on market value, software firms in this study displayed notable resilience compared with other sectors within information technology, such as hardware. Of interest is the negative relationship identified between R&D intensity and abnormal returns, which challenges traditional perspectives on the role of R&D in market competition and risk mitigation.https://amj.kma.re.kr/journal/vol27/iss2/2/antitrustevent studysoftwarenetwork effectr&dregulatory risk
spellingShingle Gwona Ko
Boreum Choi
Wooje Cho
Young Bong Chang
Market Power Versus Regulation Forces: The Impact of Antitrust Regulation on Software Firms
Asia Marketing Journal
antitrust
event study
software
network effect
r&d
regulatory risk
title Market Power Versus Regulation Forces: The Impact of Antitrust Regulation on Software Firms
title_full Market Power Versus Regulation Forces: The Impact of Antitrust Regulation on Software Firms
title_fullStr Market Power Versus Regulation Forces: The Impact of Antitrust Regulation on Software Firms
title_full_unstemmed Market Power Versus Regulation Forces: The Impact of Antitrust Regulation on Software Firms
title_short Market Power Versus Regulation Forces: The Impact of Antitrust Regulation on Software Firms
title_sort market power versus regulation forces the impact of antitrust regulation on software firms
topic antitrust
event study
software
network effect
r&d
regulatory risk
url https://amj.kma.re.kr/journal/vol27/iss2/2/
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AT woojecho marketpowerversusregulationforcestheimpactofantitrustregulationonsoftwarefirms
AT youngbongchang marketpowerversusregulationforcestheimpactofantitrustregulationonsoftwarefirms