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Antitrust Keyed to Morgan, 7th Ed.
United States v. Aluminum Co. of America
Citation:
148 F.2d 416 (1945)Facts
The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) was founded in 1888 and initially secured a legal monopoly through patents on aluminum production processes until 1909. After these patents expired, Alcoa continued to dominate the aluminum industry, controlling over 90% of the virgin aluminum ingot market in the United States through 1940. Throughout this period, Alcoa was the sole domestic producer of virgin aluminum ingot. The company systematically expanded its production capacity ahead of market demand, secured control over bauxite deposits (the primary raw material for aluminum), and established favorable power contracts. Alcoa also integrated vertically into fabrication of aluminum products. The government alleged that Alcoa maintained its monopoly through various exclusionary practices, including a “price squeeze” against independent sheet aluminum fabricators by setting the price of raw ingot high relative to the price of finished sheet aluminum. Alcoa defended itself by arguing that it faced competition from imported aluminum and from “secondary” aluminum (recycled scrap), that its size resulted from superior skill and foresight, and that it had not charged unreasonable prices or earned excessive profits. During the pendency of the case, World War II dramatically changed the aluminum industry, with the government building numerous aluminum plants that it leased to Alcoa and other companies to meet wartime demand.
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