Cytotoxicwastemanagement

Again, this is the sort of thing seen literally everywhere. While it does make customers unhappy, it works out pretty well for the companies using these tactics. That’s why so many companies do it. And that’s why some unhappy customers sue, much like these cities have.

Ironically, Techdirt has consistently argued exactly the opposite of this in the recent past, regarding the Sprint/Tmobile merger. Though admittedly, those articles were written by Karl, not Tim, so it’s possible that this is simply Tim’s (belated) response to the issue.

Techdirt community members with Techdirt Credits can spotlight a comment as either the "First Word" or "Last Word" on a particular comment thread. Credits can be purchased at the Techdirt Insider Shop »

Cytotoxicwastesymbol

The lawsuit [PDF] stresses a lot of these points and says a lot of things about profit margins being inordinately high. But if that’s what the market bears, that’s what Axon can charge (is there a pun intended here? maybe?). And while it’s somewhat concerning that Axon managed to acquire VieVu (which it referred to internally as its “#2 competitor”), that alone is not enough to create a monopoly.

Baltimore, Maryland; Augusta, Maine; and Howell, New Jersey have sued Axon, alleging that the company has committed antitrust violations, abused its market power, and forced cities to pay exorbitant fees for a basic, but crucial piece of law enforcement tech.

The lawsuit also claims Axon “aggressively” defends its patents, to the point it has sued “potential competitors” in the “less lethal weapon” market out of existence. Again, while nobody likes a bully, this is sort of thing lots of patent holders do, even when they control far less market share than Axon does. Again, just because Axon is dominant doesn’t mean it’s a monopoly or that any of these claims — ones that could apply to plenty of other companies in plenty of other fields — add up to the conclusion this lawsuit wants a judge to reach.

Also highlighted in the lawsuit are a bunch of things lots of businesses do, like tie up customers with lengthy contracts, force customers to only use refills made by the same company (Taser refills are pretty much proprietary ink cartridges), and vertically integrate as much as possible to make moving away from tied-in products extremely difficult. This is something Axon does with its body cameras and its front end for recording access, Evidence.com. Cameras without storage and access aren’t all that useful. And only Axon cameras work with Axon’s software.

Cytotoxicwastemanagement ppt

Cytotoxicwasteexamples

Motorola, Panasonic, and Utility largely make up the rest of the BWC Systems market. As demonstrated by the dramatic price increases that Axon implemented after acquiring VieVu, none of these other competitors pose the same competitive constraint on Axon as did VieVu, and none were able to constrain the exercise of Axon’s monopoly power. These other competitors’ BWC Systems rarely provided significant competition to Axon in RFP processes conducted by police departments. A chart included in a December 2019 Axon investor presentation shows the meager market share these competitors had compared to Axon, with the closest competitor, Motorola, controlling only 7 of 69 U.S. Major City Chief Agencies compared to Axon’s 47.

Well, i don’t know if it is really a monopoly, but “market bearage” is a flawed and stupid concept. If the market bears the cost because something has become compulsory and is available from something like a monopoly, that doesn’t seem much like a free and fair market, even if it fits someone’s technical definition.

As much as I dislike and distrust Axon (formerly Taser and the leading proponent of the “excited delirium” theory of cop exoneration), I just don’t think there’s much going on here. Sometimes there are actual monopolies. And sometimes, one business is just better at business than its competitors.

And while it’s somewhat concerning that Axon managed to acquire VieVu (which it referred to internally as its “#2 competitor”), that alone is not enough to create a monopoly.

I, for one, welcome this lawsuit, if for no other reason than it might expose some previously unknown facts about Axon, its management, its sales tactics, and its communications with law enforcement agencies. In other words, I’m here for the discovery. Axon may be a “gorilla” (as one of its execs encouraged its marketers to be) but it’s hardly a monopoly.

Cytotoxicwastein hospital

Cytotoxicwastebin colour

If you buy out all your competitors till there is effectively no other choice that is by definition a monopoly. Not that having a monopoly is illegal, but you do expose yourself to increased regulation. And thats fair.

A risk management guide for SA Health services to better understand safe handling and risk management requirements for cytotoxic drugs amd related waste

Axon has made their system quite easy for even deputies to use… But it is a trap. Once you buy in, it’s really expensive to get away from.

Cytotoxicwastecontainer

It’s that first sentence. If you’re able to list a handful of other competitors in the market, you can’t credibly make a claim the market has been monopolized. Sure, Axon may have the largest share of the market, but it’s no more a monopoly than Google’s outsized share of the search engine market. Some companies manage to dominate markets because they’re making better products, have better marketing, or do both well enough that their name becomes synonymous for competitors‘ products — like Taser for any stun gun-esque weapon and Google becoming the go-to shorthand for performing a web search on any service.

I mean, if telecoms don’t have a monopoly on citizen access to the Internet, then Axon doesn’t have a monopoly on tasers and bodycams.

It’s not all that remarkable that Axon increased its camera prices once it acquired VieVu. Then again, Axon has also given away cameras for free to increase market share and tie law enforcement agencies into far more lucrative data retention/access contracts.

Filed in federal court in New Jersey, the suit claims that the Arizona-based company formerly known as Taser International bought VieVu, one of its key competitors, to secure four major contracts that had eluded it: New York City, Oakland, Miami-Dade and Phoenix. Then, under its new Axon brand, it aggressively raised prices for clients that had few other options. Within a year, Axon’s body cam prices had risen 50 percent. By 2022, those prices had nearly tripled, reaching $490 per camera.

But that alone could be enough to violate the Clayton Act, as claimed in the lawsuit. A merger which has the effect “substantially to lessen competition” is sufficient, no monopoly needed. This is a well practiced area of law, with an extensive history.