United States v. Continental Can Co.

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1964 United States Supreme Court case

United States v. Continental Can Co., 378 U.S. 441 (1964), was a U.S. Supreme Court case which addressed antitrust issues. One issue it addressed was how should a market segment be defined for purposes of reviewing a merger of companies which manufacture different but related products.

Facts

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In 1956, Continental Can Company , the second largest producer of metal containers in the U.S., acquired the Hazel-Atlas Glass Company , the third largest producer of glass containers.

The government sought Continental Can's divestiture of the assets of Hazel-Atlas, arguing that the merger was a violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act . The government claimed ten product markets existed, including the can industry, the glass container industry, and various lines of commerce defined by the end use of the containers.

Judgment

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The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York found three product markets: metal containers, glass containers, and beer containers. The district court dismissed the case, holding that the government had failed to prove reasonable probability of lessening competition in the markets it had identified.

Supreme Court

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The Supereme Court ruled that a relevant product market or "line of commerce" does not necessarily mean identical products. Because metal and glass containers competed directly to be used for beverages and baby food, they occupied the same market space, and therefore the acquisition was a threat to free competition.

See also

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• US antitrust law

• List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 378

References

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_v._Continental_Can_Co.&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: References")
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1. ↑ "UNITED STATES v. CONTINENTAL CAN CO., 378 U.S. 441 (1964)" . FindLaw. Retrieved June 15, 2026.

External links

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• Works related to United States v. Continental Can Co. at Wikisource
• Text of United States v. Continental Can Co., 378 U.S. 441 (1964) is available from: Findlaw Internet Archive (docket files) Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)

United States antitrust law

• History

• Interstate Commerce Commission (1887–1996)

• Bureau of Corporations (1903–1915)

• Pujo Committee (1912–1913)

• Federal Trade Commission (1914–)

• U.S. Justice Department Antitrust Division (1919–)

• U.S. Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee

• U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee

Statutes and
regulations

• Interstate Commerce Act of 1887

• Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

• Elkins Act (1903)

• Expediting Act (1903)

• Publicity In Taking Evidence Act (1913)

• Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914

• Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914

• Webb–Pomerene Act (1918)

• Willis Graham Act (1921)

• Capper–Volstead Act (1922)

• Robinson–Patman Act (1936)

• Wheeler–Lea Act (1938)

• McCarran–Ferguson Act (1945)

• Celler–Kefauver Act (1950)

• Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961

• Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970

• Tunney Act (1974)

• Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (1976)

• National Cooperative Research and Production Act (1993)

• Executive Order 14036 (2021)

Supreme Court
case law

Other federal
case law

• _United States v. Motion Picture Patents Co. _ (1915)
• _United States v. Consolidated Music Corporation _ (1922)
• _United States v. Vehicular Parking Ltd. _ (1944)
• _United States v. Alcoa _ (1945)
• _Gamco, Inc. v. Providence Fruit & Produce Building, Inc. _ (1952)
• _United States v. Morgan _ (1953)
• _United States v. Krasnov _ (1956)
• _United States v. Huck Mfg. Co. _ (1965)
• _Robertson v. National Basketball Ass'n _ (1977)
• _SmithKline Corp. v. Eli Lilly & Co. _ (1978)
• _United States v. Westinghouse Electric Co. _ (1981)
• _United States v. AT&T _ (1982)
• _Mid-South Grizzlies v. National Football League _ (1983)
• _United States v. Syufy Enterprises _ (1990)
• _Wilk v. American Medical Association _ (1990)
• _A.D. Bedell Wholesale Co., Inc. v. Philip Morris Inc. _ (2001)
• _[United States v. Microsoft Corp.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

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