Under Klein, the antitrust division has experienced a renaissance after years of lying low during the two previous, Republican administrations. "When he was first appointed, he was criticized as someone who wouldnt do enough," says TIME Washington correspondent Adam Zagorin. "But Klein has shown himself to be more activist than predicted." Though the antitrust chief goes after what are perceived to be abuses of economic giants, he has not tried to prevent the birth of such giants -- for example, the merged phone and cable companies. However, Klein has kept a watch to see if, once esconced in a dominant position, large companies attempt to strangle competition. This is why he has been willing to battle it out for months in court with Microsoft, and has now slapped record criminal fines on two drug-company biggies.
The 'C' in Vitamin C No Longer Stands for Cartel
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The Justice Departments antitrust division continues on a roll, targeting the industries U.S. consumers love to hate. Last week, while still tangling with Microsoft, antitrust chief Joel Klein filed suit against American Airlines for allegedly engaging in predatory practices. On Thursday, Klein announced the breakup of a major worldwide conspiracy to raise and fix the prices of vitamins. European pharmaceutical giants Hoffmann-La Roche and BASF pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a record $725 million in criminal fines, and a former top Roche executive agreed to a plea bargain that will fine him $100,000 and land him in prison for four months. "This conspiracy has affected more than $5 billion of commerce in products found in every American household," declared Klein. The companies were accused of using their dominance of about 60 percent of the market to push up the prices of vitamins A, C, E, and various B-complexes.