Monopolies can often harm the prospects for new businesses and force customers to pay higher prices.

壟斷經常傷害新創企業發展，並迫使消費者支付更高費用。

And that’s bad for any country.

這對任何國家來說都不是好事。

America, and many other nations, have fair competition laws that ban monopolies.

與許多國家一樣 ，美國訂有禁止壟斷行為並鼓勵公平競爭的法律。

Yet, as mega corporations seem to get bigger and bigger, you have to wonder, where is the distinction?

然而，隨著這些企業巨人日益擴張，不禁令人疑問：究竟超大企業與壟斷有何不同？

Are megacorporations becoming monopolies?

企業巨人是否正在走向壟斷一途？

We’re going to explore a few of America’s largest companies.

我們將探討一些美國大公司的案例。

Just to be clear, these companies are not officially considered monopolies, although they have come under scrutiny by the government for encroaching on fair market competition.

在此先澄清一下，這些公司未被正式認定為壟斷了整個產業，但它們都因為傷害了市場公平競爭而被政府盯上。

First let’s talk about Google, a company that made nearly $70 billion dollars last year.

首先談談 Google。這間公司去年賺進約 700 億美元。

It owns companies like YouTube, Android, and Waze. But it’s had numerous run-ins with the Federal Trade Commission.

它旗下擁有 YouTube、Android 系統與 Waze 導航程式。但它曾與聯邦貿易委員會 (FTC) 交手多次。

Recently, a leaked FTC report from 2013 revealed just how close the FTC was to bringing charges.

最近流出的一份 FTC 於 2013 撰寫的報告透漏了 FTC 當時差點就要對 Google 提出控訴。

Google was accused of illegal practices like promoting its own affiliate websites in google search results and restricting advertisers’ abilities to use other search engines.

Google 遭控的非法作為包括搜索結果大力宣傳旗下網站，以及限制廣告商使用其他搜索引擎。

The report said, Google’s conduct resulted in "real harm to consumers and to innovation in the online search and advertising markets."

報告指稱，Google 的一切作為「對消費者、網路搜尋創新能力與廣告市場帶來了實質上的傷害。」

However, Google ended up settling with the FTC out of court.

然而，Google 最後卻與 FTC 在庭外和解了。

Monsanto is another huge company that’s been accused of monopolistic practices.

孟山都則是另外一間同樣因壟斷行為而遭控告的大型公司。

They have patents on genetically modified seeds.

孟山都擁有基因改造種子的專利。

Farmers are forced to purchase seeds every year instead of replanting, to avoid patent infringement.

而農夫無法直接重新栽培，而是要年復一年被迫購買他們家的種子，以避免違反專利法。

Monsanto remains the leading supplier of GM seeds, along with other agricultural products such as the weed killer RoundUp, and a number of farming tech firms.

孟山都不僅是基改種子最大供應商，更擁有其他像是除草劑「農達」等的農用產品，以及一些農業科技公司。

According to Food and Water Watch, in America, 80% of corn and 93% of soybeans are grown from Monsanto GMO seeds.

根據食品與飲水觀察組織，在美國約有 80% 玉米與 93% 大豆皆出自孟山都的基改種子。

Then there’s Microsoft, a company that made almost 90 billion dollars last year.

接下來談談 Microsoft 這間公司。它在去年賺進約 900 億美元。

They own brands like Windows, Xbox, Hotmail, and Bing.

旗下擁有 Windows、Xbox、Hotmail 與 Bing。

In the ‘90s, the huge corporation barely escaped being split in two by an antitrust lawsuit brought against them by the government.

在 90 年代，該公司差點因政府提起的反托拉斯訴訟而被迫分拆成兩半。

The lawsuit alleged that Microsoft promoted their own web browser on the Windows operating system and shut out competitors.

Microsoft 遭控在 Windows 作業系統宣傳自家網路瀏覽器，並封殺其他競爭對手。

In 1999, a judge did find that Microsoft "maintained its monopoly power by anticompetitive means."

1999 年，一名法官查有實證，發現 Microsoft「靠著反競爭手段維持壟斷能力」。

However, this verdict was later overturned.

不過這項判決隨後便遭到推翻。

How do some of these gigantic companies escape antitrust regulation?

這些企業巨人究竟是如何規避「反托拉斯法」規範的？

Well, many of the subsidiary brands within the parent company occupy separate markets, as delineated by the FTC.

如 FTC 所述，他們靠著在母公司旗下建立子公司來鎖定不同客層。

For instance, another corporate giant, Unilever, owns brands in different niche markets, like "ice cream", "premium ice cream" and "super premium ice cream".

像是另一間企業巨擘聯合利華 (Unilever) 便針對不同消費者推出專屬品牌，像是「冰淇淋」、「尊貴冰淇淋」與「超級至尊冰淇淋」不同市場區隔。

Also, the mega-corporations have a huge amount of financial and lobbying power.

此外，這些企業巨人還擁有龐大的金融與游說能力。

For example, Google was the fifth largest political lobbyist in 2013.

舉例來說，Google 在 2013 年名列第五大政治遊說團體。

And Monsanto has spent almost $70 million dollars since 1998 on agricultural lobbying.

而孟山都自 1998 年來，已在農業遊說上花費了近 700 億美元。

Clearly, these giant companies have major influence in their respective markets.

顯而易見的，這些企業巨人在各自市場裡呼風喚雨。

And even if they aren’t technically violating antitrust laws yet, they are right on the cusp of what is considered a monopoly.

就算嚴格來說他們沒有違反反托拉斯法，但其實也已與壟斷相去不遠。

In order to regulate against monopolies, the government has developed what are called antitrust laws.

為了防止壟斷， 政府擬定了「反托拉斯法」。

To learn how these laws work, check out our video here.

想知道這些法律如何發揮成效，請看這裡的影片。

They were called trusts back then, but now we call them monopolies.

它們以前被叫做「托拉斯」，但我們現在都叫它們壟斷企業。

Monopolies can force consumers to pay higher prices, and make it impossible for other companies to enter the market.

壟斷企業能逼迫消費者花較高價格購買產品，並讓其他公司幾乎不可能進入市場競爭。

Because of their size, they can hurt the economy, and even skirt government regulations.

由於它們規模龐大，它們能對經濟造成傷害，甚至還能規避政府法規。

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想看更多 TestTube 影片的話，請記得立即訂閱。感謝收看。