Merger doctrine (antitrust law)

In U.S. antitrust law, the phrase "merger doctrine" is used to broadly describe the approaches that courts have taken to address mergers between corporations which might tend to reduce competition and raise prices. More specifically, courts tend to make separate discussions of a horizontal merger doctrine (where direct competitors merge) and vertical merger doctrine (where a company merges with its own suppliers and distributors, cutting them off from supplying or distributing to competitors).