Associated Press v. United States (case)

Associated Press v. United States (1945) was a Supreme Court case that addressed whether news gathering organizations could share their subscription lists and avoid violating antitrust laws. The Associated Press, a news cooperative, had rules to prevent members from sharing certain information to maintain a competitive advantage. The government argued this was an illegal restraint of trade. The Court ruled that these restrictions were unlawful because they limited competition and held that news organizations must be free to compete and share information without such restrictions, promoting a free and competitive press market.