Designing Cartels within the States' Interior

As a bonus point project I recently had my MPA students look for examples of Antitrust cases that at least appear to have increased competition. Not surprisingly, the cases that have emerged actually seem to be cases where Antitrust law was used to contradict firms using other laws or regulation to reduce competition. For example, the use of dummy corporations to extend patent laws beyond their intended lifetime. By coincidence, Slate has a story this morning that follows the theme:

In 22 states, including Arkansas, it is illegal to call yourself an interior designer without going through an arduous and expensive certification process. In Nevada, it's illegal to do interior design without a license. That's right, advising someone about drapes could land you in the hoosegow.