I was just reading up on the chemical farm company Monsanto (the one that puts stuff in your food that causes cancer like Aspartame) and read something that disgusted me.
Here is that exact quote, "As of May, 2008, Monsanto is currently engaged in a campaign to prohibit dairies which do not inject their cows with artificial bovine growth hormone from advertising this fact on their milk cartons."
And they lost, so they are now lobbying lawmakers to do this. They are trying to stop OTHER milk companies from writing on THEIR OWN milk cartons a formal translation of "we do not pump our cows full of artificial chemicals that could cause the drinker disease."
First of all, how dare they even try to do such a blatantly corrupt act? Second, I guess all the movies are right about our corrupt government. Is there not something so obviously wrong with our politicians that this company's second step to getting the law changed was to pay off our officials?
Finally, how would this be handled in an anarcho-capitalist society? True, the politicians are corrupt in this scenario, but at least the other government agencies (Federal Trade Commission) seemed to make the right decision.
Things like this disgust me.
It's a side effect of having that nifty monopoly on force for big crony-capitalists to make use of. The central idea of anarchy (AnCap) is "no monopolies on force," so no it wouldn't happen, or at least there is every reason to believe it will happen to a far far lesser extent.
Why anarchy fails
Of course that wouldn't happen nin market anarchy. In market anarchy there is absolutely no way to restrict what your competitor sells or how he markets it.
"As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable."
Under free market, Monsanto (and everyone else) will have to pay for their own policies instead of asking the government to subsidize them. Which pretty much makes direct violence out of the question (too expensive and creates to much hostility). So Monsanto would have to come up with incentives and finance them (like paying off the producers directly). But there's no way they could possibly buy off absolutely everyone - someone would want to capitalize on selling better products if there's a consumer deman for them.
If I hear not allowed much oftener; said Sam, I'm going to get angry.
J.R.R.Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
ama gi:In market anarchy there is absolutely no way to restrict what your competitor sells or how he markets it.
Technically, this isn't correct. There is no way to restrict your competitor via color of law or monopoly. You could pay trucking companies not to carry it, shopkeepers not to stock it, and wage a negative advertising campaign.
But the difference is, you would have to pay the full price of disrupting your competitor's business, and thus have to build it into your costs, and likely prices.
The state sells monopoly very cheap because it allows prices to rise without competition, and so the monopoly always has the capacity to pay. The state assures it.
It is a mutually parasitic relationship, in that both parties feed off the people, and then feed off each other to sustain a regime of feeding off the people.
What LS said
Natalie: What LS said
Your answer was good too, I just felt the state needed a swift kick in the groin.
liberty student: ama gi:In market anarchy there is absolutely no way to restrict what your competitor sells or how he markets it. Technically, this isn't correct. There is no way to restrict your competitor via color of law or monopoly. You could pay trucking companies not to carry it, shopkeepers not to stock it, and wage a negative advertising campaign.
But that won't do a thing. I can still sell my product through other shipping companies and retailers. As long as there is any demand for my product whatsoever, I'll find a way to sell it. The consumer is king.
To answer the original poster, under a free market, there is no way for Poisoned Milk, Inc. to stop Non-Poisoned Milk, Inc. from advertising it's product. Too bad for them.
Yes, it is possible. So what?
To paraphrase Marc Faber: We're all doomed, but that doesn't mean that we can't make money in the process. Rabbi Lapin: "Let's make bricks!" Stephan Kinsella: "Say you and I both want to make a German chocolate cake."