(May 27, 2026) Sacramento, CA \u2014 The California Chamber of Commerce today issued the following statement in response to the state Assembly\u2019s approval of AB 1776 (Aguiar-Curry; D-Winters), a bill to rewrite the state\u2019s antitrust law:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are disappointed that the Assembly has chosen to move ahead with AB 1776, a bill that would upend some 130 years of durable and fair antitrust protections while exposing California businesses of all sizes to unchecked legal liabilities and a steady stream of frivolous lawsuits.<\/p>\n
\u201cAB 1776 fails one of the basic tests of any good bill: It offers no clear, objective standard on how a business can comply with the law. Far too many provisions of the bill rely on subjective standards that can only be defined through litigation \u2013 a crippling cost for businesses that are the heart and soul of California\u2019s innovation economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout objective standards, AB 1776 will create a chill to the pro-competition conduct of startup firms and the service providers on whom they rely.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe late amendments to the bill have not offered any meaningful rules about how a business can structure its conduct to avoid participating in an unlawful single-firm restraint of trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe welcome conversations with legislators in the coming weeks about ways to ensure California antitrust law requires the kind of competition on which consumers rely. AB 1776, however, fails to meet that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
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