133.01 Legislative intent. The intent of this chapter is to safeguard the public against the creation or perpetuation of monopolies and to foster and encourage competition by prohibiting unfair and discriminatory business practices which destroy or hamper competition. It is the intent of the legislature that this chapter be interpreted in a manner which gives the most liberal construction to achieve the aim of competition. It is the intent of the legislature to make competition the fundamental economic policy of this state and, to that end, state regulatory agencies shall regard the public interest as requiring the preservation and promotion of the maximum level of competition in any regulated industry consistent with the other public interest goals established by the legislature.

History: 1979 c. 209.

This section does not require that any regulation must employ the least anticompetitive means to achieve a legislatively mandated goal. It is nowhere stated that it is the intent of this section that the entire statutes be interpreted in light of this section. This section applies when parties assert violations of antitrust law. County of Milwaukee v. Williams, 2007 WI 69, 301 Wis. 2d 134, 732 N.W.2d 770, 05-2686.

A defendant's actions that were exempt from federal antitrust laws were also shielded from state antitrust laws. Suburban Beverages v. Pabst Brewing, 462 F. Supp. 1301 (1978).

The application of ch. 133 to cases involving interstate commerce is discussed. Emergency One, Inc. v. Waterous Co., Inc. 23 F. Supp. 2d 959 (1998).

Spotting unreasonable restraints of trade without difficulty. Hansen, WBB June 1982.

Wisconsin's Antitrust Law: Outsourcing the Legal Standard. Waxman. 94 MLR 1173 (2011).