With the referral of the Kodak-Fuji market access dispute to the World Trade Organization, the role of retail distribution channel control by incumbent firms as a barrier to imports has drawn much interest. This paper reviews the issues from an historical perspective and analyzes the...

Disputes have arisen between the United States and Japan over alleged vertical distribution channel barriers to the importation of U.S. automobiles, auto parts, and color film into the Japanese market. This article provides an analytic framework for assessing the role of vertical restraints as...