Can US Brands Enforce MAP Without Getting Into Legal Trouble? | Ft. Michael Murphy

Price wars are everywhere. Amazon sellers you don’t recognize keep undercutting you. And everyone claims they have a “MAP policy,” but very few know if it actually holds up under U.S. law.

In this episode of Digital Shelf Insider, Shreshta Joy is joined by Michael R. Murphy, Partner at K&L Gates, to clear up one of the most misunderstood topics in e-commerce: pricing enforcement in the United States.

Michael explains why most brands are using the term MAP incorrectly, how unilateral pricing policies really work, and where brands accidentally cross into antitrust risk without realizing it. The conversation stays practical, grounded in real cases, and focused on what actually works.

What this episode covers:

- Why pricing without distribution control leads to a race to the bottom

- The real legal difference between MAP and unilateral pricing policies in the US

- How brands accidentally turn legal pricing policies into antitrust risk

- What clean, defensible enforcement looks like when a violation happens

- Why authorization programs matter more than pricing rules on Amazon

This is a practical, US-focused conversation grounded in real legal cases. If you’re a brand owner, e-commerce leader, or marketplace seller trying to protect margins without crossing legal lines, this episode will save you time and costly mistakes.

Follow Digital Shelf Insider for more straight-talking conversations on pricing, digital shelf control, and modern e-commerce strategy.

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