In 1990, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants agreed to enforce a change in its ethics rules that allowed its members to accept contingent fees and commissions from nonaudit clients. The agreement was the result of a consent order between the AICPA and the Federal Trade Commission. Likewise, in 1990, the American Institute of Architects signed a consent order with the Justice Department that forbade the Institute from adopting policies that would restrain architects from bidding competitively for jobs, offering discounts, or doing work without compensation.
a. What antitrust violation was the government seeking to stem in both of these cases?
b. What defenses were offered by the professions for their policies?