Eyeglass Tinter Settles Antitrust Complaint

WASHINGTON (CN) - The nation's leading manufacturer of "photochromic treatments" that darken eyeglasses in the sun has settled an FTC complaint accusing it of "us(ing) its monopoly power to strong-arm key distributors into exclusive agreements and unfairly box out rivals." Transitions Optical had more than 85 percent of the U.S. market for photochromic lenses in 2008.

"Transitions crossed the line between aggressive competition and illegal exclusionary conduct," the FTC said Wednesday in a statement announcing the settlement. The FTC said the company illegally maintained its monopoly by engaging in exclusive dealing at nearly every level of the distribution chain.

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