42 USC § 5909 - Relationship to antitrust laws

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t42/s5909"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "42 USC § 5909 - Relationship to antitrust laws"
title_number: 42
title_name: "THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE"
section_number: "5909"
section_name: "Relationship to antitrust laws"
chapter_number: 74
chapter_name: "NONNUCLEAR ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 93–577, § 10, Dec. 31, 1974, 88 Stat. 1891.)"
---


# § 5909. Relationship to antitrust laws

**(a)** Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to convey to any individual, corporation, or other business organization immunity from civil or criminal liability, or to create defenses to actions, under the antitrust laws.

**(b)** As used in this section, the term “antitrust law” means—

**(1)** the Act entitled “An Act to protect trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies”, approved July 2, 1890 (15 U.S.C. 1 et seq.), as amended;

**(2)** the Act entitled “An Act to supplement existing laws against unlawful restraints and monopolies, and for other purposes”, approved October 15, 1914 (15 U.S.C. 12 et seq.) as amended;

**(3)** the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.), as amended;

**(4)** sections 73 and 74 of the Act entitled “An Act to reduce taxation, to provide revenue for the Government, and for other purposes”, approved August 27, 1894 (15 U.S.C. 8 and 9), as amended; and

**(5)** the Act of June 19, 1936, chapter 592 (15 U.S.C. 13, 13a, 13b, and 21a).

---

**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 93–577, § 10, Dec. 31, 1974, 88 Stat. 1891.)

## Editorial Notes

### References in Text

Act of , referred to in subsec. (b)(1), is , , known as the Sherman Act, which is classified to sections 1 to 7 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under  and Tables.

Act of , referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is , , known as the Clayton Act, which is classified generally to sections 12, 13, 14 to 19, 21, and 22 to 27 of Title 15, and sections 52 and 53 of Title 29, Labor. For further details and complete classification of this Act to the Code, see References in Text note set out under  and Tables.

The Federal Trade Commission Act ( et seq.), as amended, referred to in subsec. (b)(3), is , , which is classified generally to subchapter I (§ 41 et seq.) of chapter 2 of Title 15. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see  and Tables.

Act of , chapter 592, referred to in subsec. (b)(5), is , , popularly known as the Robinson-Patman Antidiscrimination Act and also as the Robinson-Patman Price Discrimination Act, which enacted sections 13a, 13b, and 21a of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, and amended . For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under  and Tables.