Antitrust and Trade Regulation laws aim to promote free competition in the marketplace. Agreements or cooperative efforts by two or more entities that affects or restrains competitors is illegal under these laws. The Sherman Act makes illegal any contract, combination, or conspiracy in restraint of trade or commerce and makes monopolies and attempts, combinations, or conspiracies to monopolize illegal. The Clayton Act regulate price discrimination, tying and exclusive dealing contracts, stock acquisition and interlocking directorates.
Norton is an independent city within the confines of Wise County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,904, making it the smallest city in the state by population. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Norton with surrounding Wise County for statistical purposes.