You may attend in Lansing or watch online at noon.

Under current Michigan law, Tesla Motors and other car companies may not open showrooms or service centers to work directly with consumers. Instead, to operate in Michigan, car companies have to enter into franchise agreements with independent dealers. Tesla and at least one other start-up car company, Elio Motors, have stated that working through dealers would impair their ability to get into the market. A number of other states have recently moved to permit direct distribution by manufacturers. Professor Crane will lay out the case for direct distribution, showing its importance to innovation, competition, and consumer choice.

Dan Crane is Associate Dean for Faculty and Research and the Frederick Paul Furth, Sr. Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. He is a leading expert on antitrust law and economic regulation, with six published books and over seventy articles and book chapters. Professor Crane has been a leading advocate for the right of an automobile manufacturer to distribute its vehicles directly to consumers. Among other things, he organized an open letter on direct distribution signed by 72 prominent economists and law professors and another open letter signed by a "big tent" coalition of environmental, consumer, competition, technology, and free market public interest groups. He appears frequently on these issues in the news media, including television, radio, and print.

Lunch is free and is included with reservations.

Register for this event.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Event Manager Kimberley Fischer-Kinne at 989-698-1905 or events@mackinac.org.