if is, of course, debatable as to whether the outcome would have been different if the competitive structure issue had simply been better articulated, but the case does bring up the kinds of subtle issues and interpretive difficulties that often emerge when dealing with the issues of price discrimination in channels of distribution as governed by the Robinson-Patman Act. if is no wonder that confusion and inconsistencies have been common in court interpretations involving the Robinson-Patman Act throughout its history. consequently, accurate generalizations about whether specific channel pricing policies and practices constitute price discrimination are difficult to make. A study by Norton marks and Neely Inlow, however, found that the courts have focused mainly on more flagrant violations involving price discrimination. Moreover, large firms (sales exceeding $1 billion) constituted almost 40 percent of the defendants, who came most frequently from the food, tobacco, oil, gas and petrochemical industries.