Federal and state antitrust laws seek to protect consumers from the sort of concentrated economic power among businesses in a given industry that, when too concentrated, result in higher industry prices and decreased consumer choice.  In other words, antitrust laws prevent the improper acquisition of market power.  To bring a cause of action under the federal antitrust laws, a private plaintiff must generally show an injury to its business or property that was directly caused by the defendant’s antitrust violation, antitrust injury, and reasonable and quantifiable damages.  Antitrust injury is injury that effects competition itself, not just the individual plaintiff.   In addition to recovering damages for antitrust injury, which are trebled, in the appropriate circumstance, the antitrust plaintiff may move the court for injunctive relief, i.e., to keep the antitrust defendant from engaging in or from continuing to engage in behavior violative of the antitrust laws.