Archery Brands Face Price Fixing Allegations: Collusion Raises Gear Costs

Case Overview: A class action alleges several major archery manufacturers and retailers conspired to fix prices for frozen potato products, harming both grocery stores and consumers.

Consumers Affected: U.S. consumers who purchased archery products sold by an ATA member since 2014.

Court: U.S. District Court of Utah

Several of the archery industry's biggest names, including manufacturers Hoyt and Mathews, alongside major retailers like Bass Pro Shops and Dick’s Sporting Goods, are facing a new lawsuit accusing them of colluding to keep prices artificially high. 

The lawsuit alleges these companies, together with the Archery Trade Association (ATA), coordinated to enforce strict Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) policies, effectively eliminating price competition and forcing consumers to pay inflated prices for archery gear.

Consumers Say They Paid More for Essential Archery Gear

The lawsuit was filed by Joseph Santarlas, a Pennsylvania resident who purchased archery products subject to these MAP policies. 

Santarlas says in the lawsuit that he represents a class of potentially hundreds of thousands of archery buyers nationwide who allegedly paid higher prices due to this scheme. Santarlas claims that the defendants’ coordinated efforts unlawfully inflated retail prices, causing financial harm to consumers across the country.

Alleged Scheme Uses MAP Policies to Eliminate Competition

Archery products cover a wide range of gear, from bows and arrows to accessories like sights and targets. The U.S. market for these products has grown from roughly $100 million in the 1970s to an estimated $1.2 billion in 2023, with millions of bowhunters and archery enthusiasts nationwide. According to the lawsuit, the ATA, a powerful trade association representing much of the archery industry, played a key role in orchestrating the price-fixing scheme.

Although MAP policies themselves aren’t illegal, the complaint says the ATA and its members crossed the line by collectively enforcing these policies. Starting around 2014, the ATA invited members to collaborate on enforcing consistent price floors. 

Major retailers like Bass Pro Shops were added to the ATA board, and together they pushed for strict adherence to MAP rules, discouraging any price discounts. This coordination turned what was once inconsistent enforcement into a cartel-like system that suppressed competition and kept prices high.

The ATA even created resources and forums to help members comply with MAP policies and coordinate enforcement, making it difficult for retailers to lower prices without losing their standing in the market, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit claims this cartel-like behavior continues to the present, costing consumers more for bows, arrows, and related products.

Price Fixing Cases Emerge Across Various Industries

This lawsuit against archery companies is part of a wider trend of antitrust actions targeting alleged price-fixing across different industries. 

Recent cases have accused entertainment giant Disney of inflating streaming costs by bundling ESPN and Hulu, while a group of electronics manufacturers including LG, Panasonic, Philips, and Samsung face claims of conspiring to fix prices on cathode-ray tubes. 

Other lawsuits are underway in sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals to agriculture, signaling increased scrutiny of corporate pricing practices nationwide.

In his lawsuit against the archery companies, Santarlas wants to represent anyone in the US that bought archery products sold by an ATA member since 2014. He is suing for violations of the Sherman Act and seeks damages, restitution, interest, fees, and costs.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Santarlas v. Hoyt Archery, Inc., et al.
• Case Number: 2:25-cv-00436-DAK
• Court: U.S. District Court of Utah

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Jason L. Lichtman (Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP)
• Gary I. Smith, Jr. and Will Hanna (Hausfeld LLP)
• David W. Kesselman, Abiel Garcia, and Amy T. Brantly (Kesselman, Brantly, Stockinger LLP)
• Joshua H. Grabar and Julia C. Varano (Graber Law Office)

Do you buy archery gear? What are your thoughts on these price-fixing allegations? Share your opinion below.