On June 2, 1999, the Institute sponsored a full-page advertisement titled "Open Letter on Antitrust Protectionism" in the "Washington Post" and the "New York Times". The ads were signed by 240 economists and claimed "headline-grabbing cases against Microsoft, Intel, Cisco Systems, Visa and MasterCard, along with a flurry of merger investigations now underway, would appear to demonstrate the need for a vigorously enforced antitrust policy that will create checks and balances to eliminate consumer harm. However, consumers did not ask for these antitrust actions—rival business firms did."