Final answer:
Businesses in the U.S. that attempt to stifle competition are considered to be against public interest as antitrust laws aim to keep the market fair and competitive.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the United States, businesses that try to stifle competition are thought to act against the public interest. These practices are addressed by U.S. antitrust laws, which include preventing mergers that could reduce competition and outlawing certain anticompetitive behaviors. Such behaviors encompass illegal activities like forming cartels, collusive pricing and output decisions, bid-rigging, and dividing markets through allocation of customers or territories. These regulations are enforced by entities like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice to promote a fair and competitive marketplace, which is central to the American free enterprise system.