<P> The law attempts to prevent the artificial raising of prices by restriction of trade or supply . "Innocent monopoly", or monopoly achieved solely by merit, is perfectly legal, but acts by a monopolist to artificially preserve that status, or nefarious dealings to create a monopoly, are not . The purpose of the Sherman Act is not to protect competitors from harm from legitimately successful businesses, nor to prevent businesses from gaining honest profits from consumers, but rather to preserve a competitive marketplace to protect consumers from abuses . </P> <P> Over time, the act has also been used more broadly, to oppose the combination of entities that could potentially harm competition, such as monopolies or cartels . </P> <P> The Sherman Act is divided into three sections . Section 1 delineates and prohibits specific means of anticompetitive conduct, while Section 2 deals with end results that are anti-competitive in nature . Thus, these sections supplement each other in an effort to prevent businesses from violating the spirit of the Act, while technically remaining within the letter of the law . Section 3 simply extends the provisions of Section 1 to U.S. territories and the District of Columbia . </P> <Dl> <Dd> Section 1: <Dl> <Dd> "Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, is declared to be illegal ." </Dd> </Dl> </Dd> <Dd> Section 2: <Dl> <Dd> "Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felony (...)" </Dd> </Dl> </Dd> </Dl>

The sherman act applies to all of the following except