Ad agencies may have been funneling work to their in-house production units by pressuring independent production companies to bow out of contract bids, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The US Department of Justice is investigating the allegations, which, if true, would be violations of American antitrust law.

Independent production companies are claiming they have received requests from ad agencies to inflate their bids for commercial work, making them seem less attractive to clients. In comparison, the uninflated bids from agency production companies or shops within the same holding company appear more reasonable.

Read the full Campaign US article here.