Digital competition

Competition and Markets Authority, Competition enforcement, Digital competition, Merger control, United Kingdom

, (Pinsent Masons LLP)/ /Leave a comment

Microsoft has said it will appeal a decision by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to block its proposed acquisition of video games developer and publisher Activision Blizzard. Activision is the company behind a number of popular game series, including ‘Call of Duty’. Microsoft agreed a deal to acquire Activision for $68.7 billion in…

Data protection, Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital Markets Act, European Commission, Ex ante regulation, Online advertising, Online advertising restrictions, Online platforms, Platforms, Privacy, Regulation

(University Villanueva, Spain)/ /Leave a comment

The DMA will start to apply on March 2024. Starting on the 2nd of May, the gatekeepers have a maximum of two months to notify their gatekeeper status to the European Commission (EC). The European Commission (EC) has acquired the compromise to make the process of the DMA’s future implementation, monitoring and oversight of compliance as…

Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Regulation, United Kingdom

(Northeastern University)/ /Leave a comment

The UK Parliament is poised to publish its Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill (“the Bill”). The essential point is to place the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s (“CMA”)’s Digital Markets Unit (“DMU”) on a statutory footing and to set out the evidence standards applicable to it. The Bill will determine whether, how, and on…

Competition and Markets Authority, Digital, Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Market investigations, Market study, United Kingdom

(Euclid Law)/ /Leave a comment

On 22 November 2022, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decided to refer the supply of mobile browsers and mobile browser engines and the distribution of cloud gaming services through app stores on mobile devices for an in-depth ‘phase 2’ market investigation. The market investigation regime enables the CMA to investigate competition issues that…

Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Digital Markets Act, European Commission, European Union, Ex ante regulation, Regulation

(University Villanueva, Spain)/ /Leave a comment

Last 9 December, the European Commission issued its first draft implementing regulation for the DMA setting out the practical details surrounding the procedures around the gatekeeper’s designation (see the overview of the draft here). The feedback period surrounding the draft finished on 9 January 2023. On 14 April, the European Commission made public the first…

Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Digital Markets Act, Germany, New Competition Tool, Sector inquiries

(University Villanueva, Spain)/ /Leave a comment

The German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action published the draft for the 11th amendment of the Competition Act (GWB) on the 6th of April, following the same path towards the DMA’s effective implementation under the powers conferred upon NCAs pursuant to Article 38(7). Up until now, The Netherlands has also issued the draft…

Apps, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Competition, Competition enforcement, Competition law, Costa Rica, Digital, Digital competition, Digital economy, Ecuador, Latin America, Mexico, Paraguay, Regulation

(Universidad del Rosario) and (Universidad Diego Portales)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction Ride-hailing apps are present practically in every country from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). In places like Colombia and Brazil, they entered the market as early as 2013 – 2014 respectively, according to research authored by Resende and Lima. Apps like Uber, Cabify and Didi have emerged and generated pressure on the traditional…

Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Digital Markets Act

(Morais Leitão)/ /Leave a comment

The Digital Markets Act entered into force in November 2022 and the bulk of its provisions will start applying in all Member States from 2 May 2023. With this European Union Regulation, a wide range of obligations and prohibitions arise for companies designated as gatekeepers by the European Commission. These rules are intended to ensure…

App stores, Apple, Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Digital Markets Act, European Commission, Margin squeeze, Statement of Objections

(Central Bank of Italy)/ /Leave a comment

In competition policy circles around the world, app stores remain a major topic of discussion regarding the regulation of digital markets. On February 28th, 2023, the European Commission (EC) sent a new Statement of Objections (SO) to Apple, “clarifying its concerns over App Store rules for music streaming providers”. This replaced the original SO, which…

Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Merger control, Merger Thresholds, Norway

, , (Advokatfirmaet Thommessen)/ /Leave a comment

In its judgement on 17 February 2023, Norway’s Supreme Court quashed the Norwegian Competition Authority’s prohibition of the 2019 acquisition of tech start-up Nettbil by media conglomerate Schibsted. This is the very first merger case heard by the Norwegian courts and represents an important development in Norwegian merger control.   Prohibition of a Below-Threshold Transaction…