Digital economy

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

(University Carlos III of Madrid, 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…

Digital, Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Digital Markets Act, European Commission, Interoperability

(University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)/ /Leave a comment

The DMA will start to apply in March 2024. The European Commission (EC) has acquired the compromise to make the process of the DMA’s future implementation, monitoring and oversight of compliance as transparent as possible. After the first stakeholders’ workshop on the ban on self-preferencing, on the 27th of February, the Commission held its second workshop…

Abuse of dominance, Apple, Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Google, Japan, Market study, Self-preferencing

(Hirayama Law Offices)/ /Leave a comment

Summary The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) published a 157-page report on 9th February 2023 (see here the press release), focusing on issues in the market structure and the lack of competitive pressure in the markets of essential software for smartphones (mobile OS) and app distribution services, both of which Apple and Google mainly provide….

Abuse of dominance, Amazon, Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Digital Markets Act, Economics, Europe, United States of America

(Intui Attorneys)/ /Leave a comment

Lawmakers and Amazon.com are involved in a constant cat-and-mouse game. Amazon.com is the big winner when consumers and businesses extensively use its digital ecosystem. As a reaction, lawmakers regulate big tech companies to protect end users and business users. This blog post argues that these regulations are not always effective and that their application is…

Abuse of dominance, Advertising, Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Facebook, Germany, Google, Privacy, Regulation

(University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)/ /Leave a comment

Last 23 December 2022, the Bundeskartellamt, the Federal Cartel Office (FCO), sent a statement of objections (SOO) to Google regarding its data processing terms. This SOO follows the Bundeskartellamt’s prior designation as an undertaking with paramount significance for competition across markets under the German DMA-like provision of Section 19a GWB. Looking at the SOO and…

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

(University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)/ /Leave a comment

The European Commission has begun the process of creating implementing provisions to ensure the effective enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Implementing provisions plague the DMA’s functioning, but the EC has started to fulfil the first of its tasks: to lay down the form, content and other details of notification and submissions pursuant to…