2019 was an eventful year in Spanish antitrust enforcement. Here is a brief overview of 2019’s major legal changes and relevant developments in relation to Competition law in Spain, as well as what to expect in 2020. I. New Administration On 8 January 2020, Mr Pedro Sánchez was reappointed as Spanish Prime Minister….
The Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition (“BCPC”) imposed a fine amounting to BGN 315 612 the National Electricity Company EAD (“NEK”) for abuse of dominance – infringement of Art. 21, para. 1 of the Bulgarian Competition Protection Act (“BCPA”) (corresponding to Art. 102 TFEU). The BCPC found that NEK unilaterally and unjustifiably modified the…
Dawn raids may become a nerve-racking experience for companies that are under scrutiny of competition authorities and their employees. During a dawn raid, which is performed without prior notice, employees of the relevant undertaking who lack proper training may act in a way that can expose their companies to monetary fine. Dawn raids are often…
We are happy to inform you that the latest issue of the journal is now available and includes the following contributions: Hedvig Schmidt, Competition Law and IP Rights: Not So Complementary: Time for Re-alignment of the Goals? This article argues through a US/EU comparative assessment of the intellectual property (IP) law goals and competition…
Recent Developments in Canadian Merger Review: Sad Holiday Tidings for Merging Parties Charles Tingley, Anita Banicevic, Mark Katz In his own version of the pre-holiday rush, the Canadian Commissioner of Competition challenged one merger transaction just before the Christmas holidays and entered into a consent agreement to preserve assets pending his review of another. The…
Key takeaways In November, the European Commission (“Commission”) published its much-anticipated reasoning in the Canon/Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (“TMSC”) merger infringement case.[1] Through this decision, which resulted in a remarkable €28 million fine against Canon for purely procedural contraventions, competition practitioners have gained further insight into the Commission’s standpoint on the use of warehousing structures…
With the developments in online services, our habits in everyday life has been changing rapidly. Nowadays, one can cater any of its needs via websites or simple smartphone apps instantly. And all these developments have also been reflected its effects on maybe one of our most common and frequent habit; grocery shopping. We experienced (and…
Recent Developments in Abuse of Dominance Law in Canada: When is Anti-Competitive Conduct Justified? Charles Tingley and Mark Katz On October 17, 2019, the Canadian Competition Tribunal dismissed an application by the Commissioner of Competition alleging that the Vancouver Airport Authority (VAA) had abused a dominant position in the market for in-flight catering services at…
Introduction Sections 5 and 6 of the Competition Act, 2002 [‘the Act’] provide the basic statutory framework for merger control in India. The Report of the Raghavan Committee, which played an instrumental role in the formulation of the Act, contemplated the Indian Competition Law regime to be one of pre-notification in order to elude the…
As the number of leniency applications is down globally and competition authorities are struggling to find alternative sources of supply for antitrust complaints, China has circulated a draft rule to financially incentivise employee whistle-blowing. On 19 November 2019, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) posted a draft of the Interim Measures on Rewards for…
