Price competition in the distribution of books

The American Booksellers’ Association believes that the fierce price competition between Walmart, Target, and Amazon is damaging consumers.

Die Privatkopie und die deutsche Verfassung

Das Bundesverfassungsgericht hat eine Verfassungsbeschwerde von Unternehmen der Musikindustrie gegen die digitale Privatkopie nicht zur Entscheidung angenommen.

A New Structured Rule of Reason Approach for RPM?

Antitrust Federalism : Enhancing Federal/State Cooperation, CHRISTINE A. VARNEY Assistant Attorney General Antitrust Division U.S. Department of Justice

On copyright infringement and choice-of-law rules

Anita B. Frohlich, Copyright Infringement in the Internet Age - Primetime for Harmonized Conflict-of-Laws Rules.

Yet another EU copyright consultation

Creative Content in a European Digital Single Market: Challenges for the Future

Economic evidence in competition cases

A speech by P.Freeman, Chairman of the UK Competition Commission

India: Competition Appellate Tribunal Formed

The body will hear appeals against decisions by the Competition Commission of India.

US Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009

The House Judiciary Committee has voted to repeal the insurance industry’s exemption from antitrust legislation

Ausschaltung eines preisaktiven Internetanbieters

Das Bundeskartellamt verhängt Bußgeld gegen Hörgerätehersteller Phonak GmbH. Aus der Pressemeldung: "Die einseitige Vorgabe von unverbindlichen Preisempfehlungen ist nach geltendem Recht grundsätzlich zulässig. Ordnungswidrig handelt jedoch, wer zu ihrer Durchsetzung dem Abnehmer Nachteile androht oder zufügt oder ihm Vorteile verspricht oder gewährt. Eine Liefersperre ist ein solcher Nachteil.
Das Bundeskartellamt misst dem beschriebenen Vorgehen hier eine über den Einzelfall hinausgehende wettbewerbliche Bedeutung zu. Die Ausschaltung des einen preisaktiven Internetanbieters war dazu geeignet und bestimmt, die auf dem deutschen Markt für den Handel mit Hörgeräten insgesamt herrschende Preisstabilität aufrechtzuerhalten bzw. wiederherzustellen. Ist aber der Preiswettbewerb auf Einzelhandelsebene ohnehin eingeschränkt, so wiegt jede weitere Verhinderung vorstoßenden Wettbewerbs umso schwerer"

Online distribution of music: joint statement

The statement sets out general principles designed to underpin the online distribution of music in the future. See also the EC press release.

Transgenic seed industry: the effects of Monsanto's market power

AAI's White Paper "Transgenic Seed Platforms: Competition Between a Rock and a Hard Place"

Oracle-Sun Deal: Reasons to Support it?

See Groklaw's post. See also this post from the Antitrust Law Blog and this list of useful blog posts and news stories on MySQL.

On the "more economic approach" in applying art. 82 EC

From Formalism to Effects? – The Commission’s Communication on Enforcement Priorities in Applying Article 82 EC, Nicolas Petit

Analyzing five antimonopoly suits against Microsoft

Working Paper: Microsoft Might Under Microscope: Alternative Approaches to Antimonopoly Regulation, Lana J. Ellis

Google Book Settlement and Antitrust Issues

Two recent articles:

Randal C. Picker, The Google Book Search Settlement: A New Orphan-Works Monopoly?
5 Journal of Competition Law and Economics 383 (2009)

Jerry A. Hausman and J. Gregory Sidak, Google and the Proper Antitrust Scrutiny of Orphan Books, 5 Journal of Competition Law and Economics 411 (2009)

New, "consumer friendly" EU competition website

Delivering for consumers, introduced by Neelie Kroes' own words that the new website "is very easy to use. You might have seen that the main DG Competition site is very detailed. This new site is interactive and highly visual, including a short video aimed at consumers. Users can also learn about our work by product or country in friendly, plain language. This is about showing consumers that competition is worth the effort involved."

Antitrust and Innovative Markets

The Limits of Antitrust in the New Economy, G.Manne, J.Wright. See also J. Gregory Sidak & David J. Teece, Dynamic Competition in Antitrust Law and Promoting Innovation: Just How “Dynamic” Should Antitrust Law Be?, J. Thomas Rosch.

On the need to reconceptualize antitrust private enforcement models

Working paper, Optimizing Private Antitrust Enforcement, by D. Crane.

Slides on IP licences and antitrust issues.

Again, thanks to Hanno F. Kaiser.

Advice to the Obama Administration on Antitrust Policy: Two Perspectives Compared

Spencer Waller and Jennifer Woods, "Antitrust Transitions".

Copyright in the Knowledge Economy: A New Communication from the Commission

Last year's Green Paper "Preparatory Follow-Up". See also the press release.

Another View on the EU Intel Decision

The Decision of the Commission of 13 May 2009 in the Intel Case: Where is the Foreclosure and Consumer Harm, by Damien Geradin

Determinants of R&D diversification strategies in the drug industry: competition, rather than spillovers, matters

A Working Paper by Tatiana Plotnikova on Technology, Competition and the Time of Entry: Diversification Patterns in the Development of New Drugs

Useful Slides on the US Robinson-Patman Act

Many thanks to Hanno F. Kaiser.

New Zealand: Abuse of Dominant Position in Markets for High-speed Data Transmission

High Court, ruling COMMERCE COMMISSION V TELECOM CORPORATION OF NEW ZEALAND LIMITED And Anor HC, AK CIV 2004-404-1333 - 9 October 2009-

Neelie Kroes on Standards

Address at Harvard Club of Belgium, "De Warande" Brussels, 15th October 2009. See also the IACS decision on de facto industry standards for classification.

Competition in the Publishing Industry in Italy?

The Italian Competition Authority has published the second part of its sector inquiry, specifically dealing with newspaper distribution issues.

Trade Mark Exhaustion and Implicit Consent

European Court of Justice, Case C-324/08 Makro Zelfbedieningsgroothandel CV, Metro Cash & Carry BV and Remo Zaandam BV v Diesel.

Google Chef-Justitiar auf der Frankfurter Buchmesse

S. Bericht des Instituts für Urheber- und Medienrecht

Leniency Convergence in the EU

A Report issued by the European Competition Network. See also the list of applicable leniency programmes.

The FTC's Chairman on the Enforcement of the U.S. Antitrust Laws

Remarks of Chairman Jon Leibowitz, 36th Annual Conference on International Antitrust Law & Policy, Fordham Competition Law Institute at Fordham Law School
September 24, 2009

Branding Individual Corn Flakes

Giving Kellogg's golden flakes of corn "an official stamp of approval", see the story coverage by BrandRepublic and The Guardian.

More Bilski Briefs

Listed by Groklaw

EU Guidance Paper on Art. 82 Exclusionary Abuse: Beyond Criticism

A Discussion Paper by J. Temple Lang.

Economists' Effectiveness in Competition Law Litigation: How Can We Judge?

See I.Lianos, Judging’ Economists: Economic Expertise in Competition Law Litigation - A European View

Buyer Power in International Markets

A Discussion Paper by Horst Raff and Nicolas Schmitt.

Microsoft-EU Commission Interoperability Settlement: Some Critical Comments

Interview with ECIS's Thomas Vinje and Ashwin van Rooijen on the Microsoft-EU Commission Deal, from Groklaw.

The Free Software Foundation on Bilski

An amicus brief has been filed.

Cartels: Their Duration and the Difficult Task of Breaking Them Up

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Determinants of Cartel Duration, by Margaret C. Levenstein and Valerie Y. Suslow

Antitrust, Multi-Dimensional Competition, and Innovation

Do We Have an Antitrust-Relevant Theory of Competition Now?, by J. Wright.

Commitments in EU Competition Law

Opinion of Advocate General Kokott, Case C‑441/07 P, Commission of the European Communities v Alrosa Company Ltd.

Google-Books: Tagung in Berlin

Tagung “Enteignung oder Infotopia? Google Books und die Zukunft des Wissens”, Berichterstattung und demnächst Video-Zusammenfassung hier.

Hadopi 2: question de constitutionnalité?

Le texte du recours du Parti socialiste.

Joop!-Ausrufezeichen: Kein Markenrechtsschutz

EuG, Urteil v. 30.09.2009, Az. T‑75/08

How will journalism "survive" the Internet age?

The FTC intends to host public workshops and roundtables on this complex topic.

Community patent underway?

A revised proposal for a Council Regulation on the Community patent is circulating.

AAI: RPM should remain a "hardcore restriction"

Comments of the American Antitrust Institute on the European Commission's proposed BER and Guidelines on vertical restraints.

The US Goverment's position on Bilski

A suggestion that software should be left substantially patentable? S. also Groklaw's post.

The Court of First Instance on the distinctive character of a mark

Smiley: decorative function, not a distinctive sign, Case T‑139/08, The Smiley Company SPRL v Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market.

Neelie Kroes on issues round EU state aid control system

Speech held at the 36th Annual Conference on International Antitrust Law and Policy , Fordham University

Google Book Settlement:Amendment Ahead

See MOTION for Hearing / Notice of Unopposed Motion of the Author Sub-Class and the Publisher Sub-Class to Adjourn October 7, 2009 Final Fairness Hearing and Schedule Status Conference (new deadline: November, 9).

Illegal Bid-Rigging in the UK

Press release, Office of Fair Trading.

Advocate General on AdWords and Trademarks

Cases C-236 to 238/08 Google France, Google Inc. v Louis Vuitton Malletier.

Refusals to Deal, Internationally

The OECD Competition Committee on Refusals to Deal.

Salame Felino and the European Court of Justice

Case C‑446/07 Alberto Severi, in his own name and representing Cavazzuti e figli SpA, now known as Grandi Salumifici Italiani SpA v Regione Emilia-Romagna. From the decision: " Articles 3(1) and 13(3) ... must be interpreted as meaning that the designation of a foodstuff containing geographical references, which is not registered as a protected designation of origin or a protected geographical indication, may legitimately be used, on condition that the labelling of the product so named does not mislead the average reasonably well informed, observant and circumspect consumer. For the purpose of assessing whether that is the case, national courts may have regard to the length of time during which the name has been used. By contrast, any good faith on the part of the manufacturer or retailer is irrelevant in that regard"

EU Intel Decision now Published

Prohibition decision (517 pp.) and decision summary.

Google Book Settlement: Department of Justice's Statement of Interest

The Department of Justice has expressed serious legal concerns. A comment by Randy Picker.

Defining "noncommercial" uses in copyright

From the point of view of the "Online Population". A study prepared by Creative Commons.

University copyright ownership policies

Database compiled by Creative Commons.

Google Book Settlement: Competition and Commerce in Digital Books

Judiciary Hearing before the House Committee, September 10, 2009.

China and Competition Policy

AAI Working Paper by Wu Hanhong

Die volkswirtschaftliche Bedeutung geistigen Eigentums und dessen Schutzes mit Fokus auf den Mittelstand

Studie im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Technologie.

SMEs and IP in Switzerland

Economic Focus Study and Case Studies by the Swiss Federal Institute of IP.

UK horseracing: collective negotiation and licensing of media rights not anticompetitive

Court of Appeal's judgment.

Spanish Copyright Collecting Society Fined for Abuse of Dominant Position

The remuneration scheme was deemed abusive because, inter alia, general fees were simply calculated as a percentage of the Telecinco's revenues. See also the ECJ Kanal 5 case.

Pressefusionskontrolle: Anwendung der Abwägungsklausel

Aus der Pressemeldung des Bundeskartellamtes: "Nach Auffassung des Bundeskartellamtes überwiegen die durch den Zusammenschluss entstehenden Verbesserungen der Marktstruktur auf dem Lesermarkt im Verbreitungsgebiet der Elmshorner Nachrichten die mögliche Verschlechterung auf den Anzeigen- und Lesermärkten im Kreis Steinburg".

International Cartels Illustrated

Very interesting and useful charts by John M. Connor

Europeana and Copyright: A Common Solution for Europe's Digital Library?

From the Press release:

"However, the substantial progress made with Europeana also brings to the surface the challenges and problems linked to the digitisation process. At the moment, Europeana includes mainly digitised books which are in the public domain and are thus no longer protected by copyright law (which extends to 70 years after the death of the author).

For the moment, Europeana includes, for legal reasons, neither out-of print works (some 90% of the books in Europe's national libraries), nor orphan works (estimated at 10 – 20% of in-copyright collections) which are still in copyright but where the author cannot be identified.

Europeana also shows that licensing of copyright-protected material in Europe still takes place under a very fragmented legal framework. Earlier this year a French aggregator had to withdraw photographs from Europeana, since it only had the right to disseminate the material on French territory".

A public consultation on these very controversial topics has been launched.

Mario Monti on International Competition/Antitrust Convergence and Enforcement in Troubled Times

Keynote address to the American Antitrust Institute Conference “Antitrust In A World Without A Center” June 18, 2009

F. M. Scherer on Patent Policy: Some Recommendations for Competition Authorities

From THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF PATENT POLICY REFORM IN THE UNITED STATES: "For the federal antitrust agencies, the extension of patent monopolies in time through profuse improvement patenting and their extension in scope through restrictive cross-licensing agreements pose important enforcement problems. Here too, the problem is in part one of education. Those who manage the antitrust agencies need to learn that there are important barriers to rapid imitation, enhancing incentives for innovation, other than the patent system, so maximization of monopoly rewards associated with patent holdings is unlikely to maximize economic welfare. These agencies need to learn that extension of patent monopolies over time and in scope is more likely to suppress than stimulate innovation. and insisting that drug production be opened up for generic competition once basic patents have expired, leaving however the right to produce validly patented improvement molecules exclusively in the hands of the original drug developer (or any other firm that patents and tests improved variants)"

EC 2008 Report on Competition Policy Released

The Report itself and the possibly more interesting Commission Staff Working Paper

The Economist on Generic Drugs and Competition

Something Rotten is the journal's overall comment.

EU-USA: IP Related Trade Barriers

Report issued by the European Commission, pp. 20-21.

European Commission's Fine of Intel: Much Too Low

This is the view expressed by Robert H. Lande.

Patent Law and Standards Setting

Memorandum of Understanding concluded between the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Vertical Restraints in the EU: Future Policy Framework under Discussion

Public consultation on review of the current regime officially underway.

EU competition policy for the motor vehicle sector

The EU Commission has outlined its future policy actions in this sector.

EU questionnaire on Open Access

The results have been published.

Best Practices on Orphan Works

Released by the Society of American Archivists.

Public views on copyright policy

Micheal Geist launched a new platform on the public consultation on copyright policy currently underway in Canada.

International Competition Policy: Summary of a discussion at the AAI's Annual Conference

Drafted by AAI Director Jonathan Cuneo.

AAI's breakout session "Can Section 5 and Article 82 Converge?" at its Annual Conference

Interesting materials available for download.

European Court of Justice on "temporary and transient reproductions"

From C-5/08, Infopaq International A/S v Danske Dagblades Forening, 16 July 2009: " In the light of the foregoing, the Court finds that an act can be held to be ‘transient’ within the meaning of the second condition laid down in Article 5(1) of Directive 2001/29 only if its duration is limited to what is necessary for the proper completion of the technological process in question, it being understood that that process must be automated so that it deletes that act automatically, without human intervention, once its function of enabling the completion of such a process has come to an end".

IP and competition law

From John Vickers, Competition Policy and Property Rights, p.23
"The European Microsoft judgment has therefore left unclear when a dominant firm with IP rights must share them with rivals. Following the judgment, the answer in Europe appears to be: by no means as exceptionally as previously thought. In some ways it is regrettable that Microsoft did not appeal to the European Court of Justice, which might usefully have clarified if not tightened the law".

Roundtable on Competition and Recession

Hosted by the UK Competition Commission.

On essential facilities and refusals to deal

Comparative and international competition/antitrust law on this relatively open topic, by Spencer Weber Waller, William Tasch, "Harmonizing Essential Facilities and Refusals to Deal".

Michael Geist has some "visions" for Canada's Copyright Law

From a speech he held at the Canada's Digital Economy Conference, "...we need to provide business confidence with rules that provide sufficient flexibility to innovate. We need rules that give consumers confidence that they won’t lose access to their online purchases whenever an online seller drops support for a particular business line. Rules that assure consumers that it’s ok to use their PVR or to shift music to their iPod. Rules that encourage rather than discourage research into encryption and digital security, distance learning opportunities, access to knowledge and long overdue digitization initiatives. We can achieve this kind of reform and still implement international treaties such as the WIPO Internet treaties".

Competition Policy in Italy

The Italian Competition Authority publishes its Annual Report.

Ringtones as Public Performances?

ASCAP's position in US v. ASCAP (on the determination of licensing fees) .

Competition and the Need to Boost the Economy

Rainer Lindberg from the Finnish Competition Authority argues that competition is not an enemy but a precious ally for the current macroeconomic stimulus tools.

European Court of Justice on Article 15(3) of Regulation No 1/2003

From the judgement, C-429/07, Inspecteur van de Belastingdienst v X BV, 11.06.2009.
"(...) a literal interpretation of the first subparagraph of Article 15(3) of Regulation No 1/2003 leads to the conclusion that the option for the Commission, acting on its own initiative, to submit written observations to courts of the Member States is subject to the sole condition that the coherent application of Articles 81 EC or 82 EC so requires. That condition may be fulfilled even if the proceedings concerned do not pertain to issues relating to the application of Article 81 or Article 82 of the Treaty"
...
In proceedings relating to the penalties in respect of anti‑competitive practices provided for in Article 83(2)(a) EC, the decision that the court seised must give is capable of impairing the effectiveness of those penalties and therefore might compromise the coherent application of Articles 81 EC or 82 EC.
In the circumstances of the action in the main proceedings, it is quite clear that the outcome of the dispute relating to the tax deductibility of part of a fine imposed by the Commission is capable of impairing the effectiveness of the penalty imposed by the Community competition authority. The effectiveness of the Commission’s decision by which it imposed a fine on a company might be significantly reduced if the company concerned, or at least a company linked to that company, were allowed to deduct fully or in part the amount of that fine from the amount of its taxable profits, since such a possibility would have the effect of offsetting the burden of that fine with a reduction of the tax burden.
It follows from all of the foregoing that the third sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 15(3) of Regulation No 1/2003 must be interpreted as meaning that it permits the Commission to submit on its own initiative written observations to a national court of a Member State in proceedings relating to the deductibility from taxable profits of the amount of a fine or a part thereof imposed by the Commission for infringement of Articles 81 EC or 82 EC".

File sharing and incentives to produce entertainment: how do they affect each other?

Not very easy to assess, as recently explained by Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Koleman Strumpf (Harvard Business School).

Dynamic competition and merger control

Horizontal Merger Guidelines need rewriting to provide for more dynamic competition, according to David Teece and Gregory Sidak

OECD on (more) innovation in troubled times

Document entitled Policy Responses to the Economic Crisis: Investing in Innovation for Long-Term Growth, which will be discussed at the next OECD ministerial meeting in Paris.

On the economic and legal analysis of systems

Are we really able to assess systems from the point of view of competition policy? A very interesting symposium hosted by the AAI

AAI has more on the EU Intel case

This time it publishes a comprehensive FAQ.

System of merger case allocation in the EU

The Commission reports to the Council.

Google - University of Michigan

Description of the Google-Michigan amended terms released by the Library Association (ALA), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)

Microsoft and the browser choice

Microsoft's has announced the (apparent?) separation of Internet Explorer (IE) from Windows. According to the Commission, other solutions would have been more suitable, such as allowing "consumers to choose from different web browsers presented to them through a 'ballot screen' in Windows"

Financial Regulation and the Current Crisis

"A Guide for the Antitrust Community" by Lawrence J. White.