Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Conference on the preliminary findings of the e-commerce inquiry - A few very selective and biased notes

EC, 6 October 2016.
Programme here.
Catch-up video here.
Contribution from academia (S2)

Some notes on my favourite Session (S3).
Bundeskartellamt (7:02:30)
Asics Decision here.
-- prohibition to sale via marketplaces: no agreement on this specific issue with the EC, feu vert on the others
--- total ban not expressly prohibited in the decision (obiter dictum para. 40: "Des Weiteren sind den autorisierten Händlern im ASICS-Vertriebssystem 1.0 die Bewerbung und der Verkauf über Online-Marktplätze per se – d.h. unabhängig von der konkreten Ausgestaltung des jeweiligen Marktplatzes – verboten. Auch wenn darüber mit Blick auf die vorgenannten und hier festgestellten Kernbeschränkungen nicht mehr entschieden wird, könnten nach Auffassung des Bundeskartellamts auch durch dieses Verbot viele ASICS-Händler daran gehindert werden, mehr und andere Kunden auch außerhalb ihres engen geographischen Vertriebsgebiets schnell und effektiv über das Internet zu erreichen").
- Widespread pressure on retailers towards RPM: How do we deal with that?
Lego, dual-pricing settlement
-- conditions shaping the quality of the distribution of Lego products both on- and offline
Tasks based on the findings and NCAs' case law
-- find a balance between extreme views,
-- keen interest in fostering innovation at the retailers' level and the manufacturers' level (a whole book and a couple of articles written on this, SV, here and ici),
-- seek level playing field (and EU Courts are going to help)
--- CJEU Coty here.
---- Deuter here.

Discussion Round (NCAs and input from the audience)
Geoblocking, territorial restrictions
-- P fragmented e-commerce sector; are restrictions/barriers always justified? Like restrictions on passive sales? Consumer associations complain. Geoblocking Reg might help to fill some possible gaps. EC better placed to deal with it, but NCAs dealing with ban on passive sales within national territory (Galp Energia - bottled gas decision here) - also online.
-- NL not so many complaints - differently from D (should the NL NCA somehow start worrying about it?). Geo-blocking Reg: many issues (applicable law, extension to b2b - territorial supply restraints, etc.)
-- D no complaints on geo-blocking from within D. Cooperation with other NCAs within the ECN (with LUX on car sales - info about this case not found)
--S territorial restrictions, complaints received, not acted upon (imports from lower priced countries banned), EC better placed (if banished within the ECN based on cooperation among some Members risk of consumers in high priced countries better off and in low priced countries worse off - balance necessary, ergo EC's task)
Marketplace, selective distribution
-- NL tension between price comp by retailers and quality driven manufacturers; in general VR are efficient (protect manufacturers' investments, ok if interbrand competition),
-- S new knowledge: marketplaces' use by retailers much lower in S than in D, bans much less prevalent than in D (not sure)
-- P selective distribution cases not frequent (not even offline)
-- D selective distribution systems may go beyond what is necessary to generate efficiencies, for example imposing bans of third party platforms, quite a lot of litigation before D courts - NCA's intervention therefore necessary to influence the shaping  of competition policy (otherwise D courts will shape it totally on their own)
--- Adidas (here) and Asics both included bans of third party platforms: marketplaces are important sales channels for smaller retailers (pretty sure about this one) - 2/3 of their sales.
--- perhaps more a political than an economic question: marketplace shops by both manufacturer and retailer on the same platform - refusal to supply if the latter continues (I would add: see also CMA online posters case, here)
-- e-commerce a priority in D and ECN rather active, EU courts progressing as well (who is missing here?)
-- NL free-riding by manufacturers possibly also an issue (p.105) - "striking" to him "a little bit of an eye-opener"
-- D possible free-riding by manufacturers also to be considered, debate within the NCA itself very useful to decide borderline cases; in general, intervention by CAs can also reduce complexity (answering to Baker&McKenzie)
- Online price transparency, RPM
-- NL, S, no red line for intervention, interest in parallel systems (but which one do you decide to face, practically?)
-- P price transparency a problem in markets prone to collusion - algorithms possibly helping in this regard (US poster case mentioned but strangely not the parallel UK case...)
--- new instruments necessary to tackle collusion in online markets (e.g., data screening employed in the Libor cases)
--- dual pricing and minimum RPM to offset retailers' free-riding strategies, efficiency allegation not grounded (Royal Canin, here)
--- RPM: companies should consider alternative, less restrictive vertical restraints
-- D not stuck to one brand of assessment framework, and making available instruments fit for the online world; case by case inevitable: evolution by interpretion
--- VRBER setting the scene and not easy to circumvent
---- Courts might challenge provisions
-- NL digital content: premium content increasingly important, particularly in an oligopolistic market (merger commitment decision here)
--- market study into the online streaming video sector launched (looking at the issues from various angles; French study also just published, here)


Meldpunt: de dupe van je data

Consumentenbond, hier

FCC Privacy Plan Could Hamper Verizon's Data Integration With AOL and Yahoo

AdAge, here

Snooping in the Bathroom to Assess Credit Risk in China

NYTimes, here

Pourquoi Samsung n’est pas vraiment fragilisé par l’explosion de ses téléphones tant le groupe coréen fait partie de ces oligopoles qui échappent à la concurrence aujourd’hui

Atlantico.fr, ici

Hayek: For Humility and Against a Nobel Prize in Economics

Conversableeconomist, here

Impact of the European Commission’s Draft Directive on Contract Rules for the Supply of Digital Content

Deloitte for EDiMA, here.

Mastercard kooperiert mit Berliner Fintech

FAZ, hier

On the Importance of Preserving the Consistency and Integrity of the EU Acquis Relating to Content Monitoring within the Information Society

A substantial number of Academics, Open Letter to the EC, here

Deezer, Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play Music… : notre comparatif

Numerama, ici

How These Companies Are Using AI To Boost Productivity

FastCompany, here. 

Uber's Cab Commission antitrust suit

Competition Policy International, here

Lund moligopolists

N. Petit, Presentation here

« Il est très facile d'ignorer ou d'exagérer les dangers de l'intelligence artificielle »

LesEchos, ici

South Korea regulator says to examine Google's Android agreements

Reuters, here

How do we reform tech?

Medium, here

An energy first as UK successfully transmits data via national electricity grid

TheGuardian, here.

Saturday, October 08, 2016

Yahoo email spying claims prompt warning from UN rights tsar

The Guardian, here.

EU Copyright Reform: Intermediary Liability

C. Angelopoulos, here.

The liberating effect of killing off a state-owned rival

P. Osmosi, here.

NYC Uber users can now see exactly what their ride will cost before they request it

Recode, here.

Machine logic: our lives are ruled by big tech's 'decisions by data'

J. Powles, here.

HH Datenschutzbeauftragte rät davon ab, WhatsApp zu verwenden-und empfiehlt alternative Anbieter

Heise.de, hier.

Facebook and the Economics of Privacy and Big Data

Oliver Budzinski, Guest Lecture, 14 October 2016, 8.45 AM, Room 3C – Department of Economics and Management, Trento University.
Presentation here.

Google's Hardware Push Is All About AI

FastCompany, here.

European Commission signals Antitrust Enforcement Actions in the E-Commerce Sector

Cleary Gottlieb, here.

Platformes et accès aux contenus audiovisuels

Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel, Ici.

Big Data and Competition Policy: An Introduction and a Few Myths

A. Grunes, M. Stucke, here.

Recalibrating Patent Venue

C. Chien, M. Risch, here.

15 questions from consumers on copyright

EUIPO, here.

What can EU competition law do for speed skaters?

LeidenLawBlog, here.

Big data, smart enforcement

BEUC, here.

Strengthening Competition: Innovation, Collaboration and Transparency

J. Pecman, here.

Facebook/WhatsApp data swap deal being probed by Spanish agency

IndianExpress, here.

L'éditeur de logiciels Nexedi assigne Apple au tribunal de commerce de Paris

Challenges.fr, ici.

Google researchers aim to prevent AIs from discriminating

TechCrunch, here.

Verizon will soon start selling data plans for drones

TheVerge, here.

Apple mysteriously banned a popular app from its App store ... and a lot of programmers are mad

BusinessInsider, here.

Monetizing car data

McKinsey.de, here.

An in-depth analysis of how Expedia converts visitors into customers

EconConsultancy, Part One here.

Thursday, October 06, 2016

Patent Assertion Entity Activity

FTC, here.

Only 146 pages, actually

I have seen the future of the Internet: Millions of rogue fridges will render it unusable

G. Moody, here

Protecting Privacy for Broadband Consumers

FCC, here

Big Data Rights: Let's Get Together

EDPS, here

The Pros and Cons of the Sharing Economy

Seminar in Stockholm staged by the Swedish Competition Authority on Friday 11 November, programme here, webcast here.

Neue Behörde soll Google bändigen

Handelsblatt, hier

Google's AI Plans Are A Privacy Nightmare

W. Turton, here

Echanges d’information : nouvelles frontières

Concurrences, ici.

Sabotaging the Competition: Lessons from Intel

M. Sonwinsky, Video here.

When Algorithms Decide What You Pay

ProPublica, here

Effectiveness of the purely turnover-based jurisdictional thresholds of the EU Merger Regulation

EC, Evaluation Roadmap, here

The Rise of the Machines – How Automated Digital Assistants Can Reduce Competition (and the Cash in Your Wallet)

A. Ezrachi, M. Stucke, here.

Tuesday, October 04, 2016

Software patents are deadweight loss to economy, says Federal Circuit

WorldIPReview, here.

Life After Android: The Battle Of The Platforms Heats Up

Forbes, here.

Market Study Online Video Streaming Platforms

ACM, Video Here.

Well, these online platforms have been around for a while already, but it's true that they're continously evolving. In fact, it's tough to produce a market study in this area that isn't at least partly outdated while the ink is barely dry on it.

Amazon bans reviews based on free or discounted products

ArsTechnica, here.

Bibliography of Materials Relevant to the Interaction of Competition Policy, Big Data and Personal Data

C. Ritter, here.

The US no longer controls the address book for the Internet

Wired, here.

Free Trade Agreements Should Promote Generic Competition, Speakers Say At WTO

IP-Watch, here

Accelerating the Internet of Things in the UK: Using policy to support practice

RAND, here.
"...the survey results highlight that there is a strong
perception that consumers should be in control of their personal data at all times, signalling a distinctive move towards individuals themselves acting as their own ‘data controllers’."

Seedy business: Patent war looms over Europe’s crop diversity

Politico.eu, here

Enhancing competition in retail

R. Sims, here

Avec Marketplace, Facebook déclare officiellement la guerre à LeBonCoin

Numerama, ici

Révolution cartographique ?

Arte, Le dessous des cartes, Vidéo ici

Amazon Bets Big on India's Busiest Shopping Season

Bloomberg, here

Google invents a Touch Gesture System Designed Specifically for Future Smart Garments

Patentlyapple.com, here

Mergers would cut ‘Big 6’ to ‘Big 4’

Iowafarmertoday, here

A Grand Bargain to Make Tech Companies Trustworthy

J. Balkin, J. Zittrain, here

What The Rise And Stall Of Pokemon Go Can Teach Creative Marketers

Fastcocreate.com, here

Peut-on revendre la copie de sauvegarde d'un logiciel ? Réponse de la CJUE le 12 octobre

NextImpact, ici. . 

Monday, October 03, 2016

Salesforce Will Press Two Big Points in LinkedIn Antitrust Fight

thestreet.com, here.

The Netflix library has collapsed 50% in total title count since 2012

Exstreamist, here  

Online sales of posters and frames

CMA, Decision, here.

'Maintaining good relationships with customers is a legitimate objective, however where such an objective is achieved by means of an anti- competitive arrangement, that arrangement can be regarded as having an anti-competitive object.'

'Repricing software is normally used by online
sellers to compete with other online sellers by automatically adjusting
the prices of their products in response to the live prices of competitors’
products...However, in the present case the repricing software was
configured by the Parties to restrict price competition between them in
order to give effect to the Infringing Agreement'.

Fighting bid rigging in public procurement

Report on implementing the OECD Recommendation, here

Geographic market definition across national borders

OECD Background Paper, here. 

PCW Report

UK Regulators Network, here.
Letter to the CMA, here.
Notes from an acedemic seminar, here

Indirect Evidence in Cartel Cases

J. Kloub, Presentation here

Filmmakers Stealing From Painters: 20 Examples of Films That “Remixed” a Painting

Mentorless, here

Survey and data gathering to support the evaluation of the Satellite and Cable Directive 93/83/EEC and assessment of its possible extension

Study prepared for the European Commission, here.

Exploring Data Portability

The White House, here