C. Pedigo, here.
At Politico Tech Week I argued this isnthe type of questions useful economic thinking should deal with - forget Industrial Organization, which is mostly only a dangerous distraction.
C. Pedigo, here.
At Politico Tech Week I argued this isnthe type of questions useful economic thinking should deal with - forget Industrial Organization, which is mostly only a dangerous distraction.
U. Chicago, Law School, here.
I subscribe to many of the points made here.
However, devices are great to take notes. Condemning students to the use of pen and paper is anachronistic at best. I'd erect barricades to restore the right to use my pad and e-pen in the classroom!
Yours, EU GC here.
Also extremely interesting: "Since Apple has been unsuccessful, it must be ordered to pay the costs incurred by the Commission and Coalition for App Fairness, in accordance with the form of order sought by them."
Top: "the EU legislature intended to prevent the classification of a service under the DMA from varying according to the technological choices made by the gatekeeper" - technology neutrality. E.g., relevant legal question: does an AI assistant perform the function of a virtual assistant under the DMA?
Re EECC: hat the Court anticipated possible Apple's moves like a well-chosen national proceeding (before the BNetzA?) that generates a preliminary reference on Article 2(7) - eventually produce a CJEU ruling binding across both regimes?
CJEU, here.
Judging from the press
release, this is a victory on every front. And, this time, quite
literally without appeal. Whether EU competition law can still be
rescued and made more effective is another matter, but it should at
least put some courage back into our enforcers and policy makers!
Favourite
sentence so far "This applies all the more where the conduct at issue
does not lend itself to a quantitative, price-based analysis".
Least favourite: BEUC - The European Consumer Organisation should
bear its own legal costs. If the EU is serious about civil society as
part of its enforcement infrastructure the economics of standing before
its courts deserve the same scrutiny as the substance argued there. The
courts anchors liability in consumer harm (e.g., para. 414 on diversity
of information sources) but their representatives see nothing of the
€4.125 billion fine and have to bear their legal expenses?
Interestingly,
the Stockholm/PriceRunner ruling invites Android claimants (rival
search services, browser vendors, OEMs even?) to plead continuation past
2018. This could at least provide solid economic incentives to comply
with the related DMA obligations - quickly.
While Trump at the G7 Meeting just said in Macron's face "I'm the boss", cheerful atmosphere in sunny Brussels.
After twenty-four hours at the European Competition Forum, the first impressions are becoming sharper. The Forum, we learned, apparently began as a chat, with the European Commission also present, on a platform which one hopes was not itself the competition problem.
A second reason was more practical: the familiar pilgrimage to Washington to talk antitrust. At some point, someone apparently asked the obvious question: why not talk antitrust in Europe, without the jet leg? From that perspective, the Forum could become something the place (.Square") where antitrust practitioners from across the world come to discuss competition law not in Washington DC, but in Brussels. Or, as Executive Vice-President Ribera put it, in “the capital of the rule of law”.
At least yesterday and this morning, and this may change this afternoon or on the third day at the latest (when I will no longer be there), the panels followed a familiar pattern: competition authorities, some academics, companies, and possibly consultants, although not always clearly identified as such. Unsurprisingly, no one in the latter categories volunteered any possible conflicts of interest.
As for substance, frankly, there was little that a regular reader of this blog would not already know rather well. Antitrust received the usual beating: proceedings take at least seven years, while regulation is expected to be broader and faster. There was considerable praise for interoperability, including under the DMA. Unsurprisingly, once AI and interoperability entered the discussion, operating systems followed immediately, with Android and Apple as the obvious reference points.There was also a brief reference to digital sovereignty, innovation & Co. coupled with the familiar suggestion that competition policy can do little in these spaces.
On this point, I disagree. It is not competition policy as such that can do little. It is this kind of competition policy (besides the mixed, ex ante DMA) that can do little. A different competition policy could matter considerably more. But we are clearly not there yet. The intellectual centre of gravity remains markedly traditional and proven ineffective if not plain wrong.
That said, traditionalism is not a certainty any more; Yesterday, for instance, we heard some openings from the current EC competition chief economist that were broader than what we have heard from another entrenched IO economist, Fiona Scott Morton, who had also been considered for the same role. In that respect, one may say, with some relief, that the appointment could have been worse.
Live posts here.
T. Valletti, the new evolutionary economist in town?, here;
D. Juijn et al., here.
We're already in 2029! One antenna-raising is its recurring praise for partnering with American AI firms as the path forward for the European economy. Moreover, remarkably little discussion of market power, gatekeeping, interoperability, the DMA, etc.
Someone just asked Siri to confirm if this would eventually be true, Here.
Jon Stewart's Weekly Show, here.
Google's own words about the opacity of the ecosystem, here.
The Decoder, here.
It is not that German judges invariably get it right — the dreadful Meta decision rather proves the point. Yet, as I recently told someone whose identity now escapes me, they remain among the very few actors in whom I still place some faith to save us from the "tragedy of AI."
The ruling here (AI translated0.
Heise.de, here.
Unsurprising, but this increasingly makes the Data Act a...laughing stock? A good idea that was already watered down during the long negotiations - never enough for the VDL-supported car industry!
More generally, are all regulatory systems that give 'API control' to the gatekeeper bound to fail? We discussed exactly this in Episode 3.
Sign the petition here.
EC, here.
The crux is how the EC legally assessed the changes made in January/July 2023 (relevant/not relevant) and the reasons given. Not such a big deal, IMHO - another Pyrrhic victory by Meta?
Politico.eu, here
[Is Europe condemned to an endless regulatory pilgrimage, forever seeking in the next regime the salvation denied by the last?]
Pope Leo, here is right.
...this blog is and remains 100% atheist (and still wondering how a small band of zealots could acquire such a power), but he's our only hope.
The Pope is also holding up a mirror to the antitrust circus, from enforcers downwards: they might consider fewer (mostly) pointless conferences and more pilgrimages, preferably to a place suitably amusing for the contemplation of their sins (starting from...?)
Because I will not be in Berlin, this is my plan for making the most of re:publica 2026, an especially promising event. This first list contains the sessions I should be able to watch live (re:publica livestream and YouTubechannel).
|
Time |
Title |
Speaker(s) |
Venue |
|
|
11:15–12:15 |
Opening Keynote: How Silicon Valley is Reshaping the World – via AI |
Karen Hao |
Stage 1 |
|
|
15:00–16:00 |
On Enshittification – and What Can Be Done About It |
Cory Doctorow |
Stage 1 |
|
|
17:30–18:00 |
KI und der neue Faschismus |
Rainer Mühlhoff |
Stage 1 |
|
Time |
Title |
Speaker(s) |
Venue |
|
|
12:30–13:30 |
How to Never Give Up: Investigating (and Surviving) Techno-Authoritarianism. A Conversation with Carole Cadwalladr |
Carole Cadwalladr, Geraldine de Bastion |
Stage 1 |
|
|
15:30–16:00 |
Zivilgesellschaft unter Druck |
Siri Hummel |
Stage 1 |
|
Time |
Title |
Speaker(s) |
Venue |
|
|
13:00–13:30 |
Was machen die globalen Krisen mit unserer Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und unserem Wohlstand? |
Marcel Fratzscher |
Stage 1 |
|
|
15:00–15:30 |
Von Habermas zum Podcast: Das Ende der Schriftkultur und die verquatschte Republik |
Albrecht von Lucke |
Stage 1 |
|
|
17:30–18:30 |
Zur Gegenmacht |
Arne Semsrott |
Stage 1 |
|
|
18:45–19:45 |
Closing #rp26 |
Andreas Gebhard, Markus Beckedahl, Anna Dushime, Nilz Bokelberg |
Stage 1 |
|
Time |
Title |
Speaker(s) |
Venue |
|
|
11:15–12:15 |
Opening Keynote: How Silicon Valley is Reshaping the World – via AI |
Karen Hao |
Stage 1 |
|
|
12:10–13:00 |
Im Stresstest: Europa und die grosse Disruption |
Kiran Klaus Patel, Isabel Schayani |
Stage 5 |
|
|
12:30–13:30 |
Cut Me Loose: Wie der EU der digitale Befreiungsschlag gelingt |
Axel Voss, Alexandra Geese, Julia Pohle, Frank Karlitschek, Daniel Leisegang |
Stage 7 |
|
|
13:00–14:00 |
Trotz allem: Hoffnung Europa? |
Angela Merkel, Markus Preiss, Caro Bredendiek, Florian Gregorzyk |
Stage 5 |
|
|
13:45–14:45 |
The Next Health Tech Giants Won’t Come from Silicon Valley |
Anna Sophie Herken, Axel Deniz, Abimbola Adebakin, Christine Mhundwa |
Stage 6 |
|
|
15:00–16:00 |
On Enshittification – and What Can Be Done About It |
Cory Doctorow |
Stage 1 |
|
|
15:00–15:30 |
Globalisierung im Wandel: Was passiert in der Weltwirtschaft und was bedeutet das für die deutsche Wirtschaft? |
Almira Enders |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
|
15:00–15:30 |
Von Plantage zu Plattform: Wie Kolonialismus digital weiterlebt |
Justice Mvemba |
Lightning Box 3 |
|
|
15:30–16:00 |
Colonialism, AI, and the Apocalypse: A Brief History of Intelligence |
Ninell Oldenburg |
Lightning Box 3 |
|
|
16:15–16:45 |
Wer die Themen setzt, gewinnt: Wie demokratische Kräfte das Netz zurückerobern können |
Peter Jelinek, Melanie Goemmel |
Stage 6 |
|
|
16:15–17:15 |
Who Owns the Future? Digitale Souveränität ohne Grenzen |
Anna Sophie Herken, Thomas Jarzombek, Nikolaus Hagl, Rhoda Berger |
Stage 7 |
|
|
16:45–17:15 |
How to Fight the Broligarchy by Democratizing AI |
Annette Zimmermann |
Stage 3 |
|
|
16:45–17:15 |
Big Tech in the Crosshairs – How to Break Hyperscalers’ Power |
Maria Luisa Stasi, Brianna Rock |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
|
16:45–17:15 |
Zivilgesellschaft 2.0: Die Hochwasser-Lektion – Warum wir das Potenzial der digitalen Bürgerbeteiligung nicht aufgeben dürfen |
Florian Schodritz |
Lightning Box 3 |
|
|
17:30–18:00 |
KI und der neue Faschismus |
Rainer Mühlhoff |
Stage 1 |
|
|
17:30–18:30 |
Podcast Zivilgesellschaft neu denken live |
Maja Göpel, Siri Hummel, Astrid Deilmann |
Stage 2 |
|
|
17:30–18:00 |
Erst die UX, dann die Moral: Mit Opportunismus gegen Big Tech |
Torben Klausa |
Stage 3 |
|
|
17:30–18:00 |
Social Media als kritische Infrastruktur – Warum Europas Demokratie eigene Netzwerke braucht |
Sebastian Vogelsang |
Stage 7 |
|
|
18:45–19:15 |
Der digitale Wiederaufbau Europas |
Wolfgang Oels |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
|
19:15–19:45 |
Wirf deine Rechte unter den Omnibus: Wie die EU Reform-Agenda droht, ein Jahrzehnt digitaler Rechte zu löschen |
Ralf Bendrath, Thomas Lohninger |
Stage 4 |
|
|
19:15–19:45 |
Was wir von der Sovereign Tech Agency lernen können |
René Lührsen |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
Time |
Title |
Speaker(s) |
Venue |
Language |
|
10:00–11:00 |
Big Tech verklagen, Rechte durchsetzen |
Max Schrems, Albrecht von Sonntag, Katharina Meyer |
Stage 2 |
|
|
10:00–10:30 |
Unternehmer*innentum als ultimative Form des Aktivismus |
Alma Spribille |
Lightning Box 2 |
|
|
11:15–11:45 |
Der Innovationsmaschinenraum Deutschlands: 11 Pioniere live auf einer Bühne |
Alexandra-Gwyn Paetz, Jeanne Rubner, Max Lemme, Tim-Henri Bruun, Julia Schaft, Wibke Zängler, Hanna Hasselblatt, Peter Krüger, Christopher S. Riess, Luisa Brückner, Marco Gustav, Rik de Doncker, Nina Weber, Oliver May-Beckmann |
Stage 3 |
|
|
11:15–11:45 |
Offline per Gesetz – Brauchen wir ein Social-Media-Verbot für Kinder und Jugendliche? |
Sanya Lehmann, Kristian Kunow, Kerstin Paschke, Ninia LaGrande |
Stage 7 |
|
|
12:30–13:30 |
How to Never Give Up: Investigating (and Surviving) Techno-Authoritarianism. A Conversation with Carole Cadwalladr |
Carole Cadwalladr, Geraldine de Bastion |
Stage 1 |
|
|
12:30–13:00 |
Der digitale Euro: Was bringt er, wann kommt er, wie funktioniert er? |
Jens Reich |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
|
13:00–13:30 |
Hat KI eine Meinung zu Milch? Infovermittlung in Zeiten der 5. Generation Gatekeeper |
Simone K. Frey, Jakob Vicari, Mads Pankow |
Stage 6 |
|
|
14:15–14:45 |
Wer ist hier souverän? Wie wir digitale Souveränität messbar gemacht haben. |
Laura Dornheim, Jürgen Pfeffer |
Stage 3 |
|
|
14:15–14:45 |
Nudge+, Boost und mehr – Verhaltensökonomik die befähigt |
Philipp Thamer |
Lightning Box 3 |
|
|
15:00–15:30 |
Keep Going: Lessons from Civil Society on Both Sides of the Atlantic |
Marina Pavlic, Daniel Altschuler, Ella Müller |
Stage 7 |
|
|
15:30–16:00 |
Zivilgesellschaft unter Druck |
Siri Hummel |
Stage 1 |
|
|
15:30–16:00 |
Brüssel, mach doch was! |
Renate Nikolay, Falk Steiner |
Stage 4 |
|
|
15:30–16:00 |
Die Narrative der Macht: Was Big Tech uns glauben lassen möchte und wie wir uns die Zukunft zurückerobern |
Linda Klapdor |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
|
16:15–16:45 |
How the EuroStack Initiative is Fighting for Digital Sovereignty in Europe |
Frank Karlitschek |
Stage 6 |
|
|
17:30–18:30 |
Klassismus im digitalen Raum – Zwischen Selbstermächtigung und medialem Versagen?! |
Helena Steinhaus, Malik Yannick Gannouchi, Maja Malik, Manuel Biallas |
Stage 3 |
Deutsch |
|
18:00–18:30 |
Die Rache der Konsument*innen. Streiten über Kunst und Kultur im Internet |
Johannes Franzen |
Stage 2 |
Deutsch |
|
Time |
Title |
Speaker(s) |
Venue |
Language |
|
10:00–11:00 |
OpenClaw – Anatomie der kommenden Welle |
Stephan Noller, Benedikt Köhler |
Stage 2 |
|
|
10:00–10:30 |
Bye-Bye Big Tech: Schleswig-Holsteins Ausbruch in die digitale Souveränität |
Dirk Schrödter, Leonhard Dobusch |
Stage 5 |
|
|
10:30–11:00 |
Digitale Souveränität: Das Bullshit Bingo |
Marielle-Sophie Düh, Julia Pohle |
Stage 5 |
|
|
10:30–11:00 |
Thiel, Altman und das Silicon Valley – Wie berichten über die Macht der Tech-Bosse? |
Jasmin Körber, Christian Schiffer |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
|
11:45–12:15 |
Digitale Unabhängigkeit und monetäre Souveränität jetzt! Wie wollen wir in Europa bezahlen? |
Sebastian Giessmann, Petra Gehring |
Stage 6 |
|
|
12:30–13:00 |
Europas KI-Zukunft: Gefangen im Lock-in oder souverän dank Wettbewerb? |
Nicole Büttner, Pascal Kaufmann, Celine Nauer |
Stage 6 |
|
|
12:30–13:00 |
Wie souverän ist Open Source wirklich? |
Mark Neufurth |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
|
13:00–13:30 |
Was machen die globalen Krisen mit unserer Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und unserem Wohlstand? |
Marcel Fratzscher |
Stage 1 |
|
|
13:45–14:15 |
Big Tech Lobbying besser verstehen |
Joris Kanowski |
Lightning Box 2 |
|
|
14:15–14:45 |
Keine Macht der Ohnmacht! Wie wir Krisen bewältigen und uns gegen Faschismus wehren |
Matthias Quent |
Stage 2 |
|
|
14:15–14:45 |
Das Lobbyregister als digitales Recherchewerkzeug |
Aurel Eschmann, Timo Lange |
Lightning Box 2 |
|
|
14:15–14:45 |
Der blinde Fleck: Wie Asien (und nicht das Silicon Valley) die digitale Zukunft baut |
Adrian Block, Sofie Wiedemeyer |
Lightning Box 3 |
|
|
15:00–15:30 |
Von Habermas zum Podcast: Das Ende der Schriftkultur und die verquatschte Republik |
Albrecht von Lucke |
Stage 1 |
|
|
15:00–15:30 |
The Great Enclosure: Survival Tactics for the Digital Commons |
Lea Gimpel |
Lightning Box 2 |
|
|
15:30–16:00 |
Hype is a System: How Tech Futures Get Made |
Georgina Neitzel, Raphael Iltisberger |
Stage 5 |
|
|
15:30–16:00 |
Mut zur Innovation. Wie bringen wir nachhaltige Lösungen in den Mainstream – ohne Kulturkampf und ideologische Debatten. |
Cornelius Lahme, Sebastian Rakers |
Stage 7 |
|
|
15:30–16:00 |
Wie landet man 2026 noch einen Podcast-Hit? |
Benedikt Dietsch, Ali Gutsfeld |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
|
15:30–16:00 |
The Limits of Openness in Europe’s Digital Sovereignty Agenda |
Aditya Singh, Aline Blankertz, Sebastian Vogelsang |
Lightning Box 2 |
|
|
16:15–16:45 |
AI Industrial Policy, Done Right |
Carsten Jung, Frederike Kaltheuner, Elizabeth Nöfer
|
Stage 5 |
|
|
16:45–17:15 |
Digitale Souveränität durch dezentrale Netzwerke? Potenziale und Widersprüche am Beispiel Mastodon |
Marco Wähner |
Lightning Box 1 |
|
|
17:30–18:30 |
Zur Gegenmacht |
Arne Semsrott |
Stage 1 |
|
|
17:30–18:30 |
Demokratisierung der Medien oder Content-Kapitalismus: Was wird aus der Creator Economy? |
Jeanette Okwu, Stefanie Lefeldt, Robin Blase, Adil Sbai, Moritz Meyer |
Stage 5 |
|
|
18:45–19:45 |
Closing #rp26 |
Andreas Gebhard, Markus Beckedahl, Anna Dushime, Nilz Bokelberg |
Stage 1 |