Meta Wins Court Nod to Buy Virtual Reality Startup in Loss for Khan’s FTC

 Bloomberg, here. 

COMPETITION IN THE MOBILE APPLICATION ECOSYSTEM

 US Department of Commerce, here. 

EU studying whether Big Tech should pay network costs -EU document

 MarketScreener, here. 

Do DMA obligations for gatekeepers create entitlements for business users?

 O. Andriychuk, here. 

Is the DMA the real AI regulation?

 The Tech Brief, here. 

DOJ Suit to Break Up Google Was Years in the Making for Antitrust Chief

 WSJ, here (and here). 

A discussion with James Bessen about his book "The New Goliaths"

 YouTube, here. 

Cutting Through the Jargon - Independent Audits in the Digital Services Act

 Mozilla, here. 

Deploying Network Analysis in Antitrust Law (Publications)

 Adlc, here. 

Study on the impact of recent developments in digital advertising on privacy, publishers and advertisers

 Report for the EC, here. 

A Case for Openness – Book Publishing and the Role of Amazon

 A. Kreutzmann-Gallash, S. Schroff, here. 

BEREC Report on the Internet Ecosystem

 Here.

Manipulative online practices found on 148 out of 399 online shops screened

 EC, here.

SHIFTING FROM OPEN BANKING TO OPEN FINANCE Results from the 2022 OECD survey on data sharing frameworks

 OECD, here. 

Should AI Start-Ups Make Us Re-evaluate Our Emphasis on Big Tech?

 E. Ranieris, here. 

Decoding the Hype About AI

 The MarkUp, here. 

DATENRAUM GESUNDHEIT: DIE LÖSUNG ETHISCHER FRAGE STELLUNGEN ALS VORAUSSET ZUNG FÜR INNOVATION IM GESUNDHEITSWESEN

 Initiative D21, hier. 

$6.6 billion fintech Wise accused by rival of harming competition

 CNBC, here. 

Will the Metaverse Be Entertaining? Ask South Korea.

 NYTimes, here. 

AI governance and human rights: Resetting the relationship

 Chatman House, here. 

AI Watch: Artificial Intelligence Standardisation Landscape Update

 JRC Technical Report, here. 

"More" here

What ChatGPT and the likes tell us about AI

 Euractiv, Tech Brief here. 

US Department of Justice sues Google, seeks to break up its ad tech business

 Geradin Partners, here. 

The Public Stakes of Consumer Law: The Environment, the Economy, Health, Disinformation, and Beyond

 R. Van Loo, here. 

NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) Launch

 Here; Video here; 

πάντα ῥεῖ, alles stroomt

 ACM, hier. 

ANTITRUST INTEROPERABILITY REMEDIES

 H. Hovenkamp, here. 

Spamming the regulator: How Big Tech's 'economic consultants' undermine EU competition policy

 Corporate Europe, here. 

Merger control in the digital age – Challenges and development perspectives

 Bundeskartellamt, here. 

Stellungnahme der Bundesregierung: Sektorgutachten Nr. 12 der Monopolkommission „Telekommunikation 2021: Wettbewerb im Umbruch“

 Hier. 

Data-based business models explained while making toast for breakfast (maybe)

 

https://marketoonist.com/2023/01/evolution-of-smart-products.html… via

@tomfishburne

Darmstädter Forscher kritisieren Schwächen von ChatGPT

 Heise.de, hier. 

ICYMI: The first New Brandeisian decision in Europe? Insights from the Utah Statement

 S. Vezzoso (me), here (#3 most read Concurrences article in 2022, #9999999 most liked, I guess). 

Lasting Change in Competition Law and Policy

 S. Waller, here. 

From the lion's den: Incipient Merger Policy

 DoJ, here. 

A Pop Culture Guide to Antitrust

 S. Waller, here. 

Microsoft, GitHub, and OpenAI ask court to throw out AI copyright lawsuit

 The Verge, here. 

Tim Wu on Why the GOP’s Crusade Against Big Tech Is Baloney

 Intelligencer, here. 

BEREC report on interoperability of Number-Independent Interpersonal Communication Services (NI-ICS)

 Draft, still time to comment on it, here. 

Justice Department Sues Google for Monopolizing Digital Advertising Technologies

 PR, here.

Complaint, here,

App stores, antitrust and their links to net neutrality: A review of the European policy and academic debate leading to the EU Digital Markets Act

 C. Marsden, I. Brown, here. 

Google Meet and Zoom achieve bilateral interoperability

 AndroidPolice, here. 

Bundeskartellamt initiates proceeding against PayPal

 Bundeskartellamt, here, 

Google to make changes to Android business terms in India after antitrust blow

 TechCrunch, here. 

On-platform Tying or Another Case of Leveraging- A Discussion on Facebook Marketplace

 D. Mandrescu, here. 

Can the world’s de facto tech regulator really rein in AI?

 Codastory, here. 

How to Implement the DMA?

 CERRE, Panel here. 

CERRE Report, here. 

The Problem with Easy Technology

 T. Wu, here. 

Souveräner Datenaustausch als Enabler Künstlicher Intelligenz

 Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK), hier.

Google zähmen

 Verfassungsblog, hier. 

That’s the Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment

 US Senate Hearing, here. 

Sustainability - Exploring the possible

 CMA, here, 

Data Governance: Value Orders and Jurisdictional Conflicts

A. Obendiek, here. 

URBAN DATA SHARING FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST

 The New Institute, here.

A Pitched Battle on Corporate Power

 D. Dayen, here. 

Towards a Technological Overhaul of American Antitrust

G. Zhe Jin et al., here. 

(The MTA, 15 y. too late).

Meta’s New Year kicks off with over $410M in fresh EU privacy fines

 The Great Natasha (TechCrunch), here. 

Meta prohibited from using personal data for advertisement

 Noyb, here. 

Understanding Tech Platforms & Cloud Empires

V. Lehdonvirta, here. 

Remarks by Executive Vice-President Vestager on the decision to make binding commitments offered by Amazon

 Here. 

Warum Nutzer des Mixed-Reality-Headsets von Apple angeblich am Rad drehen

 Heise.de, hier. 

Read Microsoft’s response to the FTC’s Activision Blizzard lawsuit

 The Verge, here. 

Meta acquires Luxexcel, a smart eyewear company

 TechCrunch, here.

Who Should Guard the Gatekeepers: Does the DMA Replicate the Unworkable Test of Regulation 1/2003 to Settle Conflicts Between EU and National Laws?

 O. Brook, M. Eben, here. 

On-platform Tying or Another Case of Leveraging- A Discussion on Facebook Marketplace

 D. Mandrescu, here. 

The Economics of Amazon

 F. Etro, here. 

10 Punkte für nachhaltigen Wettbewerb als Grundpfeiler der sozialökologischen Marktwirtschaft

 BMWK, hier. 

Interoperability in digital markets

 I. Brown, Video here (from 2:21:19).

Apple's App Store and Competition: Opinion of a lobbying group

 Coalition for App fairness, here. 

Short-term accommodation rental services: data protection

 EDPS, here. 

Das sprachgewaltige Plappermaul

 E. Wolfangel, here. 

Dark Data: Produced by Students enrolled in David Carroll's course

 Here. 

AI Act: general Approach by the Council

 Here. 

"Artificial Intelligence co-regulation"

 C. Marsden, Video here. 

DMA & Self-Preferencing: Vanessa Turner (BEUC), Denis Sparas (DMA TaskForce), Gonçalo Machado Borges

Chez Oles Andriychuk,  Video, here. 

Amazon settles EU allegations regarding third-party sellers on Amazon Marketplace: some progress made but much remains to be done

 T. Smith, here. 

Unpacking 'commercial surveillance': The state of tracking

 EP Briefing, here. 

The European Commission buys into Amazon’s flawed commitments

 Balanced Economy, here. 

The GAFAM Empire: AN EXPLORATION OF ACQUISITIONS

 The Glassroom, here. 

The Half-a-Billion Fortnite Fine Kicks Off a New Era of Regulating User Interfaces

 Gizmodo, here. 

Courtroom updates in the matter of FTC v Meta/Within

 L. Hepner, here. 

Greek Final Report on the Sector Inquiry into Financial Technologies under article 40 of L. 3959/2011 - Executive Summary

 Here. 

An Indian DMA?

 ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES BY BIG TECH COMPANIES, here. 

Commission accepts commitments by Amazon barring it from using marketplace seller data, and ensuring equal access to Buy Box and Prime

 EC, Press Release here. 

European Data Summit 2022

 Day 1, Video. 

Day 2, Video.

Day 3, Video. 

Opinion 26/2022 on the Proposal for a Regulation on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services

 EDPS, here. 

A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?

 Technology Review, here. 

Fortnite Video Game Maker Epic Games to Pay More Than Half a Billion Dollars over FTC Allegations of Privacy Violations and Unwanted Charges

 FTC, here. 

Commission sends Statement of Objections to Meta over abusive practices benefiting Facebook Marketplace

 EC, here. 

Study for developing criteria for assessing reasonable compensation in the case of statutory data access right

 Study for the European Commission Directorate-General Justice and Consumers, here. 

Oral Argument Before the FTC: Illumina, Inc. and Grail, Inc.– December 13, 2022

 Video here. 

RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

 OECD, here. 

HOW WILL THE AI ACT DEAL WITH OPEN SOURCE AI SYSTEMS?

 Open Future, here. 

AI as Systemic Risk in a Polycrisis

 A. Küsters, here. 

DATA SHAPING FIRMS AND MARKETS

 OECD, here. 

DATA IN AN EVOLVING TECHNOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE - THE CASE OF CONNECTED AND AUTOMATED VEHICLES

OECD, here.  

Opinion piece: The DSA also works “in the metaverse” – if it is enforced well

 J. Jaursch, here. 

The whole European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade on one page

 Here.

Advocate General Rantos: The FIFA-UEFA rules under which any new competition is subject to prior approval are compatible with EU competition law

 CJEU, here. 

Merger review in digital and technology markets: Insights from national case law

 The Great V. Robertson for the EC, here. 

Merger Enforcement in Digital and Tech Markets: an Overview of the European Commission’s Practice

 EC, here. 

Practical information on implementation of the “Guidance on the application of the referral mechanism set out in Article 22 of the Merger Regulation to certain categories of cases”

 EC, here. 

Apple to Allow Outside App Stores in Overhaul Spurred by EU Laws

 Bloomberg, here. 

Mobile browsers and cloud gaming market investigation

 CMA, Statement of issues here. 

Der Weg zu einem Dateninstitut für Deutschland

 Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK), hier. 

Ab ins Metaversum! Virtuelle Realitäten als Internet der Zukunft?

 Onlinekas, Video hier. 

IPEN Webinar on central bank digital currency

 Video, here. 

PRIVATE MESSAGING INTEROPERABILITY IN THE EU DIGITAL MARKETS ACT

 I. Brown, here. 

Menschenrechte im Digitalen

 FES, hier. 

Anhörung zum Web 3.0 und Metaverse

 Bundestag, hier. 

Sustainability and Competition Policy Enforcement

 Adlc, here. 

AG DSK „Microsoft-Onlinedienste“

Hier.  

FTC Seeks to Block Microsoft Corp.’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc.

 FTC, here. 

Complaint here. 

Reminder: Case M.10001 - MICROSOFT / ZENIMAX

Inquiry into international digital platforms operated by Big Tech companies

 Senate Economics References Committee, Issues Paper, here. 

Enforcing the Digital Markets Act: Institutional Choices, Compliance, and Antitrust

 J. Crémer et al., here. 

Datenräume und Datenökosysteme – Erste Einordnung und aktueller Stand

 Bitkom, hier. 

Economic Opportunities in the Metaverse: A Policy Approach

 Meta itself, here. 

Ensuring the full potential of EHDS: Stakeholders’ recommendations on how to make the digital transformation a success across Europe

 Many Stakeholders, here. 

EHDS: Dead at Birth?

 Euractiv, here. 

H/T Malte

Régulation des algorithmes : où en est le projet-pilote Regalia ?

 Inria, ici. 

Internet as a Commons

 IGF 2022, Video here. 

Music and streaming: Final report

 CMA, here. 

UMG takes 49% stake in indie giant PIAS

 MusicWeek, here. 

The EHDS: European rules for trustworthy health innovation

 Digitaleurope, Video here. 

Effective and Proportionate Implementation of the DMA: The View of Some CERRE- Affiliated IO Economists

 Here. 

Commission fines styrene purchasers €157 million in cartel settlement

 EC, here. 

Sarah Cardell: Ensuring digital market outcomes that benefit people, businesses and the wider UK economy

 CMA, here. 

CONSUMER CREDIT DIRECTIVE: BEUC recommendations for trilogues

 Here. 

Andreas Schwab interviewed by Damien Geradin

 Video here. 

Apple's VR/AR plans

 Here. 

AI Act: Council Position

 Here. 

What's the future of data privacy? Engineering and invention in the world of data protection

 Video here. 

Online safety and data protection: A joint statement by Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office

 DRCF, here. 

The platformisation of digital payments: The fabrication of consumer interest in the EU FinTech agenda

V. Ferrari, here.  

Online Consumer Data Collection and Data Privacy

 CRS, here. 

Competition in the metaverse

 Euractiv, Audio here. 

Mind The (Institutional) Gap: Digital Economy, Competition Law and The Toolkit Approach

 I. Lianos, here. 

Microsoft erfüllt und übertrifft europäische Datenschutzgesetze

 Microsoft, hier. 

Eliciting Values for Technology Design with Moral Philosophy: An Empirical Exploration of Effects and Shortcomings

K. Bednar, S. Spiekermann, here.  

Using Terms and Conditions to Apply Fundamental Rights to Content Moderation

 J. Quintais et al., here. 

The regulation of cloud computing: Getting it right

 D. Geradin et al., here. 

Réformer le droit européen de la concurrence : le retour du politique

 R. Repasi, here. 

The Alliance for Universal Digital Rights (AUDRi): Evolving Digital Principles

 Here. 

Ian Brown's Trento Guest Lecture/Discussion on DMA interoperability

Video here. 

A “Whack-a-mole monopolization machine”?“ Ecosystem” theories in digital platform mergers

 Video here

HARNESSING THE POWER OF AI AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES (such as the Metaverse)

 OECD, here. 

Protection des données et droit de la concurrence : Marie-Laure Denis intervient devant le collège de l’Autorité de la concurrence

 CNIL, ici, 

Department of Justice Opens Investigation Into Real Estate Tech Company Accused of Collusion with Landlords

 ProPublica, here. 

The AI Act: help or hindrance for SMEs?

 Intellera Consulting, here. 

Move responsibly and amend things: VR headsets can now be used without a Facebook account

 Bundeskartellamt, here.  Case summary here

Meta and Art. 19 a GWB, here (in German).

Overconfident Regulators Caused the Ticketmaster Mess

 NYTimes, here. 

Responses to uncertainty

 DRCF, here.

Disrupting Data Abuse: Protecting Consumers from Commercial Surveillance in the Online Ecosystem

 EPIC, here. 

The technologies underpinning the metaverse

techUK miniseries, here. 

Overlaps - Services and Harms in Scope

 CERRE, Video here. Report here. (Metaverse at 42:18 and again at 57:30 ff.)

How Should the EU Approach the Metaverse?

 DataInnovation, Video here. 

"The Brussels effect: Will Europe's AI regulation achieve global impact?"

 SNV, Video here. 

Mobile browsers and cloud gaming: CMA's market investigation

 CMA, here. 

Capitalism in the Age of Intellectual Monopoly

 State of Big Tech, here. 

Web3 and the Metaverse: Which Way for the Web?

 State of Big Tech, here. 

Taming Big Techification? The European Digital Markets Act

 State of Big Tech, here. 

The DSA has been published – now the difficult bit begins

 Verfassunsblog, here. 

Meta on its own capabilities

 Here. 

EDPS Comments on the Federal Trade Commission Trade Regulation Rule on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security

 EDPS, here. 

Digital Deep Dive -Data Act

DigitalEurope, video here. 

Euractiv, video here. 

BEUC Conference, video here. 

Can Big Tech Get Bigger? Microsoft Presses Governments to Say Yes.

 NYTimes, here. 

Protecting Consumers in Digital Environments

 

ACM, here. 

Fundamentals and Novelty

 Adlc, here.

"I expect the new frontier of antitrust enforcement to be about data collection, hoarding and usage in traditional industries such as the healthcare or automobile sectors and in the internet of things (IoT). To address this new challenge, we will have to cooperate closely with industry regulators and data protection authorities"

Digital Markets Acts (DMA): Was geht uns das an?

 Piltz Legal, hier. 

Unfair & Deceitful Commercial Surveillance

 TACD, OM, ICCL, here. 

Justice Dept. Is Said to Investigate Ticketmaster’s Parent Company

 NYTimes, here. 

Digital Markets Act Workshop: Fabiana Di Porto, Henry Mostyn, Marco Botta, Oles Andriychuk

 Video here. 

Mapping the post-ATT future of mobile free-to-play gaming

 Mobile Dev Memo, here. 

Did Google pay Activision Blizzard King $360 million for remaining on Google Play Store and not starting its own Android app store?

 Fosspatents, here. 

A CONSUMER CHECKLIST ON PROTECTING CONSUMERS FROM THE RISKS OF AI

 BEUC, here. 

THE FUTURE OF COMPETITION POLICY IN CANADA

 Gov of Canada, here. 

Meta’s internal use of data and the DMA

 ICCL, here. 

Rethinking data and rebalancing digital power

 Ada Lovelace Institute, here. 

Can Mastodon Survive Europe’s Digital Services Act?

 K. Komaitis, here. 

Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of eTraveli by Booking

 EC, here. 

Discord and the GDPR

 CNIL, here (in French).

REMEDIES AND COMMITMENTS IN ABUSE CASES

 OECD, Background Note here.

Harnessing the power of AI and emerging technologies

 OECD Background Paper, here. 

How Should the EU Approach the Metaverse?

 Will we find out more about the still mysterious " concrete proposals on the metaverse due in 2023"? No guarantee but I registered: 

It’s TEEtime: Bringing User Sovereignty to Smartphones

 F. Groschupp et al., here. 

Digital Services Act: EU's landmark rules for online platforms enter into force [today]

 EC, here. 

Digital platform services inquiry - Interim report No. 5 – Regulatory reform

 ACCC, here. 

Provision of technical expertise in the context of investigations and compliance enforcement related to digital services markets

 EC, here (interesting read, trust me). 

Mastodon Safety: How To Protect Against Security and Privacy Risks

 Intego, here. 

DER DATA ACT LÄSST VIELES UNKLAR

 Videos, hier. 

EU Commission’s Executive Vice-President, on the Digital Services Act

 Reddit Talk, here (from roughly 8:00), here. 

GDPR AND THE AI ACT INTERPLAY: LESSONS FROM FPF’S ADM CASE-LAW REPORT

 FPF, here. 

Position on the European Health Data Space

 CPME, here. 

The Autorité hands out fines to Essilor International SAS and its parent company EssilorLuxottica SA for discriminatory trade practices

 Adlc, Press Release here. Decision in French ici; DeepL translation for my course, here. 

La CNMC multa al laboratorio Leadiant con 10,25 millones por vender a un precio excesivo su medicamento huérfano para el tratamiento de una enfermedad rara.

 CNMC, aquì.

Extension of ongoing proceedings against Amazon to also include an examination pursuant to Section 19a of the German Competition Act (GWB)

 Bundeskartellamt, here

25 State AGs supporting FTC’s opposition to Meta/Within acquisition

Here

New US FTC Commissioner Bedoya signals support for broad view of online privacy harms

 MLex, here. 

Web 3.0 and distributed ledger technologies – A regulatory perspective

 The great and only CMA, here. 

People, technologies & infrastructure – Europe's plan to thrive in the metaverse I Blog of Commissioner Thierry Breton

 T. Breton, here. 

How MEPs want to reshape the Data Act

 Euractiv, here. 

Privacy Sandbox under (my) radar: latest update report on the implementation of Google’s commitments published

 CMA, here. 

EDPS 2022 CONFERENCE REPORT: Effective enforcement in the digital world

 EDPS, here. 

Policy Statement Regarding the Scope of Unfair Methods of Competition Under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act

 FTC, here. 

Form Europe Data Economy Conference: This is not a Debriefing

I don't know this organization personally, and they did have sponsors who paid for a microphone on the panels, but I enjoyed the discussion (in parallel to doing not-so engaging things and also as an excuse to postpone the real serious stuff, perhaps).  No main takeaways from my side on this one (differently from what more renowned Blogs in the area are offering) but watch/listen to it if recorded. My live posts are on Mastodon

The 4th Annual European Data Economy Conference | 9 November 2022 (dataeconomy-conference.com)

EC seeks feedback on draft revised Market Definition Notice

Here.  

Will the DSA work?

 M. Husovec, here. 

ICN MWG Webinar on Control of Data, Market Power and Potential Competition in Merger Reviews

 Video here. 

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft

 EC, here. 

Regulation proposal on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724

 Here. 

The New Roaring Twenties

 Utah Antitrust Symposium 2022, here. 

A “Whack-a-mole monopolization machine”?“. Ecosystem” theories in digital platform mergers

 CEPR, Video here. 

Blogging in chaotic times

 While we're migrating from Twitter to somewhere else.

Teaching Art. 102 TFEU: Judges

Looking forward to this new experience. I hope we will all have fun working on the self-preferencing case study (here the pdf of the presentation).

Post scriptum: great questions and very constructive atmosphere - I confessed at the beginning that I was very anxious about this class and they were very kind and understanding ❤. 

Resilience and Competition

 

The cutting-edge CMA just published this Report. 

Google enjoys paramount significance for competition across markets

The 173-page decision by the Bundeskartellamt determining Google's status of addressee of Section 19 (a) GWB has been published and even translated into English. The company's "paramount significance for competition across markets" has been confirmed (and accepted by Google itself). Much to read and ponder on (already not clear - at least to me -  how much Google in the end had to pay for the proceedings). 

Antitrust Olympus

Cristina Caffarra of CRA has single-handedly (as far as I "know" her) organized an impressive Conference with the Gods of our field  You can also join it virtually (as I'll be doing, thanks). 

An Historic Press Conference (with a Brandeisian reference): Break them open [but keep the break up option on the table]

Here.

Habemus the Digital Markets Act

 

On 24 March 2004 the European Commission fined Microsoft for abuse of dominant position (H/T Lewis Crofts). 18 years (age of maturity) later  on the same day, the Digital Markets Act was conclusively negotiated within the Trialogue. Papers and books will be written. 

In parallel to the final negotiations, a DMA panel was taking place at the Mannheim Centre for Competition and Innovation (MaCCI). With Inge Graef (Tilburg), Silke Hoffenfelder (Bundeskartellamt) and myself (Trento), moderated by Jens-Uwe Franck (Mannheim). The ones on the panel truly enjoyed it, unsure about the audience. A recording will be available soon.

On the eve of the DMA’s 4th Trialogue: A Twitter 🧵(not for the faint-hearted)

 Here.

« Wouldn’t it be nice to solve all such problems in one go? »

 

…famously said the former Competition  Commissioner Neelie Kroes in the long aftermath of the EU Microsoft case referring to interoperability issues caused by Big Tech. More than a decade after Kroes expressed that wish, the DMA moves exactly in this direction, with mandated interoperability for ancillary services *and* for so called horizontal interoperability of instant messaging (albeit limited to one-to-one communications with late openings with regard to group chats and calls), as it has been reported by the FT and Politico today.  More could be done, and the devil will likely be in the technical details of the obligations, of course, but it’d be a promising beginning. 

Competition law in war times

 Perhaps due to miopia, this is something we wouldn’t have expected to see in our so far rather peaceful European Union. The European Competition Network has just published a “ Joint statement by the European Competition Network (ECN) on the application of competition law in the context of the war in Ukraine”. 

A patron of digital competition

At the end of January, Google launched a "new dedicated Digital Assets Team". Today, Politico reported that "a group of progressive advocates are pushing Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the head of the House Financial Services Committee, to hold a hearing on Google’s" new blockchain plans. As reported by Politico, differently from Facebook's grand plan with Libra/Diem, Google "is...looking to create a broader blockchain infrastructure that could be used by a wide variety of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, and stressed that Google doesn’t “want to take sides in backing any specific currency.” Should we worry? Will the DMA protect us? Antitrust and financial minds in particular will likely need to come together to discuss this. If St. Isidore of Seville (painting: as imagined by Murillo) is the unofficial patron saint of the Internet, we could use a patron of digital competition too. Any candidate? 

One step ahead? The Italian Competition Authority sends detailed requests for information to major oil companies

 

After Germany and other countries, the Italian Autorità aims "to investigate the reasons for these increases and, if so, to assess whether there is scope for possible intervention limited only to the hypothesis of a possible infringement of the rules on abuse of a dominant position or agreements restricting competition"

Quo vadis, DMA?

 

Are we fiddling while competition processes in the digital economy are "burning"? Not quite, according to the excellent Speakers at a conference which took place today (also online and for free, many thanks), organized by Concurrences. (BTW, this is not a conference debriefing à la  D'Kart, so don't expect to be informed while being entertained). The urgency we are in, however, was clearly expressed by Andreas Mundt by saying that "we don't have the time to wait for Court decisions". He also expanded on the many ways in which "his" 19a GWB was way better than the DMA. My conference-tweeting as stream of consciousness starts here. 

Among the many enriching statements and discussions, voilà some points that were particularly dear to me.  

1) The DMA is already part of a broader picture: this was directly recalled by Thibault Schrepel in the first panel and indirectly in the third panel while discussing the competition issues related to the Internet of Things (see the Data Act in particular).

 

2) In order to properly enforce the DMA, we need a lot of data scientists. A figure, you ask? Out of the 220 staff suggested by Andreas Schwab, at least 50, proposes Yann Guthmann of the French competition authority (#moretechnologicalapproach as advocated since a famous Munich Conference - not that one). 

3) Almost everybody still wondered what contestability and fairness actually meant. I would have preferred openness instead of contestability, which economically has a very precise and perhaps not very helpful meaning in this context. But, c'est la vie! At any rate, contestability/openness and fairness point to a process rather than to an outcome (e.g., low prices), which is excellent. 

4) Le diable se cache dans les détails of the DMA. Indeed, big date for final negotiations 24th March - lightning speed according to Margrethe Vestager, we'll see...

5) Avis cloud computing of the Adlc: beginning 2023. Competition enforcement only after that date, if necessary? (And: see again Data Act).

6) Lawyers (especially those in private practice) expect aspire to DMA litigations from Day One. This is new stuff, vehemently opposed by some the most powerful  companies in the world.  Along similar lines, Andreas Mundt is already quite concerned about the Court's (only *one* and not too unresponsive, generally) expectations regarding how Sec. 19a should be applied. Google settled, but what about the other gatekeepers potentially in scope? 

7) We need (also) to discuss public interest in the DMA, beyond contestability and fairness. 

8) There might even be court-sponsored spillovers from the DMA to competition law (see the Google Shopping ruling for inspiration). 

We will again be discussing the DMA next week in Mannheim, I am afraid (exactly on the 24th).

Teuer, expensive, chère, cara...

Robert Habeck, the German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate, asked the German Competition Authority (per Tweet?) to assess weather mineral oil companies were behaving abusively ("Could be"). The Bundeskartellamt replied by press release (only in German at the time of writing). The Authority is not concerned with oil price swings per se, but "[I]f crude oil prices now fall again and petrol station prices do not follow suit or even rise further, we have to take a close look. This includes several market levels: from the crude oil market to the refineries and wholesalers to the petrol station operators." How national are these markets (still) today, actually? 

MGM's Bauchschmerzen

 

The European Commission approved Amazon's acquisition of MGM Holdings Inc. Personally, I felt some Bauchschmerzen. 

Meta's exclusionary conduct in South Africa referred to the Competition Tribunal

 

We have a press release and a very nice interview with Competition Commissioner Bonakele (with a shut out to Sec. 19a GWB). 

Net Zero-relevant markets

The CMA has launched a Sustainability Taskforce, namely "a cross-organisational taskforce dedicated to sustainability issues". Among other things, it commits to "launching at least 1 new market study in a Net Zero-relevant market in the next financial year".

Libra's Post-Mortem - Novi Resuscitati?

The CFPB's Director, Rohit Chopra, gave a TV interview yesterday. While Libra might be no more, he made clear that "cryptocurrencies + Big Tech" might still pose issues and that the Biden administration is getting ready to anticipate them. 

One of Biden Executive Order's Many Sprouts

President Biden's Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy never stops giving. The US Department of Agriculture has just announced that "[a]s part of its efforts to enhance fair and competitive markets, USDA is requesting comments and information from the public about the impacts of concentration and market power in fertilizer, seeds and other agricultural inputs, and retail" 

Byzantine splits

One of the strangest things about US antitrust policy to my European eyeballs has always been the byzantine split between the FTC and the DOJ on merger enforcement. Interagency collaboration as well as the very hot discussions on modernizing merger guidelines are on the agenda of an upcoming Spring Enforcers Summit (4 April). 

I need that source.

 At a panel organized during the Industrial Organization Meeting, Spring 2022, Carl Shapiro famously called himself a Modernist and others New Brandeisians (see here, fn. 7). While the recordings of the other panels are still available (one click away on the meeting's website), this is not (while it has been for a while: I caught up a few hours after the panel took place). This is a real pity for us interested in following the recent developments in antitrust policy thinking. Please NBER, put it up again. 

Stellar Wars in the Antitrust Sky?

The antitrust news of the day so far (10. 52 AM CET) is the parallel opening of investigations in the UK and the EU into the Jedi Blue allegation. Interestingly, the CMA is signalling again that the DMU politicians' time is up, this time by starting "scrutinising Google’s conduct in relation to header bidding services more widely to see if the firm abused a dominant position and gained an unfair advantage over competitors trying to provide a similar service".

Message to my Students & Others

 Dear all,

This blog/feed has always been for us to be well informed. Sadly, I'm no longer able to update it - simply too much going on. I might be transitioning it to a real blog. 

The Internet Is Just Investment Banking Now

 The Atlantic, here. 

Meta’s perfect storm: fleeing users and Apple privacy changes hit ads business

 FT, here. 

EU legislators seek a way out of the impasse in DMA negotiations

 Euractiv, here. 

For Facebook, It’s Metaverse Or Bust

 Big Technology, here. 

Why Can’t We Pay Attention Anymore?

 NYTimes, here. 

Apple proposes 27 percent commission in Dutch app store dispute 54 Why would developers bother?

 The Verge, here. 

DMA Trialogue -3 February 2022

 Here. 

Satya Nadella: Microsoft has “permission to build the next Internet”

 ArsTechnica, here. 

Guidelines 01/2022on data subject rights - Right of access

 EDPB, here. 

Unlocking Your Phone to Digital Competition

 P. Marsden, here. 

Beyond the dongle: Apple won’t take down Square that easily

 Protocol, here. 

Are data trusts a suitable stewardship model for the developing world?

 FT, here. 

Streit um die Autodaten

 Tagesschau, hier. 

DIGITAL PROFILING IN THE ONLINE GAMBLING INDUSTRY

 W. Christi, here. 

Amazon pays $2.25 million to settle a price-fixing investigation.

 NYTimes, here.

How Apple Locks Out the Competition with Its Digital Key

 Protocol, here. 

Commission must take urgent action to protect consumers’ data in the automotive sector.

 BEUC, here. 

The Legal Complexities of Processing and Protecting Personal Data in the Electricity Sector

 S. Lavrijssen et al., here. 

Data altruism: how the EU is screwing up a good idea

 Algorithm Watch, here. 

Who owns your address in AR? Probably not you.

 Protocol, here. 

Web3 ist das Internet, das es zu verhindern gilt

 Spiegel, hier. 

New approach to enable global leadership of EU standards promoting values and a resilient, green and digital Single Market

 EC, here. 

Google Vanquished a Rival in Prague. Payback Could Hurt.

 NYTimes, here. 

A double edged string: APD holds TCF violates GDPR and IAB is responsible

 O. Kagan, here. 

Book Review: Profit Over Privacy: How Surveillance Advertising Conquered the Internet by Matthew Crain

LSE, here.  

Behavioral ad industry gets hard reform deadline after IAB’s TCF found to breach Europe’s GDPR

 TechCrunch, here. 

The French Competition Authority recognized for the first time the existence of a market for organic products

 Competition Forum, here. 

The Unnerving Rise of Video Games that Spy on You

 Wired, here. 

DATENTREUHANDSCHAFT DURCH INTERMEDIÄRE - Chancen, Herausforderungen und Implikationen

 I. Schneider, hier. 

Why Decentralised Finance (DeFi) Matters and the Policy Implications

 OECD, here. 

Handwerk in der digitalen Ökonomie - Rechtlicher Rahmen für den Zugang zu Daten, Software und Plattformen

 R. Podszun, hier. 

Decentralising Data Collection and Centralising Information in the People’s Republic of China: Decentralise, Manage, and Service Reforms

A. Trauth-Goik, A. Bernot, here. 

DATENBEWERTUNG

 ISST-BERICHT, hier. 

Tracking on the Web, Mobile and the Internet-of-Things

 R. Binns, here. 

Meta’s cryptocurrency ploy all but dead with Libra/Diem seeking to sell assets

 ArsTechnica, here. 

L’Autorité de la concurrence se saisit pour avis pour analyser les conditions du fonctionnement concurrentiel du secteur de « l’informatique en nuage » (« cloud »)

 Adlc, here. 

WhatsApp quizzed over consumer protection concerns in EU

 TechCrunch. here. 

CMA launches probe into music streaming market

 CMA, here. 

Commission clears acquisition of Kustomer by Meta (formerly Facebook), subject to conditions

 EC, here. 

What Studying Consciousness Can Reveal about AI and the Metaverse

 Exponential View Podcast, here. 

Privacy And Competition Concerns with Google’s Privacy Sandbox

 Brave, here. 

Hin zu einer Sozial-ökologischen Marktwirtschaft

 

Jahreswirtschaftsbericht 2022, hier. Video hier. And here.

Establishing a European Declaration on Digital rights and principles for the Digital Decade

 Communication, here. Declaration here. Report on the stakeholder consultation and engagement activities here. 

Data collaboratives, competition law and the governance of EU data spaces

 N. Zingales, here. 

The General Court annuls in part the Commission decision imposing a fine of € 1.06 billion on Intel

 Curia, here. 

Senate committee votes to advance major tech antitrust bill

 CNBC, here. 

The End of Data Monopolies

 Pool Data, here. 

FAS, YANDEX AND THE COMPLAINANTS CONCLUDED A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

 Here. 

Métavers : ce jeu dont qui sera le héros ?

 LINC, ici. 

Apple fails to satisfy requirements set by ACM

 ACM, here. 

Google drops FLoC after widespread opposition, pivots to “Topics API” plan

 Ars Technica, here. 

Japan to flag underpriced IPOs as antitrust law violation

 Kyodo, here.

Google’s Topics API: Rebranding FLoC Without Addressing Key Privacy Issues

 Brave, here. 

Apple’s cloud gaming restrictions may be biggest news in CMA interim report

 S. Huijts, here. 

European Parliament approves rights-respecting DSA & proposes ban on use of sensitive personal data for online ads

 EDRi, here. 

Facebook owner Meta dives into NFT digital collectibles craze

 FT, here. 

Google's Alleged Scheme to Corner the Online Ad Market

 Wired, here. 

EU must resist attempts to dilute Digital Markets Act

 Euraciv, here. 

What's the biggest effect the metaverse will have on IoT, or vice versa?

 Protocol, here. 

Too little competition hurts real people, every day.

 J. Kanter, here. 

Meta patents suggest biometric data capture for personalized advertising

 BiometricUpdate, here. 

WHAT DO ALORITHMS DO WITH PERSONAL DATA? AN EU APPROACH.

 Podcast, here. 

All digital creations are NFTs. We just don’t know it yet.

FT, here.  

Preisaufschläge ohne mehr Nachhaltigkeit in der Milchwirtschaft: Bundeskartellamt zeigt kartellrechtliche Grenzen auf

 Bundeskartellamt, hier. 

Google’s FLoC 2.0, Topics, Trade Effectiveness for Privacy Compliance

 ADWEEK, here. 

Digital Identity

 ENISA, here. 

What's the metaverse?

The Daily, here.  

Request for Information on Merger Enforcement

 DOJ, FTC, here. 

Rethmann Group / Remondis: Bundeskartellamt examines preconditions for extended obligation to notify future takeovers (Section 39a German Competition Act, GWB)

 Here. 

Addictive Technology and Its Implications for Antitrust Enforcement

 N. Rosenquist et al., here. 

Commission publishes final report on consumer Internet of Things sector inquiry

 EC, here. 

Facebook and Instagram may help you create and sell NFTs

 Techcrunch, here. 

Senate committee votes to advance major tech antitrust bill

 CNBC, here. 

European parliament backs big limits on tracking ads

 Techcrunch, here. 

Mergers Involving Nascent Competition

 D. Melamed, here.

Big Tech, big deals and a new era of antitrust

 Interview with Lina Khan, here (an enforcer - and still very much an academic IMHO, not a politician or an activist - she might want to learn a couple of tricks from Margrethe though, if she has the time...). 

Voice Assistants as Gatekeepers for Consumption? - How Information Intermediaries Shape Competition

 V. Noskova, here. 

Virtueller Neujahrsempfang des HWWI 2022

 Video hier. 

The PSR fines five companies more than £33 million for cartel behaviour in the prepaid cards market

 PSR, here. 

The Apple App Store case in the Netherlands – a potential game changer

 D.Mandrescu, here. 

Digisprudence: Code as Law Rebooted

 L. Diver, here (and here). 

Spain to create Europe's first supervisory agency for artificial intelligence

 Hogan Lovells, here. 

After Dutch antitrust order, Apple starts letting local dating apps use alternative payment options

 Natasha The Great, here. 

Apple just clarified alternative payments on iOS. Spoiler: Apple still takes a commission.

 Mobiledevmemo, here. 

Crypto Enthusiasts Meet Their Match: Angry Gamers

 NYTimes, here. 

What Moxie Missed on Web3 Wallets

 D. Finlay, here. 

Apple complies with Dutch watchdog ruling on payment options in Netherlands

 Reuters, here. 

Summary of ACM's decision here. Rotterdam court ruling here (DeepL translation here). 

Meta’s Oculus Unit Faces FTC-Led Probe of Competition Practices

 Bloomberg, here. 

Google's Alleged Scheme to Corner the Online Ad Market

 Wired, here. 

The Complaint is here. 

Google Misled Publishers and Advertisers, Unredacted Lawsuit Alleges

 WSJ, here. 

Apple to allow alternative payment system for 1st time in S. Korea

 The Korea Herald, here. 

Second time lucky? FTC v. Facebook

 Order here. 

Votre attention, s’il vous plaît !

 CNN, ici. 

Google News Showcase – Bundeskartellamt holds consultations on Google’s proposals for dispelling competition concerns

 Bundeskartellamt, here. 

Policymakers, web3, and the metaverse

 S. Gilbert, here. 

India’s Aadhaar System: Bringing E-Government to Life

 Chandler Institute, here. 

Commission prohibits proposed acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering by Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings

 EC, here. 

China’s New AI Governance Initiatives Shouldn’t Be Ignored

 M. Sheehan, here. 

The true cost of Amazon’s low prices

 Recode, here. 

Interim Report on the Sectoral Survey on Financial Technologies

 HCC, here (DeepL translation).

Francesca Bria on Decentralisation, Sovereignty, and Web3

The Crypto Syllabus, here. 

ACM obliges Apple to adjust unreasonable conditions for its App Store

 ACM, here. 

Justice Department and Agriculture Department Issue Shared Principles and Commitments to Protect Against Unfair and Anticompetitive Practices

 Here. 

Alphabet/Google subject to new abuse control applicable to large digital companies – Bundeskartellamt determines “paramount significance across markets”

 Bundeskartellamt, here. 

Conversation with Ioannis Lianos on His Work at the HCC, DMA Digital Markets Act

 Video here. 

Cookies : la CNIL sanctionne GOOGLE à hauteur de 150 millions d’euros et FACEBOOK à hauteur de 60 millions d’euros pour non-respect de la loi

 CNIL, ici. 

Three Amazon Marketplace Sellers Plead Guilty to Price Fixing DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs in Ongoing Investigation

 DoJ, here. 

Andrés Arauz on CDBCs and Sovereignty

 The Crypto Syllabus, here. 

Auch Indien geht gegen Apples App Store vor

 Heise.de, hier. 

In welcher Ordnung wollen wir leben?

Ausstellung, hier.  

Money in the Metaverse

 A. Wiener, here. 

The Sherman Act and Abuse of Dominance in the Age of Networks

 H. Hovenkamp, here. 

The Rise of NFTs: These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For

B. Bodó et al., here.  

Digital Platforms and the New 19a Tool in the German Competition Act

 J.-U. Franck, M. Peitz, here. 

Duckduckgo: Google benachteiligt andere Suchmaschinen

 Heise.de, hier. 

My first impressions of web3

 Moxie.org, here. 

Platform-based business models and financial inclusion

 K. Croxson et al., here. 

No pain, no gain? The Digital Markets Act

 Z. Meyers, here. 

Biometric identity systems in law enforcement and the politics of (voice) recognition: The case of SiiP

F. Jansen et al., here.  

FTC initiates probe into Meta's $400 mln VR deal for Supernatural - The Information

 Reuters, here. 

Regulate, but build too: for a European digital sphere

 Social Europe, here. 

The EU’s digital strategy and what it means for privacy

 iapp, here. 

Commission approves the acquisition of Suez by Veolia, subject to conditions

 EC, here. 

We need to talk about consent

 Mydex, here.

Digital Markets Acts update

 I. Brown, here. 

Six months with Lina Khan's FTC

 Axios, here. 

Airbnb hosts at the mercy of algorithms

Noyb, here.  

Help! My recruiter is an algorithm!

 Noyb, here. 

The history of the data economy: Part IV: The future

 T. Harkness, here. 

Before and after GDPR: tracking in mobile apps

 K. Kollnig et al., here. 

CFPB Shutters Lending by VC-Backed Fintech LendUp for Violating Agency Order

CFPB, here.  

EU clears Microsoft-Nuance without conditions

 TechCrunch, here. 

EC Press Release here. 

Facial recognition: the CNIL orders CLEARVIEW AI to stop reusing photographs available on the Internet

 CNIL, here. 

'Capitalism: what has gone wrong, what needs to change and how can it be fixed?'

 Video here. 

DRAFT POLICY STATEMENT ON LICENSING NEGOTIATIONS AND REMEDIES FOR STANDARDS-ESSENTIAL PATENTS SUBJECT TO VOLUNTARY F/RAND COMMITMENTS

 Here. 

Deutsche digitale B2B-Plattformen

 BDI, hier. 

UK antitrust regulator looks into Microsoft's $16 bln Nuance deal

 Reuters, here. 

Sanzione di oltre 1 miliardo e 128 milioni di euro ad Amazon per abuso di posizione dominante

 AGCM, qui. Provvedimento qui. 

Bundeskartellamt sieht Anmeldepflicht der Fusion Meta / Kustomer

 Hier. 

Commission invites comments on draft Guidelines about collective agreements regarding the working conditions of solo self-employed people

 EC, here. 

Parliament's negotiating position on the digital markets act

 EPRS, here. 

In South Korea, Big Tech’s power struggle with regulators is way ahead of the U.S.

 RestofWorld, here. 

Apple and Google duopoly limits competition and choice

 CMA, Interim Report here; Appendices here. 

CFPB Calls Tech Workers to Action

 Here. 

Telekommunikation 2021: Wettbewerb im Umbruch

 

Monopolkommission, hier. 

Protecting competition and innovation in the Internet of Things : Towards an Integrated Approach ?

Some slides, here.  

When ‘the’ market loses its relevance: an empirical analysis of demand-side linkages in platform ecosystems

 JRC Technical Report, here. 

Business Data Sharing through Data Marketplaces: A Systematic Literature Review

 A. Abbas et al., here.