The "most fabulous conference @BruxConf2023", unrolled

Historic times that we are living right now @vestager 

A *very* long chapter on subsidies, understandably - entrepreneurs, not taxpayers, creating jobs...#BruxConf2023 

Green claims - calling the green bluff if we see it @vestager #BruxConf2023 

Digital markets have not fulfilled their promise(s)..."we cannot be accused of having been too fast" @vestager #BruxConf2023 

"Reformulating concerns" - direct focus on consumers themselves #Apple 

"Full toolbox" 🗜️🔧🔨✂️🔭🪛🪚🔮 

International cooperation in merger control important indeed - the @WSJ had an interesting article on that, recently... 

"We have war in Europe"@vestager top of our mind 

Political economy, the idea of cheap is going away @RanaForoohar #BruxConf2023 

One of my personal heroes 👉@chopracfpb 

Promoting entry, promoting resilience, a way of *American/Germanic* thinking? "It's a new book that we are writing" #BruxConf2023 

[we had the "new book" discussion only yesterday evening with a dear friend economist] 

Antitrust is the bare minimum - open banking's plug, sector regulation @chopracfpb 

"We all know why" US Big Tech legislation wasn't passed @chopracfpb - the EU #DMAMiracle instead - not perfect but workable 

Yep, new economic paradigm not very clear yet - exciting times! @RanaForoohar 

"It's settled a bit that it didn't work" @chopracfpb 

"This isn't the coffee break" @Caffar3Cristina makes clear 

Let's discuss the Biden Executive Order - Really @superwuster #BruxConf2023 

[Pity I wrote this concurrences.com/IMG/pdf/06.con… too early]

"It's an expert thing" - well, I think that effects of the shift should also be palpable (kitchen table topic, e.g. "look, we have interoperability we grandma's favourite service!"] 

Exculpatory narratives (@superwuster), demand for them and agencies believing them - what could possibly go wrong? 

In full praise of the New Brandeisians, apparently @AMundt_BKartA #BruxConf2023 

But what bout the Courts? @AMundt_BKartA #posture v. #law 

"Not close to the more economic approach" but revising the economic toolbox @AMundt_BKartA #BruxConf2023 

...with a little help from the German legislator - and more coming 😉#BruxConf2023 

Thrilled that many are mentioning UK open banking - it's much about interoperability (open APIs, etc.), guys #BruxConf2023 

More economics, less enforcement, suboptimal economic effects @TomValletti - one merger per year prohibited by @EU_Competition 

The "Orthodox but progressive" economist says, please, not more "allegedly sophisticated economics" - incentives, resources all wrong @TomValletti - simple and coherent economics needed 

...economics helpful in understanding business strategy, incentives, etc. Agree, but well beyond IO, if I may 

The amazing @johnmarknewman up now: "the law has some catching up to do" 

Rusty legal tools - but not dead law #Meta_Within - they are on the table, and sharp enough 

Political economy we don't want: companies as central planners ("buying instead of building") @johnmarknewman 

"Antitrust is failing" and this hurts @rodgsims #BruxConf2023 

More structural provisions in merger control and more per se rules @rodgsims 

"Empire strikes back" moment might be coming @superwuster 

Common law nature of some of the changes
@superwuster
- [guidelines and other means can help institutionalize them, of course] 

"Data inflation" - legislators didn't see it @AMundt_BKartA 

Discussions, postures ok, but achieving real change is plan A - Andrea Coscelli 🙌 #BruxConf2023 

Not a 'Chicago style' simple theory is what we need, but a set of strong, flexible principles @johnmarknewman #BruxConf2023 

Ristretto and some fresh air urgently needed - but no Belgian patisserie here

"Non-compete" should be a huge red flag @RKSlaughterFTC #BruxConf2023 

A very healthy industry focusing on suing the FTC @RKSlaughterFTC - not unexpected 

A history teacher before going to law school, Doha Mekki #BruxConf2023 - very useful in the current debate 

AI/ML - how is the role of data changing? Doha Mekki 

Decarbonization changing affected industries, but how? @BCoeure #BruxConf2023 

Plugging the legal gaps: more international cooperation in antitrust needed - Margarida Matos Rita #BruxConf2023 

Now the orthodox and progressive Martijin Snoep - also national *regulator* under the DMA (nice he mentioned it) #BruxConf2023 

Nice case before EU courts in merger control just mentioned "how significant" should be each individual transaction be if there are many? 

[New Competition Tool off the table - still mourning myself] 

Fairness and exploitative abuses - current Apple cases moving in that direction, we are hearing #BruxConf2023 

More sustainable supply chains in order to avoid (?) the climate disaster - Article 101.3 comes to rescue, with a couple of nudges (4.000.000 🐄in the NL) 

"Whole-of-government approach" beyond the FTC/DOJ [some agencies dragging their feet, however - my impression] #BruxConf2023 

A Cross-Atlantic chicken problem discussed like now, great! - #kitchentabletopic #BruxConf2023 

"Don't move, this isn't lunch time yet" @Caffar3Cristina 

"Courts have considerable leeway" AG Kokott #BruxConf2023 

1) Containing market power, corporate liability extended;
2) Strengthening defence rights of companies of market power - more economic approach still blossoming in the EU - perhaps revising EU Art. 102 guidelines might have helped; 

[Worrying, from a Judge: more economic approach here to stay, underenforcement a real risk] 

3) Killer acquisitions: plugging a gap possible 🙌 

Supplementary application of Art.102 (2), Art. 22 MR...Illumina good news so far, of course. 

DMA: gaps plugging in the area of merger control? 🤔#BruxConf2023 

*(2)* was actually (?) - very sceptical myself 😊 

Jonathan Kanter #BruxConf2023, all in praise of @Caffar3Cristina 👏👏👏 

"We are just getting started" @JusticeATR 

Digital:
1) How does competition in this industry present itself? A tough but essential Q. "We need models that fit facts":
-intermediaries, often endless possibilities of anticompetitive behaviour
-- concentration, tipping markets (interrelated actions)
-- setting the rules 

Self-preferencing label, not a safe-harbour Jonathan Kanter - #BruxConf2023 

Structural reliefs always on the table (thus, e.g., "incentives to interoperate" may also be triggered 👍), as already shown -BTW 

"An all-economist panel" - haven't we just heard that the more economic approach has caused underenforcement 🤔? Reflection on what went wrong but able to come up with something better, now? #BruxConf2023 

Models getting it wrong - because, e.g., free entry assumptions are, well, fugazi - nobody to blame? 

Innovation and theories of harm @johnvanreenen (me: not waiting for IO economists to develop them); praising ex-ante regulation (also in order to incrementally build expertise, an important point made by Chiara @Arcep on Monday) 

Yes, gatekeepers are going to drag their feet...So what 😊? The DMA is powerful (it helps if economists might read all those complex provisions) 

Overinvesting ("in buying") in order to keep out the competition @jan_eeckhout 

Network theory of market power - nodes and links @BPellegrino_UMD - no need to define markets (well, this is becoming less important in any case 😉) #BruxConf2023 

Working in the @FTC trenches, Aviv Nevo - we need "more economics in terms of being broader" #BruxConf2023 

Transaction values matter, says Chiara Fumagalli. Well, the DMA at least is shining some light on all the transactions by gatekeepers - focusing on the high-value ones as a second step, perhaps -#BruxConf2023 

Upcoming Merger Guidelines @Susan_Athey
What's competition, in this setting? Increasing barriers to entry, blocking a nascent competitor, future competition, and so on... 

Thinking about market definition "more realistically", to avoid "confusion", and deriving the relevant market directly from the facts @Susan_Athey #BruxConf2023 [actually, at least in Meta/Within, it was actually not much of a burden] 

Pierre Régibeau - killer acquisitions below the threshold are a thing #BruxConf2023 

PR still wishing we could devote some (academic, possibly) thinking to things we could be better - don't getting "crazy about" new theories of harm because, of course, we have so much time as we like because in the long term we'll be all dead in any case #BruxConf2023 OK 

Turning point: Furman Review - Sarah Cardell @CMAgovUK 

Uncertainty as dealt in the UK merger guidelines - one of my favourite reads - also the UK Court "liked" them BTW #BruxConf2023 

Economic framework we need: no labels, not much overlaid complexity, but they should be helpful in explaining how competition in reality works (commercial realities) - it's not a precise science, we might occasionally get it wrong - Brava 

[Personal note: my deep frustration as an antitrust legal scholar having to cope with totally unrealistic Chicago theories developed into a PhD on vertical restraints embracing broader economic theories - 20 y. ago] 

No worries, @RepKenBuck

Still alive and tweeting - thanks to plenty of water and 4 ristretti! 

Do we need an antitrust or already a much broader policy/regulatory discussion on generative AI? #BruxConf2023 

Trying to understand the tech issues - and then the adtech case came together @KenPaxtonTX #BruxConf2023 

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin blocked me on Twitter: I respect her choice 😶 

"Democratic convergence on what we wanted to achieve" @FiloBXL #BruxConf2023 

DMA: a new form of regulatory supervision - as written in the law. 

Platforms constantly changing the rules of the road @doctorow 

Are we celebrating the wrong type of innovation? - @ArielEzrachi 

[BTW - Art. 7 DMA is not *at all* backward looking 😎] 

Before the 🍾starts to flow: Olivier Guersent on ducks and chickens #BruxConf2023 

A new generation of Article 102 cases against the background of the DMA - not the end of antitrust - (agreed) OG 

[Wrong remedies in the past, shouldn't we start taking some risks as done in the US and the UK, asks Cristina?] 

"We will do it again" 

Artificial Intelligence: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

 Here. 

The FTC’s silver lining in Meta court victory to acquire VR app developer Within

 MLex, here. 

What Is ChatGPT Doing … and Why Does It Work?

 S. Wolfram, here. 

The Data Act Proposal – Literature Review and Critical Analysis - Part I (Art. 1-13, 35)

 M. Hennemann et al., here. 

Martin Wolf: Is Capitalism Killing Democracy?

Capital Isn't, Podcast here.  

Putting the DSA into Practice

 Verfassungsblog, here.

The DMA: Opening up the walled gardens through regulation

 Vittorio B., here. 

Envoyer un iMessage à un contact WhatsApp, bientôt possible grâce au Digital Markets Act ?

 Arcep, ici. 

16 février 2023/ Affaire Roche-Novartis

 Cour d'appel de Paris, ici. 

Big techs in finance – implications for public policy

 BIS, Videos here. 

Investor Statement in Support of Digital Rights Regulations European Union Artificial Intelligence Act

 Here.

Renewing the Democratic Republic

 OMI, here.

BigTech, Competition, & Innovation in the Digital Economy

Video here.  

M&As in Platform Markets: Understanding the Dynamic Relation between Corporate Activities and Market Activities

 DCI, here. 

Joint submission to the European Commission (Directorate-General for Competition) on the proposed merger of Amazon and iRobot

 Civil Society Orgs, here. 

Hunting down VLOPs?

 Collaboratory updated list, here. 

A study on the application and impact of Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on Payment Services (PSD2)

 Study for the EC, here. 

DMA stakeholder workshop “Interoperability between messaging services”

 Agenda, 27 February 2023 here (looking forward to it :)).

TrustPid: Baking ad tracking into the internet infrastructure

 EDRI, here. 

We asked ChatGPT to write performance reviews and they are wildly sexist (and racist)

 FastCompany, here. 

The value​​​ ​​​chain of general-purpose AI​​

 Ada Lovelace Institute, here. 

Implications of the EU Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act for U.S. Business

 CSIS, here.

Report here. 

Frans Timmermans: wielding power in the Brussels’ minefield

FTM.eu, here.  

MISE EN ŒUVRE DU RÈGLEMENT SUR LA GOUVERNANCE DES DONNÉES (DATA GOVERNANCE ACT): LES ENJEUX ÉCONOMIQUES

 CNIL, ici. 

The Financial Services Sector’s Adoption of Cloud Services

 U.S. Department of the Treasury, here. 

Exclusive Interview: OpenAI’s Sam Altman Talks ChatGPT And How Artificial General Intelligence Can ‘Break Capitalism’

 Forbes, here. 

de Streel on the DMA

Chez Oles, Video here.  

Microsoft/Activision Blizzard

 CMA, Provisional findings report, here. 

Italy bans U.S.-based AI chatbot Replika from using personal data

 Reuters, here. 

“Where are we heading with digital identities?”

 EDPS, here. 

[Asked ChatGPT to summarize the speech: 

"The article is about the European Digital Identity Wallet framework (EDIF) proposed by the revision of the eIDAS, which aims to provide citizens with a secure and privacy-friendly digital identity. The writer, who represents data protection, believes that the EDIF has the potential to be a big success and that the relationship between EDIF and the GDPR can be examined under two different aspects. On one hand, if implemented correctly, it can effectively protect individuals and their data and comply with essential provisions of the GDPR, such as data accuracy and security of processing. On the other hand, the data processing activities related to digital identity must comply with the GDPR, particularly with data minimization and protection by design and by default. The writer expresses concern about the 28 Implementing Acts in the proposal, which will decide on the actual implementation aspects, and questions the basis for these acts and whether there are mandatory certification mechanisms in place to ensure compliance with the GDPR"]

Can you imagine your Students using ChatGPT to summarize the reading assignments instead of actually studying them? I can.

Psychologists to help the FTC evaluate alleged mental health harms

M. Bedoya, here.  

Remarks and Regrets

 FTC, here. 

"I don’t mean to criticize the FTC in pointing this out—I think former Commissioner Jones Harbour was incredibly visionary and ahead of her time. The FTC was just being faithful to our existing practices in merger review. But clearly there was something going on that we did not catch, given what we know about the ad tech market today. So I think it’s a real lesson learned that shows that we antitrust enforcers need to continually re-examine and fine tune our approach. The goal of our merger guideline revision project is to do just that and enable us to more effectively use our tools so we can make better predictions about the future effects of proposed mergers."

ChatGPT is a data privacy nightmare, and we ought to be concerned

 ArsTechnica, here. 

ChatGPT itself on the same topic:

As we live in a world where technology is rapidly advancing, artificial intelligence and machine learning models have become an integral part of our lives. One of the most popular and powerful language models developed by OpenAI is ChatGPT. It is a state-of-the-art model that has been trained on a vast amount of data and can generate human-like responses to various questions. However, while ChatGPT has many benefits, it also raises serious concerns about privacy.

First and foremost, ChatGPT is trained on a massive amount of data, including text from various sources such as books, articles, and even conversations. This data is not necessarily public or anonymous, which means that it can contain sensitive information about individuals and organizations. This sensitive information can be used for malicious purposes, such as identity theft, financial fraud, or even cyberbullying.

Furthermore, the nature of language models like ChatGPT means that it can store vast amounts of data in its memory. This data can be accessed and used by anyone who has access to the model, and there is no guarantee that it will not be misused. In fact, there have been instances where language models have been used for unethical purposes, such as generating fake news or creating biased content.

Moreover, the use of ChatGPT raises serious ethical concerns about the right to privacy. As individuals and organizations continue to share more and more personal information online, they are putting their privacy at risk. If this data falls into the hands of malicious actors, it can be used to target individuals and organizations with malicious campaigns. Furthermore, there is no way for individuals and organizations to know how their data is being used by these models, and there is no way for them to opt out of this process.

In conclusion, while ChatGPT is a powerful tool that has many benefits, it also raises serious concerns about privacy. As the use of AI and machine learning models continues to grow, it is imperative that we take the necessary steps to protect individuals' and organizations' sensitive information. This includes ensuring that these models are trained on anonymous and public data, as well as implementing strict privacy policies to prevent the misuse of sensitive information. We must also consider the ethical implications of using these models, and work towards finding a balance between their benefits and the risks they pose to privacy.

When asked about ChatGPT's compliance with the GDPR:

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is

a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). The regulation sets out the rules for how companies and organizations must handle personal data and ensure that the privacy of individuals is protected.

It is difficult to say definitively whether ChatGPT is compliant with the GDPR without a thorough review of how the model is used and how personal data is collected, processed, and stored. However, here are some considerations:

1. Purpose Limitation: The GDPR requires that personal data be collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes. If ChatGPT is used for purposes that are not compliant with the GDPR, it may not be in compliance with the regulation.
2. Data Minimization: The GDPR requires that personal data be limited to what is necessary for the intended purpose. If ChatGPT collects more data than is necessary, it may not be in compliance with the regulation.
3. Transparency: The GDPR requires that individuals be informed about how their personal data is being used. If ChatGPT is not transparent about how personal data is collected, processed, and stored, it may not be in compliance with the regulation.
4. Data Security: The GDPR requires that personal data be securely processed and stored. If ChatGPT does not have appropriate security measures in place, it may not be in compliance with the regulation.

Overall, it is the responsibility of the entity using ChatGPT to ensure that the model is used in a way that is compliant with the GDPR. This includes conducting a data protection impact assessment, implementing appropriate technical and organizational measures to secure personal data, and providing individuals with clear information about how their personal data is being used.

There was a sudden system error, and then I asked again (exactly the same prompt) - getting a different answer:

As an AI model developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is not subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA).

However, OpenAI takes data privacy and security seriously and has implemented measures to ensure that personal data is processed in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including the GDPR. If you are using ChatGPT in the EU or the EEA, it is the responsibility of the entity that controls the use of ChatGPT to comply with the GDPR and other applicable privacy laws.

If you have concerns about the use of ChatGPT and data privacy, I would recommend contacting OpenAI directly for more information.

What happened?

Study on the provision of information to consumers about the processing of vehicle-generated data

 EC, here. 

Internet Centralization: What Can Standards Do?

 IETF, here. 

Banning Noncompetes Is Good for Innovation

 M. Lemley, O. Lobel, here. 

Market Study Report on Mobile OS and Mobile App Distribution

 Japan FTC, here. 

How India is focusing on digital transformation during its G20 presidency

 IndiaNewsNetwork, here. 

Trotz Apple-Verbot: Google arbeitet an iOS-Browser mit eigener Engine

 Heise.de, hier. 

Competition and cooperation in artificial intelligence standard setting: Explaining emergent patternsn.

 N. von Ingersleben-Seip, here. 

Big techs in finance – implications for public policy

 BIS, here. 

Market Research: P2P Transfer Apps in Israel

 OECD, here. 

Meta/Within

 Order, here.

Luciano Floridi on ChatGPT, Singularitarians, Ethics etc.

 Podcast, here. 

A Pyrrhic Victory for Meta Over the FTC?

 M. Stoller, here. 

Judge said to reject FTC effort to block Meta’s VR acquisition

 Washington Post, here. 

There Are No Markets Anymore

 K. Birch, here. 

DRAFT REPORT on competition policy – annual report 2022

 EP, here. 

Urgent call to address issues highlighted by Commission services on access to in-vehicle data

 BEUC, here. 

PRODUKTVERKNÜPFUNG BEI SOFTWAREANGEBOTEN

 CISPE, hier.

EU Chief Technologist Wanted

 Here.

Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Digital Finance

 J. Soldatos, D. Kyriazis, here. 

Digital Services Act: Commission provides guidance for online platforms and search engines on publication of user numbers in the EU

 Here.

DOJ v. Google

Lost debate, with D. Dayen (from 3:23), here. 

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 ❤.