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. 

Feminist data protection

 IPR, here. 

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN EUROPE: AN ENVIRONMENTAL LIFE CYCLE APPROACH

 Greens, here. 

EU-US launch Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue to foster cooperation in competition policy and enforcement in technology sector

 EC, here. 

Interoperabilität zwischen Messengerdiensten: Überblick der Potenziale und Herausforderungen

 Bundesnetzagentur, hier. 

The Profit Paradox — why high profits are bad for the economy

 J. Eeckhout, TedTalk here. 

15 Visionen für eine gerechte, soziale und nachhaltige Digitalisierung

 Digitalezivilgesellschaft.org, hier. 

Digital regulation: joined-up and accountable

 House of Lords, here. 

Crouching tiger, hidden dragons

IIPP report, here. 

Three proposals to strengthen the EU Artificial Intelligence Act

ALI, here.  

How to Fix the Courts’ Misuse of Economics

 M. Katz, here. 

Competition & Privacy: It's Both Or Nothing

 R. Berjon, here. 

What if the single most important idea in economics no longer works?

 J. Plunkett, here. 

From an Hayekian perspective, here. 

Germany’s data strategy for growth and innovation

 World Bank, here. 

DSA milestone: EU lawmakers have responded to our calls for meaningful transparency for big tech

 Algorithm Watch, here. 

Dans le cadre de l’instruction au fond du dossier sur les droits voisins, Google propose des engagements. L’Autorité les soumet à consultation publique

 Adlc, ici. 

Ökonomie als Wissenschaft der Präferenzentstehung und Charakterbildung

 Hayek-Vorlesung mit Ernst Fehr, hier.

FTC may consider rule curbing algorithmic discrimination and ‘commercial surveillance’

 TechCrunch, here. 

Grindr hit with € 6.2 million fine in response to complaint from the Norwegian Consumer Council

Forbrukerradet, here. 

Pas un Gaia-X 2.0

 Euractiv, ici. 

The Impact of Consolidation and Monopoly Power on American Innovation

 Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, here. 

Competition Espresso with Tommaso Valletti

 Moderated by Emma, Jana, Maria and Pinar, Video here. 

The Genesis of the EU Digital Markets Act: First Lessons Learned

 Today's presentation, here. 

Digital Markets Act latest: IMCO vs Council

 I. Brown, here.

The ruling of the EU General Court in Google Shopping: An endorsement of the EU Commission antitrust enforcement policy in digital markets”

 M. Botta, here.

Regulate to innovate

 ALI, here.

The pros and cons of decentralized platforms

 A. Hagiu et al., here,

Promoting data sharing: presidency reaches deal with Parliament on Data Governance Act

 The Council, here.

Bundeskartellamt imposes fine on audio equipment manufacturer Bose

 Here.

Le GESTE dépose plainte contre Apple devant l’Autorité de la concurrence

 Le Geste, ici.

FTC Sues to Block $40 Billion Semiconductor Chip Merger

 FTC, here.

Google exec on company's privacy philosophy: ‘FLoC will evolve – there will be other birds’

 The Drum, here.

Commission fines UBS, Barclays, RBS, HSBC and Credit Suisse € 344 million for participating in a Foreign Exchange spot trading cartel

 EC, here.

Deutsche digitale B2B-Plattformen

 BDI, hier.

Winston Churchill’s Birthday and the CMA Facebook/Giphy Prohibition Decision

 

CMA & Winston, here. 

Tackling Digital Gatekeeper Power: A More Effective, Participatory Way

 @wavesblog, Study commissioned by MEP Martin Schirdewan, here. 

UK regulator expected to block Meta’s Giphy deal

 FT, here. 

Compendium of approaches to improving competition in digital markets

 UK G7 2021, here. 

Ahead of his time: the ideas and legacy of Giovanni Buttarelli

 Guest Lecture (online) by Christian D'Cunha

@BeterOpDeFiets

@UniTrento

3 December, 9 AM CET

For an invite: please send me an email (my name.surname@unitn.it)

Contributions to the public consultation on the draft revised Regulation on vertical agreements and vertical guidelines

 Here. 

Ecosystems and competition law in theory and practice

M. Jacobides, I. Lianos, here. 

Data protection and privacy expectations for online advertising proposals

 ICO, here. 

Regulating ‘big tech’: Council agrees on enhancing competition in the digital sphere

 The European Council, here. 

Google agrees with UK’s CMA to deeper oversight of Privacy Sandbox

 TechCrunch, here. 

Sanzioni per 20 milioni a Google e ad Apple per uso dei dati degli utenti a fini commerciali

 AGCM, qui. 

Privacy Sandbox - Consultation on modified commitments

 CMA, here. 

Alle datenpolitischen Vorhaben auf 32 Kacheln übersichtlich zusammengefasst

 Dataprotection Landscape, hier. 

The Promotion of Competitive Neutrality by Competition Authorities

 OECD, Background Note, here. 

Measuring environmental benefits in competition cases

 N. Watson for the OECD, here. 

Vestager, Kahn, Kanter

 

Judge dismisses Steam antitrust case for lack of factual support

 ArsTechnica, here. 

DMA Schwab's compromise amendments: my very first take

 Here.

EU Parliament’s key committee adopts Digital Markets Act

 Euractiv, here. 

Big Business Declares War on Lina Khan

 M. Stoller, here. 

Andreas Schwab - Digital Markets Act Version of 18-11-2021 - Compromise Amendments

 

Here. 

Press Conference, Video here.

Italy fines Amazon and Apple $230M over antitrust charges

 TechCrunch, here.

The Italian decision qui. 

Merger control and FDI interplay: Article 21 as a potential tool towards further convergence in FDI rules

 Clifford Chance, here. 

DISINFORMATION RISKS, REGULATORY GAPS AND ADEQUATE COUNTERMEASURES

 Expert Opinion Commissioned by the Landesanstalt für Medien NRW, here. 

Google v Commission (Google Shopping): A Case Summary

 N. Moreno Belloso, here. 

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney calls for a universal app store to combat tech monopolies

 Protocol, here. 

EU Shopping judgment: what does equal access to Google's general results pages mean?

 Hausfeld, here. 

Stream your brain! Speculative economy of the IoT and its pan-kinetic dataveillance

 S. Ahn, here. 

MARKET STUDY ON THE PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR IN INDIA

 Competition Commission of India, here. 

WhatsApp privacy policy tweaked in Europe after record fine

 BBC, here. 

Noyb files another complaint against Amazon Europe – black box algorithm discriminates customers

 Noyb, here. 

Apple’s concession on the right to repair

 FT, here. 

Small business holds key to tech's antitrust fate

 Axios, here. 

The Future of Digital Spaces and Their Role in Democracy

 Pew Research Center, here. 

Synergies between Data protection law and competition law

W. Kerber, L. Specht, here. 

Wettbewerb und Datenschutz: Wie Kastor und Pollux, hier.

Coalition for App Fairness Statement on Digital Markets Act (DMA) Vote by European Parliament

 Here. 

"Wir verlieren die digitale Souveränität...auch in Bezug auf unsere mentale Autonomie"

 TAZ, hier. 

Competition Espresso: With Elettra Bietti on "A Genealogy of Digital Platform Regulation" (and also on books that change your life)

 Episode 3, Recording here. 

A competition policy fit for new challenges

EC, Communication here.  

The beautiful Annex here. 

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE IN ABUSE CASES

 OECD Background Note by S. Roberts, here. 

Bundesrat verbietet Knebelverträge bei Hotelbuchungen

 NZZ, hier. [Gut - Meine Erklärung here]                          

Competition issues concerning news media and digital platforms

 OECD, Background Paper, here. 

Ex ante regulation of digital markets

OECD, Background Note here.  

Environmental Considerations in Competition Enforcement: Legal Assessment

 OECD Background Note, here. 

Joe to Lina re oil prices

 Here. 

Big Tech as Global Problem

The Grande Dame of Antitrust Law, Video here.  

CMA to open up electric vehicle charging competition on motorways

 CMA, here. 

7th CUTS-CIRC Biennial Conference on Competition, Regulation and Development-Day 01

 Day 01, Video here. 

Day 02, Live here. 

In Moscow’s Technological Advances, a ‘Double-Edged Sword’

NYTimes, here.  

Support study accompanying the Commission Notice on the evaluation of the definition of relevant market for the purposes of Community competition law

For the EC, here. 

Facebook goes after the creator of InstaPy, a tool that automates Instagram likes

 Algorithm Watch, here. 

Facial recognition: Huge risks for our societies

 EDPS, Video here. 

Judge Ginsburg: On the Proposed Digital Markets Unit and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority

 An American Friend, Here. 

Privacy as code: A new taxonomy for privacy

 iapp, here. 

Marktmacht und Ohnmacht – Wettbewerbsrecht hält mit Oligopolen nicht Schritt

 I. Lianos, hier. 

You Are the Object of a Secret Extraction Operation

 S. Zuboff, here. 

When do consumers prefer algorithmic versus human decisionmakers?

 Brookings, here. 

Everything You Need To Know About The Metaverse

 Protocol, here. 

Lessons from the Past? How Ordoliberal Competition Theory Can Address Market Power in the Digital Age

 I. Oakes, A. Küsters, here. 

Q&A: How the EU’s Flawed Artificial Intelligence Regulation Endangers the Social Safety Net

 Human Rights Watch, here. 

Industry concentration and competition policy

 EC, here. 

MYDATA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION’S LATEST DATA DEVELOPMENTS

 MyData, here. 

Datenlieferant Auto: Hersteller wollen Informationen zentral vermarkten

 Handelsblatt, hier. 

Google’s Anti-Competitive Search Manipulation Practices

 Foundem & SearchNeutrality, here. 

Commission to invest nearly €2 billion from the Digital Europe Programme to advance on the digital transition

 EC, here. 

From ‘walled gardens’ to open meadows

 I. Brown, here. 

Apple told to comply with order to open up App Store

 FT, here. 

The New Frontier: Artificial Intelligence at Work

  APPG, here. 

COP26: To fix the climate, we must fix the economy. Here’s why.

 Circularonline, here. 

Unzureichende digitale Souveränität gefährdet die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit deutscher Unternehmen

 ZEW, hier. 

The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum: working for greater cooperation in regulating online platforms

 Ofcom, here. 

Want your Grindr data? Show your ID and take a selfie!

 Noyb, here. 

Data and Democracy

A. KAPCZYNSKI, here. 

Google Shopping

 Final (?) Cut, here. 

Everything you wanted to know about the EU Data Strategy and never dared to ask

 Video here (@BeterOpDeFiets from 18:27).

New Klobuchar, Cotton bill could block Big Tech mergers

 Axios, here. 

Tracking-industry body IAB Europe told that it has infringed the GDPR, and its “consent” pop-ups used by Google and other tech firms are unlawful.

 ICCL, here. 

Ddl Concorrenza

 Qui.

The Cost of Data

G. Neff, Video here (from 5:50). 

Google plans to allow third party payments systems in South Korea

 Economic Times, here. 

The battle to control the metaverse: Microsoft vs Meta

 FT, here. 

Vertical Agreements Block Exemption Regulation:CMA’s recommendation

CMA, here. 

"It’s interesting how familiar [some of] these issues are"

 M. Vestager, here. 

Sektoruntersuchung Messenger- und Video-Dienste

 Bundeskartellamt, hier. 

Should competition authorities intervene in digital markets?

 M. Grenfell, here. 

Press publishers’ right: social media enter the stage

 U. Furgal, here. 

Moderne Messenger – heute verschlüsselt, morgen interoperabel?

 Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, hier. 

Google News to relaunch in Spain after mandatory payments to newspapers scrapped

 The Verge, here.

Facebook, Citing Societal Concerns, Plans to Shut Down Facial Recognition System

 NYT, here and here (pdf).

The European Union’s Big Policy Bet Against the Tech Giants

 P. Hanspach, N. Petit, here. 

Fixing Digital Capitalism: Learning from China’s Playbook

 Bot Populi, here. 

Europe’s Digital Decade and Autonomy

 Study requested by the EP ITRE, here. 

Justice Department Sues to Block Penguin Random House’s Acquisition of Rival Publisher Simon & Schuster

 DOJ, here. 

And the UK decision here. 

Draft impact assessment sheds some light on upcoming Data Act

 Euractiv, here. 

Clearview AI breached Australians’ privacy

 OAIC, here. 

Facebook says it will delete facial recognition data on more than a billion users

 TechCrunch, here. 

Meta to Meta (Sudans)

 

Report on Stablecoins

 Federal Reserve, here. 

China’s new platform guidelines translated

 H/T I. Brown, here.

BECOMING THE DMA: THE PARLIAMENT’S COMPROMISE (FOR NOW)

 D'Kart, here. 

Leitlinien für die Vereinbarkeit des Genossenschaftswesens mit dem Kartellrecht

 Bundeskartellamt, hier. 

La mia "Cooperativa di fronte al diritto antitrust" qui (*2008*) : chissà cosa scriverei di diverso? 

Artificial Intelligence Systems as Inventors?

 J. Drexl at al., here. 

MARKET DESIGN

 N. Agarwal, E. Budish, here. 

Regulating platforms and ecosystems: an introduction

 M. Jacobides, I. Lianos, here. 

Smart Contracts and the Digital Single Market Through the Lens of a 'Law + Technology' Approach

 T. Schrepel, here. 

Truck cartel in Spain: Advocate General Rantos clarifies the temporal scope of the directive on the compensation of victims of anti-competitive practices

 CJEU, here. 

Open Logistics Foundation gegründet

 Frauenhofer, hier. 

AI and Governance

 DigitalEU, here. 

Completed acquisition by Facebook, Inc. of GIPHY, Inc.

 CMA, the decision here.

Pomodoro costoluto fiorentino salvato dai cinesi grazie al “Golden Power” di Draghi

InToscana, qui.  

Italy vetoes sale of seed producer to Chinese-owned Syngenta, officials say

 CNA, here. 

Australia also wants Google to unbundle search from Android

 ArsTechnica, here. 

The Interim Report, here. 

Computational Competition Law and Economics

 Hellenic Competition Commission, here. 

Easier cartel rules for packaging, logistics companies, EU's Vestager says

 Reuters, here. 

Digging into Google’s push to freeze ePrivacy

 

Natasha the Great (TechCrunch), here. 

Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property: copyright and patents

 UK Gov, here. 

Why are you on Facebook?

 S. Vergnolle, here. 

Inside Gaia-X

 Politico.eu, here. 

Zuckerberg Announces Fantasy World Where Facebook Is Not a Horrible Company

 Motherboard, here. 

Commission adopts interim measures to prevent harm to competition following Illumina's early acquisition of GRAIL

 EC, here. 

A new route forward for regulating digital markets

 CMA, here.

Regulating Big Tech: From Competition Policy to Sector Regulation?

 Dear Oliver and Juliane Mendelsohn, here. 

Ecosystems and Competition Law

 Hellenic Competition Authorities, Video here. 

Visa's Abandoned Plan to Acquire Plaid: What Could Have Been a Textbook Case of a Killer Acquisition

 F. Marty, T. Warin, here. 

Rat der EU stellt sich Tech-Konzernen in den Weg

 Netzpolitik, hier. 

What do Member States really think of the EC's DMA Proposal?

 Here (thanks to Netzpolitik). 

Lancet/FT on the Future of Health

 Here.

Digital Services Act: The EDRi guide to 2,297 amendment proposals

 EDRi, here. 

Democratic values in a digitalised Europe

 M. Vestager, Video here. 

Big Tech platforms stifle innovation through anticompetitive conduct

 A. Harman, here. 

A coordinated approach to overseeing modern digital markets

 CMA & Friends, here. 

DMA: A side-by-side comparison of the Commission and Council proposals

 Here. 

"Black box" Amazon: algorithm discriminate customers

Noyb, here.  

The future is in your hands - Let's Organize a Conference on the Future of Europe!

 EC, Here. 

Interview with Joe Turow

 Here. "Where do we go next?" It shouldn't be left to them.

Antitrust battle latest: Google, Facebook 'colluded' to smash Apple's privacy protections

 The Register, here. 

Labour union urges European authorities to widen Amazon antitrust probe after Reuters story

 Reuters, here. 

La commissaria Vestager: “Democrazie alleate contro i giganti del web”

 

Message to MIM Students: We'll talk about it this week...

A new Europe: Competition, Industrial Policy, Taxation

 M. Vestager, here. 

Big techs in finance: on the new nexus between data privacy and competition

 BIS, here. 

A new era of cartel enforcement

 

M. Vestager, here. 

(Warning: pic from another conference, same day, same town - and an amazing Roman brick wall in the background)

Rome or Babylon?

(Source)