Thursday, July 31, 2014

Copia privata: la Siae gioca a babbo natale contro la Apple

G. Scorza, qui.
Consumatore italiano ben più "tollerante" di quello britannico (e la buffonata dell'acquisto ed elargizione di telefonini difficilmente immaginabile oltremanica):
"The Government do not believe that British consumers
would tolerate private copying levies. They are inefficient,
bureaucratic and unfair, and disadvantage people who
pay for content."

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

The HathiTrust Decision

R. Picker, Presentation, here

El debate sobre la interoperabilidad informática en el derecho de autor comunitario

B. González Otero, aquì.

Like clueless guinea pigs

E. Morozov, here

Indemnización de daños y perjuicios por boicot a raíz cártel del seguro de daños decenal (SDD): Notas a propósito de la sentencia del juzgado mercantil no 12 de Madrid de 9 de mayo de 2014 (MUSAAT v. ASEFA, CASER y SCOR)

F. Marcos, aquì.

Exclusivité des droits de diffusion des matches de rugby: accord suspendu

Autorité de la concurrence, Décision n° 14-MC-01 du 30 juillet 2014, ici; communiqué de presse ici.

Alinéa 234: "Une pratique consistant à réserver l’attribution de droits attractifs à l’opérateur dominant est donc susceptible de contribuer à la fermer le secteur de la télévision payante en France.
Comme le souligne le CSA, cette atteinte au marché serait d’autant plus néfaste que les pratiques dénoncées interviennent alors que le principal concurrent de l’entreprise dominante, la société beIN Sports, n’est actif sur le marché que depuis deux ans, et qu’il
est encore en phase de conquête d’abonnés."

FSF congratulates UK Government on choosing Open Document Format

FSF.org, here

UK Private Copy Debate

House of Lords, Official Report, here (pp. 1553-1582).

UK Goverment: "The presence of the contract override
clause gives users, consumers and businesses certainty
and clarity that the exceptions apply in all circumstances
regardless of the detail of a contract. Without such
clauses restrictive contract terms could prevent the
uses permitted by the exceptions, thus preventing benefits
from being realised. This is not merely a hypothetical
fear. Many responses to the various consultations have
told us that contracts permitting access to copyright
works frequently contain terms that prevent users
from carrying out activity that otherwise would be
permitted by law (...). The law will apply to contracts regardless of
the date on which they were formed but will take effect
only after the new law comes into force. The contract
override provisions simply ensure that, where the law
provides for an exception to copyright, people are able
to rely on that law without having to work out whether
there is a contract term to the contrary creating a
whole patchwork of different legal situations.
Ensuring that the personal copying exception cannot
be overridden by contract terms will mean that consumers
are given clarity and certainty over what they can do
with the media they buy. Most people assume that the
law already allows them to make the type of personal
copies covered by our legislation. Very few people read
the detailed licensing terms that accompany digital
downloads. We want the goods so we just tend to
accept the terms. Ensuring that the new law on personal
copying applies in all circumstances, regardless of
contract and licensing terms, will bring much needed
clarity to the law and fairness for consumers, which I
welcome" (p. 1575).
 "The Government believe that the copyright system has not
kept pace with the digital revolution. As a result, a
great many intuitively acceptable activities are illegal
or uncertain. These changes relating to private copying,
parody and use of quotations form part of a package
that should make copyright works more valuable to
all, give users clarity about their rights and build
respect for copyright in the process. They will contribute
to a more modern statute book that meets the challenges
of an increasingly digital and changing world" (p. 1580).

EU Data Protection law: a 'right to be forgotten'?

House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on Home Affairs, Health and Education, here

Amazon finally explains what it wants from Hachette: lower ebook prices

TheVerge.com, here

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The Avastin Lucentis case: an illicit agreement between Roche and Novartis condemned by the Italian Antitrust Authority

L. Arnaudo, here.

Antitrust and information

M. Maggiolino, here.

CAT hotel booking case: Application for disclosure of SO granted

Ruling here.

Haucap über Monopole: Facebook ist gefährlicher als Google

Netzpiloten.de, hier.

On Finding Reasonable Measures To Bridge the Gap Between Privacy Engineers and Lawyers

I. Oliver, here.

Kartellrecht in der Internet-Wirtschaft: Zeit für den more technological approach

R. Podszun, hier.

MPI on proposed trade secrets Directive

China regulator announces anti-monopoly probe of Microsoft

Reuters.com, here.

London Police placing anti-piracy warning ads on illegal sites

BBC, here.

CAT Hearing: Hotel pricing anti-trust probe was flawed, claims Skyscanner

Travolution.co.uk, here.

Friday, July 25, 2014

DOJ's final form brief in the Apple ebook case

Here

Skyscanner to play leading role in price parity ruling challenge with Skoosh as support

Travolution.co.uk, here

European DPAs meet with search engines on the “right to be forgotten”

Press release WP29, here

Dénigrement et abus de position dominante

Décision n° 14-D-08 du 24 juillet 2014, Autorité de la concurrence,ici.

Colombian Student Faces Prison Charges for Sharing an Academic Article Online

EFF.org, here.

YouTube Music’s Head Quits, a Setback to Paid Service

Wsj.com, here

EU Copyright Consultation Report: Relevant Quotes

L. Dobusch, here

Summer Reading: Misused English Words and Expressions in EU publications

European Court of Auditors, here.

Right to be forgotten and the Google judgment

EU Council, here

Wettbewerb auf den Finanzmärkten

Monopolkommission, hier

Kriminalisierung von Kartellrechtsverstößen in Deutschland?

Monopolkommission, hier

Wettbewerbsdefizite auf Taximärkten

Monopolkommission, hier

“Problem Practices” in EU Competition Law

N. Petit, here

Google, Facebook & Co – eine Herausforderung für die Wettbewerbspolitik

Monopolkommission, hier

The EU Commission Decision against Servier – a New Dimension to European Pharmaceutical Antitrust?

S. Gallasch, here

Data Retention after the Judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union

F. Bohm, M. Cole, here

Online Copyright Infringement: Discussion Paper

Australian Governement, here

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

EU May Need Extra Concessions From Google Antitrust Probe

Bloomberg.com, here.

"Ohne Lidl wären wir eingeschlafen"

FAZ, hier.

Two Barcode Resellers Settle FTC Charges That Principals Invited Competitors to Collude

Imperialvalleynews.com, here.

Open document formats selected to meet user needs

Gov.uk, here

Embracing the open opportunity

N. Kroes, here

La SACEM signe un accord avec Netflix

Numerama, ici.

Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union (Competition and Consumer Policy)

BIS, gov.uk, here.

Let’s Talk About Android – Observations on Competition in the Field of Mobile Operating Systems

T. Koerber, here.

Guidelines on recommended standard licences, datasets and charging for the re-use of documents

EC, here

Les contrats de partenariats : des bombes à retardement ?

Senat, rapport d'information n. 733. ici.

Bundeskartellamt: Brussels reaches legal limits on Google antitrust settlement

FT, here.

Court rejects ban on second hand e-book sales, refers to Europe

DutchNews.nl, here.
Google's translation of the Court's order here.

Verkoop tweedehands e-boek mag

NOS.nl, hier.

Are trade agreements setting our domestic copyright policy? The case-study of intermediary liability

Digital.org.au, here.

When economics met Antitrust : the second Chicago School and the Economization of Antitrust law

P. Bougette, M. Deschamps, F. Marty, here.

Friday, July 04, 2014

EFTA Court sheds lightness in the darkness of PSI charges!


G. Hittmair and M. de Vries,,ici.

Droit à l'oubli : c'est déjà le bazar que Google espérait provoquer

Numerama, ici.

Superare gli ostacoli alla competitività per rafforzare la crescita del paese

AGCM, Segnalazione per la legge annuale della concorrenza inviata a Governo e Parlamento, qui.

How to Make a Living from Music

D. Stopps, here

Librarians Concerned Digital Content Licences Overriding Exceptions, Limitations

IP-Watch.org, here

Uber Gets a Green Light to Operate in London

Slate.com, here

Doubt cast over proposed UK laws on private copying

Out-law.com, here

Facebook’s Model Users

F. Pasquale, here

Authors Rally Behind Amazon in Publisher Dispute

Goodereader.com, here

Innovation in E‐book Lending  

IPA, here

Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Copia privata, il decreto Franceschini smentito dai numeri (replica/risposta)

G.Blandini, G. Sforza, qui.

Publishers Claim Apple Order Illegally Hobbles Return to Agency Model

PublishersWeekly, here.

European Research Organisations Call On Elsevier To Withdraw Text and Data Mining Policy

LIBER, here.

Private copying, parody and quotation rights rules move closer to being implemented

Out-law.com, here

The English law of causation and the passing-on defence

Competitionbulletin.com, here

Extradition In Cartel Cases–ABA Criminal Cartel Practice and Procedure Program Summary

Cartelcapers.com, here

Libraries Starting to Adopt Pay Per Use for Digital Content

Goodereader.com, here

In­itia­ti­ve zur Datenschutz-Grund­ver­ord­nung ge­star­tet

Bmi.bund.de, hier

Friday, June 27, 2014

Google is trolling the EU with passive-aggressive disclaimers on search results

Qz.com, here

IMPALA invites the European Commission to red card YouTube

ImpalaMusic.org, here

Amazon pressing for new terms in UK (retail MFN included)

Thebookseller.com, here

The right to resell ebooks — major case looms in the Netherlands

GigaOm, here

Higher Education: Creative destruction

TheEconomist.com, here

Four Lessons Libraries Can Learn From Amazon

Digitalbookworld.com, here

Leistungsschutzrecht: Verlage legen Beschwerde beim Bundeskartellamt ein

Urheberrecht.org, hier

Patent Misuse and Antitrust: Rebirth or False Dawn?

D. Lim, here

Die Zukunft gehört Google, mein Puls gehört mir

Heise.de, hier.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Guidance on Alice

USPTO, here.

Confidential information exchange in competition cases: perception versus reality in the EU and US

V. Demedts, here

Into the Parallel Universe: Procedural Fairness in Private Litigation After the Damages Directive

C. Jones, here

The Fairness Debate in the U.S.

B. Foer, here

Competition law enforcement: administrative versus judicial systems

D. Zimmer, here

Was kosten E-Books wirklich?

Boersenblatt.net, hier

Searching for a Modernized Voice: Economics, Institutions and Predictability in European Competition Law

D. Gerber, here

Draft extended collective licensing regulations been laid before UK Parliament

Aereo reversed

Here. Opinion for the Court delivered by Breyer, Scalia dissenting.

Vice-President Reding welcomes U.S. announcement on data protection umbrella agreement

EC Press Release, here

EC adopts revised safe harbours for minor agreements ("De Minimis Notice") and provides guidance on "by object" restrictions of competition

Press Release, here.
De Minimis Notice here.
Guidance on restrictions of competition "by object" for the purpose of defining which  agreements may benefit from the De Minimis Notice here

EC fines three producers of canned mushrooms € 32 million in cartel settlement

Press Release, here

Copia privata story (senza parole)

G. Sforza, qui

UK IP Law Professors on Parody and Quotation, and Personal Copying for Private Use

Letter sent to the Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee on Secondary Legislation, here

The data retention judgment, the Irish Facebook case, and the future of EU data transfer regulation

C. Kuner, here

Will Uber destroy the driving profession?

E. Goldwyn, here

Net Neutrality and Antitrust Laws

Hearing, FCC, Video here

Science 2.0: Europe can lead the next scientific transformation

European Commission, here

Amazon responds to German antitrust complaint, says it wants a larger commission on ebooks

GigaOm.com, here

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Börsenverein reicht Beschwerde beim Bundeskartellamt gegen Amazon ein

Boersenverein.de, hier

L'Assemblée nationale se pique d'accessibilité en milieu scolaire

ActuaLitte.com, ici. 

Légifrance : gratuité des données, mais pas d'Open Data imposé

Numerama.com, ici.

Assessing the economic impacts of adapting certain limitations and exceptions to copyright and related rights in the EU

CRA for DG MARKT, here

Enclosing the public domain: The restriction of public domain books in a digital environment

A. Clark, B. Chawner, here.

Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo de la reforma propuesta a la Ley de Derechos de Autor (Perù)

Hiperderecho.org, aquì.

Submission in response to the competition policy review issues paper

Australian Copyright Council, here. Harper Review here

Citizen Bezos

NYBooks, here.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Companies should focus on using data for innovation, as well as protecting it, finds study

Out-law.com, here

Phone maker ZTE takes antitrust angle in European patent fight

Pcworld.com, here.

Used eBook Website Launches in Europe

The-digital-reader.com, here.

Broadband Policy & Consumer Welfare: The Case for an Antitrust Approach to Net Neutrality Issues

J. Wright, here; see also here

Antitrust Award to John “Cartel Hunter” Connor

Corporatecrimereporter.com, here

Improper Use of Restricted Drug Distribution Programs May Impede Generic Competition

FTC Amicus Brief, here

Replacing the economic absurdity of New Jersey’s Tesla direct sales ban with a callous reward for rent-seeking

G. Manne, here

Platform Neutrality: Building an open and sustainable digital environment

Cnnumerique.fr, here

Supreme Court smashes “do it on a computer” patents in 9-0 opinion

ArsTechnica, here

From Vision to Reality: Copyright, Technology and Practical Solutions Enabling the Media & Publishing Ecosystem

European Publishers Council, here.

At p. 34 "EPC does not oppose that principle (non-overridability, SV) and, indeed, it is already reflected in the Software Directive. It is right that exceptions should not be overridden by the inclusion of clauses into contracts which have the effect of stopping lawful users
from taking advantage of the exceptions." Caveats follow...

Interestingly, roughly the same reasoning ("it is already reflected in the Software Directive") could possibly apply to a general digital exhaustion principle, to which publishers are instead opposed (p. 30 ff.)

The Role of Lead Jurisdiction Concepts

O. Budzinski, Presentation here

Public private partnerships in Italy: A snapshot of the main issues

F. Antellini Russo, Presentation here

Airline Competition

OECD Secretariat, Background Paper, here.

Unjustified Delays in Generic Drug Competition

S. Hemphill, here

The Implications of the Imperfect European Patent Enforcement System on the Assessment of Reverse Payment Settlements

R. Subiotto, here.

Allgemeine Bildungs- und Wissenschaftsschranke

K. de la Durantaye, hier

MOFCOM Files Brief In U.S. Vitamin C Case Urging Application Of Foreign Sovereign Compulsion Defense

Orrick, here

Changes to UK copyright law

IPO's Guidance here

Why consumers should be at the heart of TTIP

BEUC, here

CJEU on the assessment of the individual character of a design

Case C-345/13 Karen Millen Fashions Ltd v Dunnes Stores, Press Release here; Judgment here.  

Contre Google, Qwant reçoit le renfort d'un géant allemand de la presse (Axel Springer)

Numerama.com, ici.

Copyright Protections and Disability Rights: Turning the Page to a New International Paradigm

P. Harpur, N. Suzor, here

Google: "Angebote mit dem Leistungsschutzrecht in Einklang"

Heise.de, Hier.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

YouTube to block indie labels as subscription service launches

Bbc.com, Here.

Muddling Through: How We Learn to Cope with Technological Change

A. Thierer, here

Schweizer Nationalrat stimmt für gesetzliche Festschreibung der Netzneutralität

Netzspolitik.org, hier.

Global Deletion Orders? B.C. Court Orders Google To Remove Websites From its Worldwide Index

M. Geist, here

Resolution on the revision of the Convention 108

European Conference of Data Protection Authorities, here.

Retailers Ask Appeals Court to Overturn Credit Card Swipe Fee Settlement

BusinessWire.com, here.

Brief here

EU Court Maintains Tough Stance Against Business Practices by Firms With Strong Market Power

Mwe.com, here

Federal Circuit Feeds Us Some Humble Pie: Oracle v Google Reversed

A. Sanders, here

Universities 'get poor value' from academic journal-publishing firms

TheGuardian.com, here

The Disruption Machine

J. Lepore, here

CNMC on the "Google Tax"

Here

Apple settles $840 million ebooks price-fixing claim

TheVerge.com, here

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Why online tracking is getting creepier

ArsTechnica, here

HathiTrust: A win, oddly

K. Smith, here

Search Engines and Data Retention: Implications for Privacy and Antitrust

L. Chou, C. Tucker, here

Mozambique in the Process of Implementing a New Competition Regime

L. Domingos, S. Morais, here

CJEU Provides Guidance Regarding Potential Liability Of Cartel Members In EU Member States For Sales By Non-Cartel Participants

Wilmerhale.com, here

The Effect of Patent Litigation and Patent Assertion Entities on Entrepreneurial Activity

C. Tucker, here

The General Court upholds the Commission's Intel decision

Press release here. Judgment T‑286/09 here

CMA proposes ban on "wide" retail price MFN between price comparison websites and insurers in the private motor insurance market (and ban on "narrow" MFN if "equivalent behaviour")

Provisional decision on remedies here.

See also Appendices 4.1 (Single-homing and the threat of delisting), 4.2 (Extending the remedy to narrow MFNs), and 4.3 (Effectiveness of advertising expenditure on PCWs), here.

Remedy proposed (para 4.71):

(a) A prohibition on PCWs and PMI providers entering into or performing agreements that include an MFN relating to the sale of PMI, except narrow MFNs, where ‘narrow MFNs’ are defined as covering the insurance provider website but excluding possible aggregator platforms.
(b) A prohibition on behaviours which have as their effect the elimination or reduction of competition between PCWs in a similar way to the harm identified by wide MFNs (namely, restricting entry to the PCW market, reducing innovation by PCWs and increasing premiums for motor insurance to the retail customer). This measure will apply to those PCWs which generate more than 300,000 PMI sales per year [this would mean that narrow MFNs which have the same anticompetitive effects as wide MFNs are also prohibited, SV ]
(c) PMI providers and PCWs will be required to comply with immediate effect following the making of the order.
(d) In order to monitor equivalent behaviours, those PCWs above the 300,000 PMI sales per year threshold will be required to submit compliance statements to the CMA every quarter for the first two years following the order and then once a year. These compliance statements would need to list all delisting actions during the relevant period, setting out the reasons for the delisting.



Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Finding the Balance on Digital Privacy

S. Singleton, here

The demise of the rate parity clause: opportunities and risks for hoteliers

Tnooz.com, here

The Internet and Big Data - Incompatible with Data Protection?

P. Schaar, here

Neelie's view on taxi protests and what it means for the sharing economy

Here

US Proposal Seeks To Allow Non-Violation Cases Under TRIPS Agreement

Ip-watch.org, here

Rolling Up Video Distribution in the U.S.: Why the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger Should Be Blocked

AAI, White Paper, here

2nd Circuit Decision In Lotes Clarifies FTAIA’s Effect On The Extraterritorial Reach Of The Sherman Act, But Leaves Unresolved The Status Of Claims Based On Importation Of Products Containing Price-Fixed Components

Orrick.com, here

Het misbruikverbod op het internet: onlineplatforms als poortwachters van persoonsgegevens

I. Graef, hier

Putting the right to data portability into a competition law perspective

I. Graef, J. Verschakelen, P. Valcke, here

On the antitrust economics of the electronic books industry

G. Gaudin, A. White, here

Justice Council: EU data protection reform on track?

Legalmemory, here.

Payday lending market investigation: Summary of provisional findings

CMA, here

Uber (u)ber alles?

Bbc.com, here

Hathitrust Wins Big Victory For Authors In Authors Guild Case

P. Samuelson, here

Friday, June 06, 2014

Governing, Exchanging, Securing: Big Data and the Production of Digital Knowledge

B. Harcourt, here

Italy's contribution to the June 2014 OECD discussions on generic pharmaceuticals and competition

Here. Other documentation on the same topic here

OECD Guide for helping competition authorities assess the expected impact of their activities

Here (in French here). 

Key points in the Open Internet Project's legal action (Google Search)

OIP, here.

Refusal to provide referrer data evoking privacy reasons, as easily anticipated (page 27).

A New Era In Cartel Enforcement Against Foreign Nationals

Steptoe.com, here

Pratiques d’éviction : Quoi de neuf ?

Séminaire, présentations ici; synthèse des débats ici

Colorado becomes first state to pass law embracing Uber, Lyft et al.

BizJournals.com, here.

Transportation Network Company Act here

Thursday, June 05, 2014

No Market Power Needed In 2nd Circuit Vertical Restraint Cases

United States v. American Express Co, No. 10-CV-4496, May 7, 2014 order, here

EU competition chief to examine Amazon, Hachette e-book spat

Reuters.com, here.

Price Coherence and Adverse Intermediation

B. Edelman, J. Wright, here

Supermarket Power: Serving Consumers or Harming Competition

J. Berasategi, here

CMA consults on improved commitments relating to platform services for the automotive sector

CJEU: The ‘temporary copies’ exception applies to on-screen and cached copies

C‑360/13 Public Relations Consultants Association Ltd v Newspaper Licensing Agency Ltd and Others, here

AG: A Member State can authorise libraries to digitise books and make them available at electronic reading posts

C-117/13 Technische Universität Darmstadt v Eugen Ulmer KG Press Release here.

"...se contenter d’une simple offre du titulaire du droit d’auteur permettrait de subordonner l’application de ladite exception à des décisions unilatérales, ce qui, en conséquence, priverait l’exception d’effet utile pour les établissements concernés. L’interprétation téléologique, quant à elle, exige également, compte tenu de l’objectif d’intérêt général poursuivi par le législateur de l’Union, à savoir promouvoir la diffusion du savoir et de la culture, que l’utilisateur puisse invoquer cette exception (24).
...
De la même façon qu’il est loisible à un utilisateur d’une bibliothèque, dans les limites posées par la législation nationale, de photocopier les pages des ouvrages physiques présents dans le fonds et à une bibliothèque de le permettre, l’utilisateur peut imprimer des pages d’une copie numérique et la bibliothèque peut le permettre (57)"

CJEU: Cartel members may be sued for damage caused by umbrella pricing

C-557/12 Kone AG and Others v ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, Press Release here, Judgment here.

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Drafting Competition Law for Developing Jurisdictions: Learning from Experience

E. Fox, M. Gal, here

Desenvolvimiento competitivo impedido por medio de bloqueos marcarios: acuerdo conciliatorio

Fne.gob.cl, aquì

First Sale Hearing in the Big Apple

J. Band, here

Competition Policy and the Technologies of Information

H. Hovenkamp, here.


Google Deletion Complaints to Be Policed by EU Privacy Panel

Bloomberg.com, here

Competition issues at the forefront in aviation

ACCC.gov.au, here

YouTube's new streaming service: Independent music community on the barricades and seeking Almunia's intervention

Impala, here

Net Neutrality Explained by John Oliver

Video, here

HRS Decision in English (retail MFN)

Bundeskartellamt, here. For "general" information purposes only.

British Recording Industry Thinks 'Right To Be Forgotten' Proves Google Can Stop Piracy

TechDirt.com, here

On Privacy, Big Data and Competition Law

ChillingCompetition, Post 1 here, 2 here.

Weaving a Tapestry to Protect Privacy and Competition in the Age of Big Data

J. Brill, here

All the Amazon-Hachette coverage doesn’t seem to cover some important causes and implications

Idealog.com, here

Monday, June 02, 2014

Platform Strategy (Literature Survey)

G. Parker, M. Van Alstyne, here

Hearing: First Sale Under Title 17

U.S. House Judiciary Committee, testimonies here

Payback time: First patent troll ordered to pay “extraordinary case” fees (Judge Denise Cote)

ArsTechnica, here

Changes to UK Copyright: Education Exceptions

Copyright4education, here.

Interview: Booking.com confident it is on trend and set for further growth

Travolution.co.uk, here

Why Competition Matters and How to  Foster It in the Dynamic ICT Sector

ITU Global Symposium for Regulators discussion paper, here.

Consumer protection in the online world

ITU Global Symposium for Regulators discussion paper, here.

Lessons from the 'right to be forgotten'

TheHill.com, here

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

UN Special Rapporteur's concerns regarding Italy's online copyright enforcement

F. La Rue, here (Word file), p.13 f.

"The issue of intellectual property (...) was discussed during the visit and a number of concerns were raised regarding the adoption of additional measures for the protection of copyright at the expense of freedom of expression. For the Special Rapporteur, the establishment of norms protecting intellectual property should remain exclusively within the purview of the Parliament.

The Special Rapporteur also underlines that, although AGCOM may by law apply some limitations on online content, the removal of online content should be decided by the Court on a case-by-case basis."

Amazon on Hachette's Business Interruption

Here

Learned Society attitudes towards Open Access

EDP Sciences, prepared by TBI Communications, here

Old friends in new frocks? MFN clauses in the online hotel booking sector/19

(Previous installments here)

From a more evolutionary perspective, it is also noteworthy that in an era of big data firms at the different levels of the value chain have the potential to constantly gain better market insights. Based on the results of data analysis, both producers and intermediaries may experiment by way of fine tuning their marketing practices. In some respect, the uninterrupted and abundant flow of real-time, potentially insightful data makes it imperative for every market participant to continually experiment and adapt.


Facebook Asks Europe To Review Its $19B WhatsApp Buy In Bid To Head Off Local Opposition

TechCrunch, here.

Montebourg vole au secours des hôtels en assignant Booking en justice

Numerama.com, ici

Why Germany Dominates the U.S. in Innovation

Bloomberg.com, here

A Cable Merger Too Far

NYTimes.com, here

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Are Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon "data brokers" according to the FTC?

Not very clear, see here.

Data Brokers: A Call for Transparency and Accountability

FTC Report, here. Statement of Commissioner J. Brill, here

Amazon Strategy Raises Hackles in Germany

NYTimes, here

The right to be forgotten and open data

OKF blog, here.

Old friends in new frocks? MFN clauses in the online hotel booking sector/18

(Previous installments here)

Finally, and more generally, it would be unreasonable to turn a blind eye to the fact that the economic value extracted from consumers’ personal data is essential to many Internet entrepreneurs. Safeguarding competition in an era of big data requires a detailed understanding of how exactly user information fits into these firms’ business models.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Antitrust Damage Actions in Europe: Race to the Middle?

J. Delgado, here.

Das grosse Feindbild Google

Nzz.ch, hier

Making Your Privacy Practices Public

K. Harris, Attorney General, California Department of Justice, here.

Does Google want to own the online travel-booking market?

TheEconomist, here.

This is the comment I left on the Economist's website: "As possible game changers, also worth mentioning are the investigations and decisions by competition authorities in the online hotel booking sector.They could make advertising in Google less crucial..."

AG Cruz Villalon says that certain parodies may be prohibited if against fundamental values of society

IPKat, here

Interview with Pam Samuelson, one of the founders of the Authors' Alliance

PublishersWeekly, here

Old friends in new frocks? MFN clauses in the online hotel booking sector/17

(Previous installments here)

This and other anticompetitive potentials of retail-price MFNs may be strengthened in the presence of a network of such clauses. Thus, the German Competition Authority found that the vast majority of hotels in Germany was under a retail MFN obligation with at least one of the three most popular hotel booking platforms, and this made practically impossible for an entrant platform to pursue a “consumers’ side” initiation/growth strategy based on commission-cuts and lower display prices.

Four things we’ve learned from the EU Google judgment

Iconewsblog, here

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Nespresso s'engage : le droit de la concurrence l'emporte-t-il ? Pas vraiment !

C. Bialès, M. Bechini, F.-X. Boudy, M. Carbonnel,G. de Boiscuillé, T. Schrepel, ici

Top-grossing mobile games: How do they make money (Apple platform)?

BusinessInsider, here.

Case comment: Google Spain SL, Google Inc v Agencia Espanola de Proteccion de Datos, Mario Costeja González

Eutopialaw.com, here

Old friends in new frocks? MFN clauses in the online hotel booking sector/16

(Previous installments here)

The danger of anticompetitive foreclosure just mentioned should deserve a high level of attention by competition policy enforcers dealing with these and other practices involving online platforms. In fact, the successful market entry and expansion of this type of Internet entrepreneurs critically depend on their ability to attract two sufficiently sizeable groups of customers.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Big Bad Banks: Bid Rigging and Multilateral Market Manipulation

J. Connor, here

Network Industries

R. Picker, Spring 2014 Course Slides (1264, pptx download), here

Old friends in new frocks? MFN clauses in the online hotel booking sector/15

(Previous installments here)

First, we have seen that there are “spillover” effects from retail MFNs for other platforms and channels. In a context of seller-imposed retail prices, or “agency” model, a single wide MFN clause between a seller and a platform effectively prevents any other platform from displaying prices lower than the MFN’d price (e.g. cheaper hotel room rates, lower insurance premiums, etc.), thus creating a floor – or minimum - price.

By contrast, agency pricing as such is not necessarily conducive to rate parity, or price fixing, since it could well be in the seller’s interest to display different prices on different platforms. Thus, for instance, the mobile game Hundreds is priced  CHF5.00 on iTunes and CHF4.75 on Google Play, while the price of the racing game Impossible Road is the same on both platforms.

Actually, competition authorities in the UK and Germany have expressed serious concerns exactly because retail MFN clauses prevent expansion and entry strategies by platforms based on “selective” lower hotel prices and insurance premiums. In fact, due to the spillover effects of wide MFNs, an online retailer cannot use its ability to compete on commissions (or margins) in order to enter the market and try to achieve the critical mass necessary for the platform to survive and, possibly, to thrive. Instead, still under agency but without retail MFNs, the same retailer could pursue a strategy of lowering the commission rate applied to the seller with the expectation that the seller would then display lower prices on the more cost-effective platform. 

(To be continued)

UK Competition Tribunal rejects attempt to dismiss Skoosh's intervention (online hotel booking)

France: proposition de loi visant à encadrer les méthodes pratiquées par les agences de réservation en ligne

Ici

Euro interest rate derivatives cartel: EC sends Statement of Objections to Crédit Agricole, HSBC and JPMorgan

Press Release, here

Economics in the design and implementation of competition policy

J. Fingleton, Abstract and Audio here.


Thursday, May 15, 2014

Open Internet Project Manifesto - Paris Declaration of May 15, 2014

Economic Rationales of Exclusive Dealing; Empirical Evidence from the French Distribution Networks

M. Fadairo, J. Yu, here

Old friends in new frocks? MFN clauses in the online hotel booking sector/14

(Previous installments here)

In conclusion, and based on the above reflections, some tentative answers to the central question of this serial: What is really new about retail MFN clauses?

For years already, competition/antitrust circles have discussed whether anticompetitive motives and efficiency justifications underlying the adoption of vertical restraints in the off-line world equally applied to on-line sales. Thus, for instance, most participants in an OECD roundtable on vertical restraints for on-line sales agreed that “a new economic and regulatory framework was not needed to assess the competitive implications of vertical restraints” in the Internet economy. After all, as recently argued by Alexander Italiener, the EC Director-General for Competition, some of the actual issues emerging from e-commerce, such as how to deal with on-line resellers accused of free-riding on others’ promotional efforts, are hardly a novelty. Differences in scale and speed notwithstanding, mail order companies in the pre-Internet time were accused of doing broadly the same.

With regard specifically to retail MFN clauses as used by multi-sided platforms, before asking questions about the suitability of our current economic and regulatory framework in order assess them, it should be noted that this type of vertical restraint might raise some "original" competition concerns.

(To be continued)

The ten things that define you

J. Zittrain, here

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Leveraging Market Power Through Tying and Bundling: Does Google Behave Anti-Competitively?

B. Edelman, here

The Audience in Intellectual Property Infringement

J. Fromer, M. Lemley, here

Old friends in new frocks? MFN clauses in the online hotel booking sector/13

(Previous installments here)

Notwithstanding, the Competition Commission validly argues that narrow MFNs are much less a cause for concern than wide MFNs. Generally, under narrow MFNs, competition between PCWs is not critically restricted, since PMI providers can quote different premiums on different PCWs. Nor is entry to the PCW market substantially hampered, since insurers can pass through to lower prices the smaller CPA fees required by new entrants. Moreover, an innovative PCW can still be “rewarded” by the insurer by quoting a lower price on the PCW’s platform.

The Commission also recognizes that, under specific circumstances, there might still be some tangible anticompetitive effects. However, as seen above, the Commission maintains that, at present, narrow MFNs impose significant network effects only in very few instances, and, therefore, their overall impact on the market is much limited. The Commission’s reasoning is not totally convincing, though. In particular, the widespread use of retail MFN clauses in the MPI industry could have hampered the development of the insurer’s direct sales channel. This means that it cannot be excluded that, once any type of MFN clause banned, the insurer will have more incentives to invest in making her own direct online channel grow.

At any rate, when a narrow MFN clause produces anticompetitive effects, it might still be possible to demonstrate the occurrence of specific efficiencies outweighing the harm to competition. Thus, it could be alleged that narrow MFNs prevent the insurer from free-riding on PCW’s investments. However, there might be alternative, less restrictive mechanisms than a narrow MFN clause to prevent this from occurring. For instance, consumers that use the PCW’s facilities for search and then purchase on the insurer’s website are rather easily identifiable by way of cookies or other means, and the contract between the insurer and the PCW can require that also in this case a fee must be paid to the latter.


(To be continued)

FAZ: Ausgewogener Journalismus oder persönliche Kampagne gegen Google?

14. Mai 2014

Europäischer Gerichtshof bekräftigt "Recht auf Vergessenwerden" , S. 1:
Die Welt ist keine Google, S. 1;
Im Netz verweht, S. 2;
Strassburger Applaus, S. 2;
Ehrverletzende Vorschläge, S. 2;
Leben, um es auch wieder vergessen zu können, S. 9;
Internetnutzer können persönliche Daten löschen lassen, S. 15;
Daten wie Wasser, S. 15.


Are APIs Patent or Copyright Subject Matter?

P. Samuelson, here

Monday, May 12, 2014

Outils opérationnels de prévention et de lutte contre la contrefaçon en ligne

Rapport Dutheillet de Lamothe, ici.

Datenschutz im Auto

Deutsche Bundesregierung, hier

Old friends in new frocks? MFN clauses in the online hotel booking sector/12

(Previous installments here)

It can be argued, however, whether the Competition Commission’s strong concern with PCWs’ survival in the interest of consumers, and supporting the defense of narrow MFN clauses, is really warranted.  First, and contrary to the Commission’s allegation, it would seem that PCWs can thrive also without narrow MFNs, as the experience in other industries shows. Thus, for instance, PCWs in the air travel sector exist and prosper despite the fact that the prices of flight tickets advertised on the airlines’ own websites are often lower than the rates displayed on some PCWs.

Furthermore, investing in PCWs despite potential “consumer leakage” to the insurers' websites could still be worthwhile because of the economic value of personal data.  Typically, a consumer visiting a PCW in search of a PMI policy has to answer a long list of rather detailed questions which in particular aim at identifying the consumer’s risk profile. Thus, in the process of searching and comparing the most suitable offers, even if consumers do not “click through” to the insurers’ websites to finalize the purchase, PCWs gather information, also in aggregated form, that can be of substantial economic value to insurers and other market participants.

Third, shifting the focus from the price to other elements of the offer could actually be in the interest of consumers. Economists have long recognized that boundedly rational consumers facing decisions on complex products and services might find it so difficult to compare the different offers available to them that they tend to inertia. The suppliers of products and services can reinforce consumers’ behavioural biases through the strategic adoption of over-complexity in pricing and/or qualitative characteristics of their offers, and may even try to hamper the development of new business models designed to overcome consumer inertia. However, there are products and services that are inherently difficult to compare, such as, possibly, insurance products. If the comparison website focuses on price, the offer at the top of the list, i.e. the cheapest insurance product, could well turn out to be of lower value to the consumer when the whole deal is taken into account.

(To be continued)

Friday, May 09, 2014

Oracle v. Google

US Court of Appeals, May 9, 2014, here.

My short paper here for some background.  

Braille e-books: Why can't you buy a budget e-reader?

Bbc.com, here

DRAFT UK COPYRIGHT REGULATIONS 2014

Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, Report and Transcript

What Apple is really buying with Beats

TheVerge.com, here

Regulation for Competition

A. Fletcher, Presentation here

Hachette Says Amazon Is Delaying Delivery of Some Books

NYTimes.com, here

Old friends in new frocks? MFN clauses in the online hotel booking sector/11

(Previous installments here)

Because of convincing evidence that interbrand competition, here competition between insurance brands measured by the rate of consumers’ price-based switching, is very effective when exercised on PCWs, the Competition Commission can be legitimately concerned not to hamper the attractiveness of these platforms’ business model. However, while the direct anticompetitive effects of narrow MFN clauses may appear limited, their cumulative, or “network” effect could still have momentous consequences for competition in the PMI market. 

Once wide MFNs are prohibited, an insurer is able to agree different PMI premiums with different PCWs. If a PCW retains, or introduces, a narrow MFN, the insurer will be constrained not to offer on its own website a premium lower than the price agreed with that PCW. When the same insurer agrees on a narrow MFN clause with a number of PCWs, the cumulative effect is that the insurer's directly offered price cannot be lower than the price it offers on any of its partner PCWs’ websites. The end result is that the price displayed by the insurer on its own website would be the same as the least competitive partner PCW.

Therefore, one unintended consequence of the cumulative effect of narrow MFNs could be that the PMI providers with significant and high-profit direct sales would still prefer charging the same price through all PCWs in order to maintain the attractiveness of their own channel, so that the narrow MFN clause becomes a de facto wide MFN clause. Of course, this in turn will depend on a number of factors, such as the strength of the PMI’s brand and the presence of alternative channels to efficiently market PMI policies, which make direct sales less attractive to the PMI.

While the Competition Commission acknowledges that also narrow MFNs, because of the alleged network effect, can restrict competition, she maintains that these effects would be confined to a limited number of PMI brands, not affecting the functioning of the PMI market as a whole. In particular, having empirically examined the importance of direct sales to PMIs, the Competition Commission found that insurers whose direct sales were dominant relative to alternative channels already did not appear on PCWs. There were only four brands for which there was significant competition between the direct channel and the PCW, but those four brands together only accounted for a small proportion of the policies sold through PCWs. The Commission thus concludes that “in the vast majority of cases, narrow MFNs do not impose significant network effects.”

(To be continued)