Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Amazon Files Lawsuits to Keep Counterfeit Goods Off Website

Bloomberg, here

Auditing for Transparency in Content Personalization Systems

B. Mittelstadt, here

Google and Facebook's "fake news" ban is a welcome nail in the coffin of "software objectivity"

BoingBoing, here

Mark Zuckerberg Is in Denial

NYTimes, here

Antitrust in the digital age

M. Grenfell, here

(Most competition authorities waiting for Coty?) 

Notice on certain articles of Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions

EC, here

Europe’s new privacy regime will disrupt the adtech Lumascape

Pagefair, here.

The Ripple Effects of Online Marketplace Bans

A. Ezrachi, here (research supported by the Computer and Communications Industry Association - CCIA).

I Think, Therefore I Invent: Creative Computers and the Future of Patent Law

R. Abbott, here

AI at Facebook

A. Bordes, Video here

The Trick Data Scientists Use To Know You’re Paying Attention To Beyoncé

FastCompany, here

Bundling

H. Singer, Presentation here

Privacy is an essentially contested concept: a multi-dimensional analytic for mapping privacy

D. Mulligan, C. Koopman, N. Doty, here

Les applications de messagerie sortent leurs « bots » pour séduire les marques

LesEchos, ici

Clicks and mortarboards: how can higher education make the most of digital technology?

Nesta, here

Google, Facebook Move to Punish Fake News Sites With Ad Rules

Bloomberg, here

‘I’m sorry, my friend, but you’re implicit in the algorithm…’ Privacy and internal access to #BigDataStream

An interview with Giovanni Buttarelli, European Data Protection Supervisor, here

Artificial Intelligence and Ethics – Who does the thinking?

IEEE AI & Ethics Summit 2016, here

Die Union will der Ministererlaubnis Zügel anlegen

FAZ, hier.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Russia to Block Access to LinkedIn Over Alleged Legal Violations

Bloomberg, here.

Microsoft-LinkedIn deal gets approved in South Africa

Mybroadband.co.za, here.

FTC Seeks Comment on Proposed Changes to Contact Lens Rule

FTC, here.

Google sanctioned in Italy for abuse of economic dependence

Preiskel & Co, here.

Skating on Thin Ice: The European Commission challenges the governance rules of an international sports association as being incompatible with European antitrust rules

P. Alexiados, P. Figueroa, here.

Twitter and Facebook go soul-searching after Trump's win

Bloomberg, here.

CJEU annuls EUIPO decision on registration of Rubik’s Cube shape as EU trade mark

Judgment in Case C-30/15 P Simba Toys GmbH & Co. KG v EUIPO, here

The Data Said Clinton Would Win. Why You Shouldn’t Have Believed It.

NYTimes, here

Algorithmic accountability and transparency in the digital single market

European Parliament Hearing, Video here

Rapport de la mission de réflexion sur la création d’un droit voisin pour les éditeurs de presse

L. Franceschini, ici

Why we should worry about WhatsApp accessing our personal information

ICO for the Guardian, here

Siri can now send money via PayPal

TechCrunch, here

Ergebnisse der 92. Konferenz der unabhängigen Datenschutzbehörden

Pressemitteilung, hier

Parallels Between Europe’s Antitrust Cases Against Google and Microsoft

NYTimes, here.

Bradley Tusk points out the bright side of Trump presidency in memo to portfolio companies

TechCrunch, here.

Future of Big Mergers Under Trump? Like Much Else, It’s Unclear

NYTimes, here.

Robots and the Developing World

UNCTAD, here

Le prêt d'ebook assimilable au prêt d'un livre papier, sous conditions

Actualitte, ici.
Judgment in Case C-174/15, here.  

Looking beyond transatlantic data transfers

Brookings, here.

Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Guidelines on the protection of personal data processed by mobile applications provided by European Union institutions

EDPS, here.

Apple says Australian banks are ‘not interested’ in promoting mobile payments competition

Nfcworld.com, here. Apple's submission here. Other submissions here

U.S. Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil: Data can help everyone

Recode, Podcast here.

Commission to open probe into tech companies’ algorithms next year

EurActiv, here.

The Role of Demand-Side Remedies in Driving Effective Competition: A Review for Which?

A. Fletcher, here

The Brilliance of Spotify Internal APIs to Mitigate Payments

Nordicapis, here

FCC Releases Order Imposing New Privacy Rules on ISPs and Telcos

Paulhastings.com, here

Start-ups sollen Bahn helfen, sich zu digitalisieren

Heise.de, hier

Monday, November 07, 2016

Competition and Data Protection Policies in the Era of Big Data: Privacy Guarantees as Policy Tools

N. Jentzsch, here.

Guidelines on the protection of personal data processed through web services provided by EU institutions

EDPS, .here.

Evidence to the Royal Society and British Academy on Data Governance

The Royal Statistical Society, here.

Facebook agreed to pause using data from UK WhatsApp users for advertisements or product improvement purposes.

ICO, here.

If Facebook earns 1.2 dollars for every user, how come users of CitizenMe can earn more than Facebook profits pro capita?

CitizenMe, here

CMA warns online sellers about price-fixing

CMA, here

Twitter-as-platform-cooperative

Wired, here

The state of debate – what to expect from the EU e-commerce sector inquiry

Squire Patton Boggs, here.

Friday, November 04, 2016

Examination of differential pricing practices related to Internet data plans

CA Competition Bureau, here.

LinkedIn Deal Exposes Dominance In The CRM Market

Forbes, here.

Lost in the splinternet

TheEconomist, here.

Will Open Banking trigger the API of Me?

C. Wood, Video here. Read also here.
More about Figo here.

News of Charges in Price-Fixing Inquiry Sends Pharmaceuticals Tumbling

NYTimes, here.

Digital Exhaustion: North American Observations

A. Katz, here.

Les données personnelles: entre protection et exploitation

G. Buttarelli, ici.

China internet authority formalizes regulations for live-streaming industry

Reuters, here.

Tenth Circuit Rules That Invocation of IP Rights Is Presumptively Valid Defense to Antitrust Refusal to Deal Claims

Orrick, Here.

Sozial geschickte Chatbots

TechnologyReview, hier.

Consumers Need To Pay More Attention To Monetizing Their Personal Data

TheMerkle, here.

Thursday, November 03, 2016

Sole and despotic dominion

C. Doctorow, here.

Sen. Al Franken asks Uber and Lyft about alleged racial discrimination against passengers

TechCrunch, here

Slapped wrists for “privacy law breakers” Fitbit, Jawbone, Garmin, and Mio

ArsTechnica, here

Abgegriffene Browserdaten: Mozilla entfernt "Web of Trust"

Heise.de, hier

Uber's redesigned app wants to mine personal information on your phone

LATimes, here

Microsoft/LinkedIn deal notified for EU merger control clearance: Will it be smooth sailing?

Lavoielegal.eu, here

The Competitive Landscape for Machine Intelligence

Bloomberg Beta, here

Google and Facebook are booming. Is the rest of the digital ad business sinking?

Recode, here

These Apps Let Anyone Build a (Dumb) Chatbot

Bloomberg, here

EU-U.S. Privacy Shield challenged

White & Case, here

Cloud: Datenschützer prüfen Speicherung von Unternehmensdaten im Ausland

Heise.de, hier

Reform des europäischen Urheberrechts: Viel Luft nach oben

VZBV, hier

Court challenge to Privacy Shield will have wide reverberations

The Irish Times, here

Carnegie Mellon to open research center focused on AI ethics

ZDNet, here

Review: ‘The Attention Merchants’ Dissects the Battle for Clicks and Eyeballs

NYTimes, here

Walmart joins antitrust suit alleging tuna collusion

Under Current News, here.

Improving Quality Isn’t Anti- Competitive, Part II

Google, here.

The German Bundesgerichtshof changes its concept of parody following CJEU Deckmyn v. Vrijheidsfonds/ Vandersteen

Kluwercopyrightblog, here

Europe rewrites the rules for Silicon Valley

FT, here.

Flywheel Taxi sues Uber for antitrust violations

SF Gate, here.

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

Managing the Machines

 A. Agrawal, J. Gans, and A. Goldfarb, here

It’s Finally Legal To Hack Your Own Devices (Even Your Car)

Wired, here.

Merger trends in innovation markets on the two sides of the Atlantic

F. Jenny, Presentation here

Ninth Annual Conference on Antitrust Economics and Competition Policy: Conference Summary

Techpolicy, here

Facebook clamps down on piracy as it wipes out several music-sharing groups

TheNextWeb, here

Justice Department Sues DIRECTV for Orchestrating Information Sharing Agreements with Three Competitors

DOJ, here

Competition watchdog criticised by MPs over bank reform

TheGuardian, here

How big will big data be under the GDPR ?

Iapp, here

Will The FCC’s Privacy Regs Actually Change The Status Quo On Consent?

AdExchanger, here

Facebook isn't looking out for your privacy. It wants your data for itself

TheGuardian, here.

Why Amazon Alexa is so dominant right now

VentureBeat, here.

Workers in gig economy need minimum wage, says ex-minister

TheTimes, here.

What is Blockchain Technology? A Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners

BlockGeeks, here.

Facebook is right to sink Admiral’s app

Openrightsgroup, here.

Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Proposed Update of Antitrust Guidelines for International Enforcement and Cooperation

FTC, DOJ, here

Loi Macron: les notaires opposés jusqu'au bout à l'ouverture à la concurrence

Challenges, ici.

Privacy group takes challenge on Irish Data Protection Commissioner’s independence

Irishtimes.com, here

Feature statt Bug: Facebook redet Diskriminierung als „multikulturelles Marketing“ schön

Netzpolitik, hier

Ennio Morricone Sues to Reclaim Rights to Film Scores


  HollywoodReporter, here.

  See also here.

How Zcash Tries to Balance Privacy, Transparency in Blockchain

Americanbanker.com, here

What could Facebook target next? Our mental health data

TheGuardian, here

The (curiously unhelpful) proposed update of the Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property

Fordham IPLJ, Video here (bootleg quality, sadly).

Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property: Proposed Update, here

Missing: SEP, FRAND, pay-for-delay (Actavis), etc.

Overall impression: update  in the current form curiously non informative, better read speeches given by agency officials, apply for business review letters, etc., or get in touch (say agency officials themselves ;-)). Possibly, fear of being too influential abroad?

Youtube zahlt Gema

FAZ, hier

Varsity Brands

Oral argument before the Supreme Court, here.
See also here and here.
Audio of the oral argument here.

Copyright Office Gratuitously Kills the DMCA Safe Harbor For Thousands of Websites

E. Goldman, here.

Copyright Impacts Everything

M. Masnick, Video here

The e-Commerce Sector Inquiry

T. Kramler, R. Rende Granata, Presentation here.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Yandex v. Google: Unofficial English Translation of the September 2015 Decision

Here

The Ride-Share Startup That's Competing With Uber And Lyft By Charging $1

FastCompany, here

Toyota is testing a Smart Key Box that makes it easier to share your car with strangers

VentureBeat, here

Klagewelle gegen Lkw-Kartellanten rollt

Handelsblatt, hier

Uber drivers are company employees not self-employed contractors, UK court rules

Arstechnica.co.uk, here

Who oversees data brokers selling your personal info? No one

LATimes, here

La/The « Berkeley School of Antitrust »

Leconcurrentialiste, Ici/here.

Territorial restrictions in media content licensing – lessons from the Paramount commitments decision

FieldFischer, here.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Rochade in EU-Kommission: Günther Oettinger wechselt von Digitales zu Haushalt!

Netzpolitik, hier.

Agency Decision-Making In Merger Cases: From A Prohibition Decision To A Conditional Clearance

OECD Background Note, here.

Paying to Have and Not to Hold

Slate, here.

The Costs and Benefits of Antitrust Consents

J. Wright, D. Ginsburg, here.

Comparing Google Assistant on Pixel to Apple Siri on iPhone 7

SearchEngineLand, here.

The GDPR will set the benchmark for global privacy contracting – and here's why.

P. Lee, here.

How Economists View the Rise of Artificial Intelligence

Fortune, here.

Why chatbots are an important opportunity for retailers

Econconsultancy, here.

The Italian Competition Authority has launched two investigations into WhatsApp Inc. practices over alleged violations of the Consumer Code

AGCM, here.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Des Républicains proposent une loi sur l’impression 3D qui ne changerait rien

Numerama, ici

Patent Assertion Entities in Europe

EC  Joint Research Centre (JRC), here

Google Android antitrust case: more competition means better conditions for App Developers

DIGITAL SME Alliance, here

Nudge Units Around the World


Statement of Objections to Brussels Airlines and TAP Portugal on code-sharing on Brussels-Lisbon route

EC, here

Uber’s newest API lets developers reach and reward drivers

VentureBeat, here

Handel mit Produktfälschungen: Neue Pflichten für Weihnachtsmarkt-Veranstalter

Spiritlegal.com, hier

Privacy group launches legal challenge against EU-U.S. data pact: sources

Reuters, here.

State Commercial Court of Moscow District confirmed legitimacy of FAS refusal to register excessive prices for medicinal drugs

FAS, here

Apple is launching its new TV guide tomorrow — but Netflix won’t be a part of it

Recode, here.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

New Strategies for Securing Our Private Lives

J. Zittrain, here.

The Battle for Our Attention

T. Wu,  Video here.

Ryanair looking for data as passengers will have to 'sign in' to book flights

Newstalk, here

Warum Merkel an die Algorithmen will

Spiegel.de, hier

ChemChina ready for concessions to clinch delayed Syngenta deal in 2017: source

Bloomberg, here

10 Emerging Technologies That Will Drive The Next Economy

Game-changer.net, here

Juno Wants to Outperform Uber With Kindness

Bloomberg, here

The Reason The Copyright Office Misrepresented Copyright Law To The FCC: Hollywood Told It To

TechDirt, here

Press Publishers and Copyright

J. Diaz Noci, here

Netflix CEO Wary That AT&T's Latest Merger Could Hurt Streaming Competitors

TechDirt, here

Promises, Promises From AT&T

Nytimes.com, here

Getting a handle on Twitter

WIPO Magazine, here

Breyer decision and the concept of personal data

Datonomy, here

Fairness and flexibility: Citizens Advice Bureau go right to the source

MyDex, here

Warner Bros sues talent agency for copyright infringement

WIPR, here.
See here.

Microsoft launches the next version of its deep learning toolkit into beta

TechCrunch, here

Mastercard to launch personal finance bot and commerce API for payments

VentureBeat, here

Whitepaper on EU Data Protection

Amazon Web Services, here

WhatsApp fights back over criticism of new privacy policy

FT, here

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Merkel fordert von Internetplattformen mehr Transparenz

Heise.de, hier.

Investigation into suspected breaches of competition law in the pharmaceutical sector.

CMA, here.

Competition and innovation in land transport

OECD, Background Note, here.

Mergers Raise Prices, Not Efficiency

BloombergView, here.

Forscher empfehlen Datenschutz, Urheber- und Wettbewerbsrecht zu verheiraten

Heise.de, hier.

Study on the Passing-on of Overcharges

EC, Final Report, here

A Chilly Reaction to AT&T-Time Warner Deal

NYTimes, here

AT&T Is Spying on Americans for Profit, New Documents Reveal

TheDailyBeast, here

A Survey of Worldwide Censorship Techniques

IETF, here.

Brexit and Competition: Issues Paper

Brexit Competition Law Working Group (BCLWG), here.

Ethics and Artificial Intelligence.

Enterpriseirregulars, here

Artificial Intelligence: Law and Policy

White House and UW’s Tech Policy Lab (24.04.2016), Video here.

The Rise of Big Data and the Loss of Privacy

A. Chirita, here

From Personality To Property: Data Protection Needs Competition, Consumer Protection Law, Conference Says

IP-watch, here.

Geoblocking in context

Bird&Bird, Presentation here.

Google, OpenAI create algorithms to use personal data, protect privacy

IAPP.org, here.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

The Behavioural Economics Revolution

Inno.bva.fr, here.

Der große Coup der Hacker

FAZ, hier.

Double-dip Internet-of-Things botnet attack felt across the Internet

ArsTechnica, here.

In-progress UN report on Big Data and Open Data - Defining issues and mitigating risks

OpenGovAsia, here.

Pokémon Go, AR and Privacy in Virtual Spaces

A. Guadamuz, Presentation here.

Pokémon Go is just the beginning of an absurd copyright struggle in AR

Gamesindustry.biz, here.

Opinion on Personal Information Management Systems

EDPS, here.

Bayer-Monsanto-Deal: Morgan Stanley kassiert Millionen für vier Monate Arbeit

FAZ, here.

AI-Ready or Not: Artificial Intelligence Here We Come!

Weber Shandwick, here.

The Sharing Economy - What It Is, Examples, And How Big Data, Platforms And Algorithms Fuel It

Forbes, here.
(Not much substance, but many cute examples of SE platforms)

WE Reading: Stuff and Money in the Time of the French Revolution


Google Has Quietly Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking

ProPublica, here.

US Comments on AU Draft on Misuse of Market Power

Americanbar, here

Using behavioral design to overcome decision-making paralysis

Deloitte, here.

Airbnb is now banned from listing short-term rentals in New York

TheVerge, here.

The Power of Conditional Payments

A. Hope-Bailie, here.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Creative Destruction Kaputt?

TheEconomist, here.

Making the most of platforms: a policy research agenda

D. Coyle, here.

Technology Giants, the Moligopoly Hypothezis and Holistic Competition: A Primer

N. Petit, here

Fair Use As A Tool For Reining In Foreign Judges?

J. Band, here

Fantastic Opinion of Advocate General Wahl in Intel appeal case

D. Geradin, here

How the Blockchain Could Change Corporate Structure

WSJ, here

Du « projection mapping » impressionnant pour habiller les vêtements

Numerama, ici

Poverty and decision-making: How behavioural science can improve opportunity in the UK

K. Gandy, K. King, P. Streeter Hurle, C. Bustin and K. Glazebrook, here

The European Handbook for Teaching Privacy and Data Protection at Schools

G. González Fuster and D. Kloza (eds.), here.

'Content responsibility’: The looming cloud of uncertainty for internet intermediaries.

M. Horten, here.

Pizza, the unsung agent of the robot revolution

ArsTechnica.co.uk, here

Tesla bans customers from using autonomous cars to earn money ride-sharing

ArsTechnica, here

EU-US Data Privacy- Seminar with Max Schrems

Video here

Intel Gets Boost in EU Battle Over $1.16 Billion Antitrust Fine

Bloomberg, here.
Opinion here

Neue Chance für Kaiser’s Tengelmann?

FAZ, hier.

La CNMC tiene los días contados

ElEspanol, aquì.

Big Tobacco’s dirty tricks in opposing plain packaging

TheConversation, here. See also here

Google Pixel: Eine smarte Revolution

Blog-cj.de, hier.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Nature, Scope, and Limits of Modern Trademark Protection: A Luxury Fashion Industry Perspective

D. Basma, here.

DOJ-AmEx Case Could Have Ramifications for Health Care Providers


Polsinelli, here. 

Finding bedrock: Prospecting for digital oil requires trust

M. Franklin, here

Australia: Apple is ‘closed and controlling’ say banks

Competitionpolicyinternational, here

Why the Knight Foundation president thinks we’re living through the biggest disruption since Gutenberg and the printing press

TheWashingtonPost, here

Resolution on Human Rights Defenders

The 38 th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, here

Data-Driven Intelligence

M. Hildebrandt, Presentation here.

Pour dévoiler l’algorithme d’Admission Post-Bac, l’Éducation nationale opte pour le papier

NextImpact, ici

Facing legislation, Airbnb proposes new rules in New York

TechCrunch, here

AI might take jobs, but we can take steps to limit that, says U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker

Recode, Podcast here

Interfaces On Trial 3.0: Oracle America v. Google And Beyond

J. Band, here

Das bedeutet das Medikamenten-Urteil für die Verbraucher

FAZ, hier

Véhicule autonome : a-t-on tranché le dilemme ?

LINC, ici

We can't control what our intelligent machines are learning

Z. Tufekci, TedTalk here

Facebook wehrt sich gegen Datentransfer-Verbot aus Hamburg

Heise.de, hier.

Court Hands Preliminary Victory to Luxottica in Counterfeit Eyewear Case

FashionLaw, here.
Order here

BlaBlaCar denunciará a la Comunidad de Madrid ante Bruselas

CincoDìas, aquì

MakeMyTrip, ibibo announce merger in $1.8-billion deal

Scroll.in, here

AI, Robotics, Privacy and Data Protection

Marrakesh AI Paper, here.

Une amende de 40 millions d’euros contre Sanofi confirmée en cassation

LeMonde, ici

Behavioral Considerations for Effective Time-Varying Electricity Prices

I. Schneider, C. Sunstein, here

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Vertical MFN’s and the Credit Card No-surcharge Rule

D. Carlton, R. Winter, here

Public Policy Forum on the Patent Assertion Entity Activity: An FTC Study

Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth, Video here

Downstream Consent: A Better Legal Framework for Big Data

A. Cormack, here

LSR "Chefredakteure kennen die Zahlen nur eingeschränkt"

Spiegel.de, hier.

Upgrading Justice

R. Susskind, Podcast here.  

Ownership and Deception in the Digital Marketplace

A. Perzanowski, here.

The Biggest Design Law Case Of The Century Is A Total Mess

Fastcodesign, here.

Allianz steigt in Gebrauchtwagenhandel ein

FAZ.net, hier

Investment and corporate banking market study: Final Report

FCA, here

Landmark judgements of Swiss Courts on the protection of business secrets and access to files in cartel cases

M. Meinhardt, F. Bremer, here

GDPR Overview

ICO, here

Netflix or Hulu won’t win the streaming wars. Your cable company will.

Vox, here

Greater competition in the “for‐hire auto transportation market”: Constitutional challenge

Richard Posner, here

Is there a competition law issue lurking on the horizon of cloud computing?

IPKat, here

Samsung acquires Viv, seeks to create smartest digital assistant

NewsDay, here.

Netflix semble avoir gagné sa bataille contre les VPN

Numerama, ici.

Online RPM and MFN Under Antitrust Law and Economics

P. Akman, D. Sokol, here

Qualcomm Files Actions Against Meizu in the United States, Germany and France

Qualcomm, here

Antitrust Enforcement Under A (Further) Clinton Administration: Status Quo Or Significant Change?

McDermott Will & Emery, here

Why artificial intelligence may be the next big privacy trend

Privacy Perspective, here

The airline industry is dominated by just four companies. And you’re paying for it.

ProPublica, here

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Dynamische Entwicklung bei mobiler Internetnutzung sowie Audios und Videos

ARD/ZDF, hier.

Amazon’s New Music-Streaming Service to Rival Spotify, Apple

Bloomberg, here

Compensation claim for ‘overcharged’ Pride Mobility customers

Which?, here

Ranks and Vasiļevičs

CJEU, Case C‑166/15, here.
Press Release, here.

Samsung v. Apple

Transcript of the Oral Argument, here.

Protecting Privacy Online: GDPR and e-Privacy Directive Revisited

A. Jablonowska, here.

ACLU exposes Facebook, Twitter for feeding surveillance company user data

ArsTechnica, here

Call for a multilateral competition regime

CUTS, here

Bildrechte: Wikipedianer unterliegt vor Gericht gegen Museum

Heise.de, hier

Robotics and artificial intelligence

UK Parliament, Science and Technology Committee, here

AI needs a watchdog and UK gov’t must do better on robotics, MPs warn

ArsTechnica.co.uk, here.

Netzagentur senkt Renditen für Netzbetreiber

FAZ, hier

National Artificial Intelligence R&D Strategic Plan

The White House, here.
Public responses here

Google’s Information is Power – Info-opoly Power

ICOMP, Video here

How Big is AI, Mr. President?

Wired, here.

Wettbewerb und Verbraucherverhalten – Konflikt oder Gleichlauf zwischen Verbraucherschutz und Kartellrecht?

Bundeskartellamt, hier.
Spannende Präsentationen abrufbar, hier.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Conference on the preliminary findings of the e-commerce inquiry - A few very selective and biased notes

EC, 6 October 2016.
Programme here.
Catch-up video here.
Contribution from academia (S2)

Some notes on my favourite Session (S3).
Bundeskartellamt (7:02:30)
Asics Decision here.
-- prohibition to sale via marketplaces: no agreement on this specific issue with the EC, feu vert on the others
--- total ban not expressly prohibited in the decision (obiter dictum para. 40: "Des Weiteren sind den autorisierten Händlern im ASICS-Vertriebssystem 1.0 die Bewerbung und der Verkauf über Online-Marktplätze per se – d.h. unabhängig von der konkreten Ausgestaltung des jeweiligen Marktplatzes – verboten. Auch wenn darüber mit Blick auf die vorgenannten und hier festgestellten Kernbeschränkungen nicht mehr entschieden wird, könnten nach Auffassung des Bundeskartellamts auch durch dieses Verbot viele ASICS-Händler daran gehindert werden, mehr und andere Kunden auch außerhalb ihres engen geographischen Vertriebsgebiets schnell und effektiv über das Internet zu erreichen").
- Widespread pressure on retailers towards RPM: How do we deal with that?
Lego, dual-pricing settlement
-- conditions shaping the quality of the distribution of Lego products both on- and offline
Tasks based on the findings and NCAs' case law
-- find a balance between extreme views,
-- keen interest in fostering innovation at the retailers' level and the manufacturers' level (a whole book and a couple of articles written on this, SV, here and ici),
-- seek level playing field (and EU Courts are going to help)
--- CJEU Coty here.
---- Deuter here.

Discussion Round (NCAs and input from the audience)
Geoblocking, territorial restrictions
-- P fragmented e-commerce sector; are restrictions/barriers always justified? Like restrictions on passive sales? Consumer associations complain. Geoblocking Reg might help to fill some possible gaps. EC better placed to deal with it, but NCAs dealing with ban on passive sales within national territory (Galp Energia - bottled gas decision here) - also online.
-- NL not so many complaints - differently from D (should the NL NCA somehow start worrying about it?). Geo-blocking Reg: many issues (applicable law, extension to b2b - territorial supply restraints, etc.)
-- D no complaints on geo-blocking from within D. Cooperation with other NCAs within the ECN (with LUX on car sales - info about this case not found)
--S territorial restrictions, complaints received, not acted upon (imports from lower priced countries banned), EC better placed (if banished within the ECN based on cooperation among some Members risk of consumers in high priced countries better off and in low priced countries worse off - balance necessary, ergo EC's task)
Marketplace, selective distribution
-- NL tension between price comp by retailers and quality driven manufacturers; in general VR are efficient (protect manufacturers' investments, ok if interbrand competition),
-- S new knowledge: marketplaces' use by retailers much lower in S than in D, bans much less prevalent than in D (not sure)
-- P selective distribution cases not frequent (not even offline)
-- D selective distribution systems may go beyond what is necessary to generate efficiencies, for example imposing bans of third party platforms, quite a lot of litigation before D courts - NCA's intervention therefore necessary to influence the shaping  of competition policy (otherwise D courts will shape it totally on their own)
--- Adidas (here) and Asics both included bans of third party platforms: marketplaces are important sales channels for smaller retailers (pretty sure about this one) - 2/3 of their sales.
--- perhaps more a political than an economic question: marketplace shops by both manufacturer and retailer on the same platform - refusal to supply if the latter continues (I would add: see also CMA online posters case, here)
-- e-commerce a priority in D and ECN rather active, EU courts progressing as well (who is missing here?)
-- NL free-riding by manufacturers possibly also an issue (p.105) - "striking" to him "a little bit of an eye-opener"
-- D possible free-riding by manufacturers also to be considered, debate within the NCA itself very useful to decide borderline cases; in general, intervention by CAs can also reduce complexity (answering to Baker&McKenzie)
- Online price transparency, RPM
-- NL, S, no red line for intervention, interest in parallel systems (but which one do you decide to face, practically?)
-- P price transparency a problem in markets prone to collusion - algorithms possibly helping in this regard (US poster case mentioned but strangely not the parallel UK case...)
--- new instruments necessary to tackle collusion in online markets (e.g., data screening employed in the Libor cases)
--- dual pricing and minimum RPM to offset retailers' free-riding strategies, efficiency allegation not grounded (Royal Canin, here)
--- RPM: companies should consider alternative, less restrictive vertical restraints
-- D not stuck to one brand of assessment framework, and making available instruments fit for the online world; case by case inevitable: evolution by interpretion
--- VRBER setting the scene and not easy to circumvent
---- Courts might challenge provisions
-- NL digital content: premium content increasingly important, particularly in an oligopolistic market (merger commitment decision here)
--- market study into the online streaming video sector launched (looking at the issues from various angles; French study also just published, here)


Meldpunt: de dupe van je data

Consumentenbond, hier

FCC Privacy Plan Could Hamper Verizon's Data Integration With AOL and Yahoo

AdAge, here

Snooping in the Bathroom to Assess Credit Risk in China

NYTimes, here

Pourquoi Samsung n’est pas vraiment fragilisé par l’explosion de ses téléphones tant le groupe coréen fait partie de ces oligopoles qui échappent à la concurrence aujourd’hui

Atlantico.fr, ici

Hayek: For Humility and Against a Nobel Prize in Economics

Conversableeconomist, here

Impact of the European Commission’s Draft Directive on Contract Rules for the Supply of Digital Content

Deloitte for EDiMA, here.

Mastercard kooperiert mit Berliner Fintech

FAZ, hier

On the Importance of Preserving the Consistency and Integrity of the EU Acquis Relating to Content Monitoring within the Information Society

A substantial number of Academics, Open Letter to the EC, here

Deezer, Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play Music… : notre comparatif

Numerama, ici

How These Companies Are Using AI To Boost Productivity

FastCompany, here. 

Uber's Cab Commission antitrust suit

Competition Policy International, here

Lund moligopolists

N. Petit, Presentation here

« Il est très facile d'ignorer ou d'exagérer les dangers de l'intelligence artificielle »

LesEchos, ici

South Korea regulator says to examine Google's Android agreements

Reuters, here

How do we reform tech?

Medium, here

An energy first as UK successfully transmits data via national electricity grid

TheGuardian, here.

Saturday, October 08, 2016

Yahoo email spying claims prompt warning from UN rights tsar

The Guardian, here.

EU Copyright Reform: Intermediary Liability

C. Angelopoulos, here.

The liberating effect of killing off a state-owned rival

P. Osmosi, here.

NYC Uber users can now see exactly what their ride will cost before they request it

Recode, here.

Machine logic: our lives are ruled by big tech's 'decisions by data'

J. Powles, here.

HH Datenschutzbeauftragte rät davon ab, WhatsApp zu verwenden-und empfiehlt alternative Anbieter

Heise.de, hier.

Facebook and the Economics of Privacy and Big Data

Oliver Budzinski, Guest Lecture, 14 October 2016, 8.45 AM, Room 3C – Department of Economics and Management, Trento University.
Presentation here.

Google's Hardware Push Is All About AI

FastCompany, here.

European Commission signals Antitrust Enforcement Actions in the E-Commerce Sector

Cleary Gottlieb, here.

Platformes et accès aux contenus audiovisuels

Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel, Ici.

Big Data and Competition Policy: An Introduction and a Few Myths

A. Grunes, M. Stucke, here.

Recalibrating Patent Venue

C. Chien, M. Risch, here.

15 questions from consumers on copyright

EUIPO, here.

What can EU competition law do for speed skaters?

LeidenLawBlog, here.

Big data, smart enforcement

BEUC, here.

Strengthening Competition: Innovation, Collaboration and Transparency

J. Pecman, here.

Facebook/WhatsApp data swap deal being probed by Spanish agency

IndianExpress, here.

L'éditeur de logiciels Nexedi assigne Apple au tribunal de commerce de Paris

Challenges.fr, ici.

Google researchers aim to prevent AIs from discriminating

TechCrunch, here.

Verizon will soon start selling data plans for drones

TheVerge, here.

Apple mysteriously banned a popular app from its App store ... and a lot of programmers are mad

BusinessInsider, here.

Monetizing car data

McKinsey.de, here.

An in-depth analysis of how Expedia converts visitors into customers

EconConsultancy, Part One here.