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Maintaining a level playing field when Big Tech disrupts the financial services sector
Continue reading: Maintaining a level playing field when Big Tech disrupts the financial services sectorHello from me to all Platform Law Blog subscribers! I joined Geradin Partners last week, based in London. I hope I can help the team shed light on some of the complex and fascinating issues that the blog covers. To kick off, Damien and I have written an article analysing the expansion of Google, Apple,…
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The DMA proposal : Where do things stand ?
Continue reading: The DMA proposal : Where do things stand ?The combination of a long week-end and rainy weather in Brussels has allowed me to catch up with my readings on the many papers and reports that have been written in the past few weeks on the DMA proposals by think tanks, academics, lobbyists, companies, and other entities or individuals interested in the topic. It…
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The CMA-ICO’s joint statement on competition and data protection law– A major step forward
Continue reading: The CMA-ICO’s joint statement on competition and data protection law– A major step forwardIt is often thought that data protection policymakers want your personal data to be held within big firms’ walled gardens and shared with no-one, while competition policymakers want big firms to be broken up and your personal data to be freely distributed among firms. Is that right, and if so, what are we going to do…
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The Commission’s SO to Apple and anticompetitive effects: A Rejoinder
Continue reading: The Commission’s SO to Apple and anticompetitive effects: A RejoinderIn a recent blog post, Pablo Ibanez Colomo responded to the observations I had made on his reaction to the issuance of a Statement of Objections in the Apple music streaming case. In this post, I would like to briefly react to Pablo’s response, but also raise additional questions over the application of the so-called…
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Further thoughts on the Commission’s Statement of Objections to Apple on App Store rules for music streaming providers
Continue reading: Further thoughts on the Commission’s Statement of Objections to Apple on App Store rules for music streaming providersOne of the great features of competition law as a discipline is that reasonable people can have different views on the application of the law to the same set of facts. There is therefore scope for discussion and, especially in the digital sector, passionate debates. In this respect, my reaction to the news that the…
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The need for coordination among digital regulators: The example of the UK Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum
Continue reading: The need for coordination among digital regulators: The example of the UK Digital Regulation Cooperation ForumWork on digital regulation in the UK continues apace. The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF) is an initiative that brings together the four regulators who are most involved in digital matters – the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Ofcom, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and, since 1 April, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). That’s a lot of anachronyms to digest, but don’t stop reading: the DRCF is important! It shows that the…
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EU sends Apple Statement of Objections (music streaming services)
Continue reading: EU sends Apple Statement of Objections (music streaming services)Just a few days after the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission released its interim report on app marketplaces finding that “Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store have significant market power in the distribution of mobile apps in Australia,” the European Commission addressed to Apple a Statement of Objections over its App Store rules for…
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Competition Authorities must – really – deal with privacy.
Continue reading: Competition Authorities must – really – deal with privacy.Calls on Competition Authorities to give proper consideration to privacy and data protection concerns in their antitrust and merger investigations are not a new thing. Large digital platforms have long raised privacy and competition concerns due to their ability to collect troves of data from their business and consumer-facing products and use them internally as they deem…
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What can we learn from Apple and Epic Games’ Findings of Facts and Conclusions of Law in their US litigation?
Continue reading: What can we learn from Apple and Epic Games’ Findings of Facts and Conclusions of Law in their US litigation?With the bench trial in the Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple starting on 3 May 2021 and in the broader context of the various investigations launched against Apple by the European Commission, the Dutch ACM and the UK CMA, the purpose of this blog post is to discuss some of the most interesting aspects (at…
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Is the Commission abandoning the effects-based approach in antitrust enforcement? And do the latter’s strict requirements led to the DMA proposal?
Continue reading: Is the Commission abandoning the effects-based approach in antitrust enforcement? And do the latter’s strict requirements led to the DMA proposal?A few days ago, Global Competition Review announced that Carles Esteva Mosso, Deputy-Director General at DG Competition, would leave the Commission to join Latham & Watkins in Brussels. The article contained various quotes from Latham partners bracing themselves for their new recruit, but also the following comment from a well-known member of the Brussels competition…