ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The Commission and the German Competition Authority conducted surprise inspections in Germany for suspected abuse of a dominant position in the natural gas sector....more
5/23/2022
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Digital Currency ,
Digital Marketplace ,
EU ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Germany ,
Green Energy ,
Oil & Gas ,
Online Platforms ,
Personal Data ,
Supply Chain
On 10 May 2022, the European Commission (the Commission) finally published the official final version of the European Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) and guidelines (Vertical Guidelines). The new rules will come...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - European Commission Blocks a Global Transaction Involving Two Leading South Korean Shipbuilders - On 12 November 2019, a South Korean leading shipbuilder (the Notifying Party) notified to the...more
2/18/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Climate Change ,
Competition ,
Digital Services ,
Emissions Trading System ,
EU ,
EU Merger Directive ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
FSB ,
Natural Gas ,
Non-Bank Lenders ,
Nuclear Power ,
Personal Data ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy
European antitrust regulators have shown a continued focus on scrutinizing manufacturers’ engagement with their distributors. The anticompetitive practices that have attracted the highest financial penalties primarily relate...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The EU General Court Upheld the Commission’s Fines for Gun Jumping - On 25 February 2015, a French telecom company notified to the Commission (its proposed acquisition of a Portuguese multimedia...more
12/20/2021
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Digital Marketplace ,
ECA ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Information Governance ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Parent Corporation ,
Subsidiaries ,
Sustainable Finance
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - Competition Policy and the Green Deal - In her recent keynote speech, delivered at the 25th IBA Competition Conference on 10 September 2021, European Commission (the Commission) Executive Vice...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The French Competition Authority (FCA) Fined a Watchmaker for Obstruction of an Antitrust Investigation - On 9 July 2021, the FCA fined a watchmaker for failing to respond to a request for...more
8/5/2021
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Competition ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Distributors ,
EU ,
French Competition Authority ,
International Data Transfers ,
Internet of Things ,
Internet Retailers ,
Money Market Funds ,
Online Marketplace ,
Pricing ,
Request For Information ,
Resale Pricing ,
Targeted Digital Advertising
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - A Subsidiary can be Held Liable for the Harm Caused by the Anticompetitive Conduct of its Parent Company - On 19 July 2016, the European Commission (the Commission) imposed fines on several car...more
6/10/2021
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Climate Change ,
Competition ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Green Finance ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment ,
Liability ,
Popular ,
Public Policy ,
Railways ,
Sustainability ,
Transportation Industry
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The European Commission Opens a New Investigation in the Pharma Sector - On 4 March 2021, the European Commission (Commission) has opened a formal investigation into alleged misuses of patent...more
3/31/2021
/ Automotive Industry ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Competition ,
Data Collection ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EDPS ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
European Commission ,
European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
IFRS ,
Information Governance ,
Investigations ,
IOSCO ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Patent-Misuse ,
Patents ,
Performance Standards ,
Personal Data ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The European Commission Accepts Commitments from a Pharma Company to Stop Its Excessive Prices - On 15 May 2017, the European Commission (Commission) announced that it had opened formal proceedings...more
3/12/2021
/ Competition ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Excessive Pricing ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Aid ,
UK
On 27 January 2021, the French competition authority (Autorité de la concurrence or ADC) adopted a decision accepting commitments from the building block producer Lego France (Lego) to amend its discount policy. The ADC...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The General Court of The EU Squashes the Commission's Inspection Decisions to Raid the French Mass Retail Sector - The European Commission (Commission), if it has reason to suspect a company is...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The French Competition Authority Imposes a Record Fine of €444 Million on Three Pharma Companies for Collectively Exploiting Their Dominant Position - On 9 September 2020, the French Competition...more
10/12/2020
/ Capital Markets ,
Competition ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
EU ,
French Competition Authority ,
Internet of Things ,
Mobile Apps ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Smart Devices ,
Vertical Agreement
The events of 2020 have caused many brands to re-evaluate whether they are fully utilizing the internet as a tool to reach out to consumers with many enhancing and upgrading their own brand websites. Some brands are now also...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The General Court Of The EU Overturns A Commission Decision To Prohibit A £10.25bn Telecom Takeover In The UK - In 2016, the European Commission (Commission) blocked the proposed acquisition of a...more
Two recent developments in the European competition enforcement sphere provide a warning for brands when engaging with their retailers with whom they compete and when using price monitoring tools to monitor the third party...more
Antitrust and Competition - The Failing Firm Defense in the Face of the COVID-19 Outbreak - As the COVID-19 pandemic causes commercial and financial difficulties, an increasing number of transactions may involve companies in...more
It is increasingly common for brands to track the prices of their products online using electronic price monitoring tools. While the practice itself is unlikely to attract antitrust risk, as we have previously reported, in...more
The five-year plan for the 2019-2024 European Commission (EC) is now underway. In a time of change, a deliberate consideration of the rules enshrined in the EU Merger Regulation (EUMR) seems to be the focus of much attention....more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION -
The Court Of Justice Of The EU Rules Provides Clarity On The Assessment Of Pay-For-Delay Agreements -
The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) has backed the UK Competition and Markets Authority...more
3/4/2020
/ 5G Network ,
Acquisitions ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Cybersecurity ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Recent years have seen a surge in enforcement activity with national and supra-national antitrust regulators investigating and fining suppliers and manufacturers for the practice of imposing fixed or minimum resale prices and...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION -
EU Competition Commissioner Vestager Will Also Be Responsible For Coordinating The EU Digital Agenda -
Last month, Margrethe Vestager was confirmed as Competition Commissioner for the next five...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION -
French And German Competition Authorities Publish Joint Study On Potential Competition Concerns Raised By The Use Of Algorithms -
On November 6, the French competition authority (Autorité de la...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION -
The EU General Court Adopts The First Two Judgements On The Content Of Tax Rulings -
On 24 September 2019, the General Court of the European Union (General Court) adopted two judgments...more
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS -
The New European Commission -
Nearly two months after presenting her Political Guidelines for the next European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the new Commission, on 10...more