2024 saw a significant increase in overall global fines for antitrust enforcement, with total penalties for the jurisdictions surveyed in our report at USD6.7 billion, over double that of 2023 (USD2.9bn) and substantially...more
The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will, in the new year, launch a review of its approach to merger remedies which could lead to a shift away from its long-standing preference for structural...more
On December 2 – 3 2024, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) met for its 99th plenary session. It subsequently issued several documents, one of which calls for the need for greater alignment between the GDPR and EU...more
After years of planning and debate, the UK's Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act will come into force on 1 January 2025. This landmark legislation provides expanded powers to the CMA in respect of merger control,...more
The pace of new EU law continues unabated, with IoT, cyber security and digital services being key areas of activity....more
The Draghi Report proposes substantial reform in the area of competition law, notably offering a critical assessment of recent policies implemented by the European Commission in merger control and antitrust enforcement. The...more
On October 16, the European Commission determined that X’s online social networking service does not qualify as a core platform service (CPS) under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This conclusion follows a detailed market...more
In a spectacular turn, on September 3, 2024, the Court of Justice (CJEU), constituted as the grand chamber, overturned the ruling of the General Court (GC) and annulled the decision made by the Commission to accept requests...more
In May of this year, the UK Government passed the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC) into law. The DMCC is wide-ranging and covers three key areas: consumer law, digital markets, and merger and antitrust...more
In November of 2023, Meta launched a service in the European Union that allowed users to utilize the Facebook and Instagram platforms “ad free” for a monthly fee. The subscription service was meant to address regulatory...more
On 1 July 2024, the European Commission (the ‘Commission’) announced its preliminary findings in an investigation of a leading social media platform, concluding that its ‘pay or consent’ advertising model implemented in the...more
On June 28, 2024, the European Commission (EC) held a workshop on competition in virtual worlds and generative artificial intelligence (AI). The event followed the EC’s January 2024 call for contributions on the level of...more
This newsletter is a summary of the antitrust developments we think are most interesting to your business. David Higbee (Global Head of Antitrust) and Dominic Long (Global Deputy Head of Antitrust) are our editors this month....more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 will introduce groundbreaking new rules to regulate digital markets in the U.K. It aims to boost competition by controlling the conduct of the largest digital firms,...more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 will result in a landmark overhaul of the U.K. consumer protection regime. It will dramatically increase the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA's) enforcement powers...more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 will in the main start to take effect in stages later in 2024 and will bolster the powers of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to enforce U.K. antitrust rules....more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has finally been enacted. It introduces significant changes to U.K. merger control and antitrust rules, establishes a new consumer protection regime and introduces a...more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC or the Act), adopted on 24 May 2024, empowers the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to regulate the conduct of major tech platforms....more
COMPETITION - Appeal brought on 10 January 2024 by European Commission against the judgment of the General Court of 25 October 2023 in Case T-136/19, Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD and Others Vs. Commission (Case C-14/24 P)...more
The 2022 Annual Law for Competition (the "Law") has been published in the Official Journal No. 303 of 30 December 2023 and entered into force on 31 December 2023. The Law has changed the powers of the Italian Competition...more
This newsletter is a summary of the antitrust developments we think are most interesting to your business. Börries Ahrens, partner based in Hamburg, is our editor this month. He has selected: Significant reforms to German...more
The EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2554) (DORA) creates a regulatory framework intended to enhance the operational resilience of the financial sector by establishing uniform requirements for the...more
Organizations developing or using generative AI tools should implement cross-functional governance frameworks to develop and continuously monitor their use of such tools. From the earliest stages of generative AI use,...more
The Digital Euro project is the European Central Bank’s (ECB) response to the changing landscape of consumer payments, driven by the rise of cryptocurrency, payment fintechs and electronic transactions. A Digital Euro would...more
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (“DMCC”) introduces a framework to govern ‘big tech’ in the UK, similar in aim to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (“DMA”). The bill is currently at report stage in the House of...more