EU & Competition Law Update - January 2016
Smartphone chip manufacturer accused of an abuse of dominance - On the 8th December 2015, Qualcomm, the world’s largest supplier of smartphone chipsets, was publicly accused by the European Commission...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update - February 2016
EU and national leniency applications independent rules ECJ - On the 20 January 2016, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) handed down its ruling on a preliminary reference made by the Italian Council...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update - March 2016
Welcome to March's edition of our EU & Competition Law Bulletin covering recent legal developments impacting upon you and your business: - ..United Kindgdom: Large pay for delay fine imposed by...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – April 2016
European Union: EU Commission maintains close scrutiny of retail geo-blocking - On the 18th of March 2016, the EU Commission published initial findings from its e-commerce sector inquiry. The initial...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – May 2016
The beginning of the end for national TV boundaries? On 22 April 2016, the European Commission ("EC") invited industry comment on the commitments proposed by Paramount Pictures International Limited...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – June 2016
BREXIT – BUSINESS AS USUAL...AT LEAST FOR NOW - What do you need to know? Despite the UK's vote to leave the European Union ("EU"), companies doing business in the UK can still continue to trade with...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – August 2016
EU: Regulatory Scrutiny of Online Hotel Booking Continues - The 13 July 2016 saw the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announce that it had sent a questionnaire to a large sample of hotels...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update
New EU rules for online selling taking shape - The recent Communication from the European Commission on cross-border e-commerce is likely to have a significant impact on online trading within the...
View ArticleEU Competition Newsletter – October 2016
'Great Repeal Bill' more likely to be 'Great Preservation Bill' - After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality has only been a few months, the Prime Minister announced on 2 October 2016 that...
View ArticleElection 2016: US Elects Businessman Donald Trump, Republicans Maintain...
Yesterday, Americans elected Donald Trump to be their next President. The end of the campaign marks the beginning of a 240-year old process spelt out in the U.S. Constitution....By: Eckart Budelmann
View ArticleGermany to Introduce Wider Merger Control Regime to Catch Tech Start-Ups
On 28 September 2016, the German government proposed legislation to amend the Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) for the ninth time. Presuming that it will pass the further steps required, the...
View ArticleEU Competition Newsletter - November 2016
The European Commission issues Statement of Objections against Brussels Airlines and TAP Portugal over “anticompetitive” codesharing arrangements - The European Commission have expressed concern over...
View ArticleEU Competition Newsletter - December 2016
Single Market Withdrawal: A New Challenge to Brexit for the UK Government - Should Parliament have a say over whether Britain could remain in the European Economic Area?...By: Eckart Budelmann
View ArticleNew provisions on German antitrust law under debate in German parliament
On 1 July 2016, the German Ministry for Economic Affairs published a draft bill for the 9th amendment of the German Act against Restraints of Competition (Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen – GWB)....
View ArticleEU Competition Newsletter – February 2017
Portugal Asks European Court to Determine the Criteria Required for Discriminatory Pricing to Be an Abuse Under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union - Portuguese Court has...
View ArticleClaimants' Guide to Antitrust Competition Litigation in EU
Recent years have seen a significant increase in the number of private competition claims in the European Union. The Claimants' guide to Antitrust/Competition Litigation in the European Union provides...
View ArticleEU Competition Newsletter - March 2017
What Future for EU Public Procurement Law in the UK After Brexit? Those aficionados of the silver screen will remember comedians Laurel and Hardy and in particular their catchphrase 'Well here's...
View ArticleEU Competition Newsletter - April 2017
The Brexit referendum result in June last year created many uncertainties for the British economy and continues to do so. In this Breakfast Seminar, Robert Bell will focus his remarks on what he sees...
View ArticleHigher Regional Court Düsseldorf: manufacturer cannot ban retailer from use...
In order to protect brand image, the quality of pre-sale service, and the pricing structure of their products, manufacturers undertake a variety of measures to sell products to their retailers. Thus,...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – June 2017
Hope for a Cleaner Brexit After ECJ Ruling - In a ruling which is likely to have positive implications for a possible Brexit deal, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on 16 May 2017 opened up the...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – July 2017
On 14 June 2017, the EU Commission announced that it was opening an investigation into Sanrio, owner of the Hello Kitty brand. Sanrio have been accused by the Commission of an infringement of Article...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – August 2017
The UK Government’s Brexit strategy took another step forward on 13th July 2017 with the publication of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, commonly referred to as the “Great Repeal Bill”. There was...
View ArticleSignificant Changes in German Competition Law
On June 9, 2017, the 9th amendment of the German Act against Restraints of the Competition (GWB) came into effect. The most significant changes affect the liability for cartel fines, the application of...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – September 2017
On the 13th September 2017 Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President, unveiled a framework for investment screening for certain foreign mergers in his “State of the Union” address to the...
View ArticleFederal Cartel Office Imposes Fines On Automotive Suppliers
On 13 July 2017 the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) announced the imposition of fines amounting up to €9.6M on three European heat shield manufacturers for the automotive industry. A fourth company...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – October 2017
When is a private company considered a public body and subject to the EU procurement rules? A recent European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) case has thrown up a novel legal issue which will be of interest...
View ArticleGerman Federal Cartel Office Gains New Role in Consumer Protection
Effective 8 June 2017, the 9th Amendment to the German Act against Restraints of Competition delegated more competences and ways to investigate to the Bundeskartellamt (German Federal Cartel Office —...
View ArticleEU Retail News - October 2017
One of the biggest threats to a retailer's reputation is an allegation of involvement in slavery, human trafficking, or child labour. Retailers are now expected to be more transparent than ever, with...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – November 2017
EU opens investigation into UK tax scheme for multinationals - The EU State aid rules are designed to stop Governments and local authorities giving companies a selective advantage, as doing so would...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update – December 2017
European Court of Justice questions validity of commitments procedure under EU competition law - On 23 November 2017, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) surprised many competition law...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update - January 2018
When is pricing discriminatory? We reported in January 2017 on how a Portuguese Court had asked the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) to provide guidance on when “discriminatory pricing...
View ArticleGermany Bans CTS Eventim’s Exclusive Contracts
On 4 December 2017, the Bundeskartellamt (German Federal Cartel Office — FCO) announced it had banned CTS Eventim from having exclusive agreements with its promoter and box office partners. Based in...
View ArticleEU & Competition Law Update - February 2018
Does the EU’s Qualcomm fine represent efficient justice? As widely reported, on 24 January 2018, the EU Commission fined Qualcomm €997m for abusing its dominant position in LTE baseband chipsets....By:...
View ArticleEU Competition Newsletter - March 2018
Early attention to the antitrust considerations of a given transaction can go a long way towards promoting the chances of timely or even early clearance of a transaction. As an initial matter, parties...
View ArticleEU Competition Newsletter - April 2018
Lights Back On: Territorial Limits in EU Cartel Damages Claims - The Court of Appeal has ruled that iiyama's 1bn EUR cartel damages claims, against the participants of the cathode ray tube ("CRT")...
View Article