Month: April 2021

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 … Continue reading EU sends Apple Statement of Objections (music streaming services) →

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 … Continue reading Competition Authorities must – really – deal with privacy. →

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 … Continue reading What can we learn from Apple and Epic Games’ Findings of Facts and Conclusions of Law in their US litigation? →

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 … 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? →

DMA proposal: Should there be a greater role for the Member States?

One of the striking features of the DMA proposal is that it only grants a minimal role to the Member States, the Commission opting for the centralization of the implementation and enforcement of the DMA at EU level. The question is whether this approach is desirable. It seems that Member States such as Germany, Belgium, … Continue reading DMA proposal: Should there be a greater role for the Member States? →