A blog about competition, regulation and privacy in the digital era
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 … Continue reading The DMA proposal : Where do things stand ?
It 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 … Continue reading The CMA-ICO’s joint statement on competition and data protection law– A major step forward
In 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 … Continue reading The Commission’s SO to Apple and anticompetitive effects: A Rejoinder
One 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 … Continue reading Further thoughts on the Commission’s Statement of Objections to Apple on App Store rules for music streaming providers
Work 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 … Continue reading The need for coordination among digital regulators: The example of the UK Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum