Until now, the European Commission's (EC) antitrust focus on labour-related issues has been timid. This may soon change. The EC has recently published a policy brief on labour markets, explaining that in its view, wage-fixing...more
5/23/2024
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Division ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
International Labor Laws ,
No-Poaching ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
Wage-Fixing
On July 6, 2023, the German Parliament passed the 11th amendment to the German Act Against Restrictions of Competition ("ARC"), substantially expanding the Federal Cartel Office's ("FCO") enforcement powers.
The reform...more
Advocate General Kokott has found that the General Court erred in law in requiring the European Commission to show anti-competitive effects of a merger with “strong probability” and that the scope of its judicial review was...more
10/28/2022
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Competition ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Investment ,
Judicial Review ,
Mergers ,
Standard of Proof ,
Telecommunications ,
UK
Advocate General Juliane Kokott has proposed that the EU Court of Justice should find that competition authorities have the power to apply Article 102 TFEU to corporate transactions that are not reportable, and test under...more
In a speech on 22 October 2021, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager revealed that the European Commission was planning a series of dawn raids for the months to come. She highlighted that the European Commission is...more
On 25 March 2021, the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") dismissed all the appeals against the European Commission's decision to fine Lundbeck and several other companies for entering into anti-competitive patent settlement...more
On July 29, 2020, the German Monopolies Commission published its 2020 biennial Report on Competition (Hauptgutachten XXIII: Wettbewerb 2020) under Section 44(1) Act against Restraints of Competition (“GWB”). ...more
8/4/2020
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Advertising ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Anti-Monopoly ,
Athletes ,
Competition Authorities ,
European Commission ,
Federal Cartel Office (the FCO) ,
Germany ,
International Olympic Committee (IOC) ,
Olympics ,
Sports ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
Beware of antitrust rules despite alarming economic threats of the COVID-19 outbreak: no general "crisis" defense; governments grant (few) specific exemptions; further developments to be followed....more
The e-commerce sector inquiry and inconsistent national case law and enforcement practice have illustrated the need for clarifications and/or reform regarding e-commerce restrictions. Even after the ECJ's Coty judgment, a...more
3/5/2019
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Anticompetitive Behavior ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Brick-and-Mortar Stores ,
Coty ,
E-Commerce ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Fashion Branding ,
Federal Cartel Office (the FCO) ,
Fines ,
Geo-Blocking ,
Germany ,
Guess ,
Internet Retailers ,
Keyword Advertising ,
Luxury Goods ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Sales Bans ,
Price Comparisons ,
Public Consultations ,
Retail Market ,
Sales & Distribution Agreements ,
Sales Restrictions ,
Selective Distribution Agreements ,
Split of Authority ,
Third-Party Service Provider ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
V-BER (Vertical Block Exemption Regulation) ,
Vertical Restraints