Software-based pricing is rapidly becoming the industry standard. At the same time, competition authorities are recalibrating their enforcement tools to capture what may be a new form of cartelized activity. With the recent...more
2/19/2026
/ AI Act ,
Algorithms ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Cartels ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Compliance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Machine Learning ,
Price-Fixing ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Software
As the holiday season ushers in its busiest months, retailers and fashion brands are confronting a marketplace reshaped by rapid technological disruption, shifting regulatory expectations, and increasingly savvy consumers. AI...more
12/19/2025
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Brand ,
Copyright ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fashion Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Innovative Technology ,
Machine Learning ,
Marketing ,
Payment Systems ,
Privacy Laws ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail ,
Retailers ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Third-Party Risk ,
Trademarks ,
Vendors
Delegating pricing or capacity management to software that learns from competitors’ data is an antitrust risk. Courts are beginning to draw the line between data-driven optimisation and algorithmic collusion. Companies...more
10/14/2025
/ Algorithms ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Class Action ,
Collusion ,
Competition ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Product Pricing ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Risk Management ,
Software
On 9 July 2025, the European Commission (EC) issued its first-ever comfort letters under the 2022 Notice on Informal Guidance. One letter endorses a joint licensing initiative for standard essential patents (SEPs) in the...more
Narrower scope, clearer lines: In a string of rulings, the German Federal Cartel Office (“FCO”) has seen its broader interpretation of the transaction value threshold curtailed. These decisions should, for the time being,...more
The ECJ’s Illumina/Grail judgment has curtailed the Commission’s direct oversight of certain transactions, thereby elevating the need for national "call-in" powers. These call-in regimes, which are proliferating both inside...more
Despite numerous national initiatives and updated EU Guidelines aimed at facilitating sustainability collaborations, significant legal uncertainties persist, especially for international ESG alliances. So the question...more
With more regulations coming into play, especially when it comes to reporting on due diligence along the supply chain, companies may want to – and are to some extent actually required by these regulations to – join forces to...more
The European Commission (“Commission”) has unveiled its eagerly anticipated revision of the Market Definition Notice (the “Notice”), a landmark event since its original issuance in 1997. This significant update reflects the...more
The European Commission has just published its current thinking on green mergers. Recognizing that competition law must play its part in achieving the European Green Deal, the Commission sets the scene and explains how its...more
Bereits letzte Woche hatten wir zur Fallpraxis des Bundeskartellamts („BKartA“) im Bereich des „grünen Kartellrechts“ berichtet. Diese Woche hat die Behörde gleich nachgelegt. Dabei gab es nun aber (erstmals) Gegenwind für...more
In Europa wird spätestens seit der Ankündigung des European Green Deal bzw. des „Fit for 55“-Pakets das Thema Nachhaltigkeit und Umweltschutz auch im Kartellrecht ergebnisoffen diskutiert. Deutschland ist hier keine Ausnahme....more
“Green competition law”, one of the most important topics in contemporary competition policy, is starting to take more shape in the EU.
On 10 September, following around 200 feedback contributions from stakeholders and an...more
9/14/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Climate Change ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Green Deal ,
Merger Controls ,
Sustainability ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
In the much-anticipated Lundbeck case (i.a. C-591/16 P), the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) on 25th March 2021 confirmed the decision of the European Commission (“Commission”) to impose fines on Lundbeck and several...more
4/21/2021
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Drug Distribution ,
Duty of Care ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Generic Drugs ,
Life Sciences ,
Pay-For-Delay ,
Pharmaceutical Industry
On November 25, 2020, the EU Commission adopted an action plan for intellectual property to promote recovery and resilience in the EU – its plan for a new IP strategy. The focus is not only on the protection of, but the...more
Das Landgericht Dortmund macht mit Urteil vom 30.09.2020 (8 O 115/14 (Kart)) von der Möglichkeit Gebrauch, die Schadenshöhe in Kartellschadensersatzfällen zu schätzen – ohne ein eigenes Gutachten einzuholen. ...more
Dutch competition authority imposes fine on company for deleted chat messages during a dawn raid -
The Dutch competition authority (“ACM“) recently confirmed that the obligation to cooperate fully with an inspection/during...more
3/23/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
BSA/AML ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Monopolization ,
Threshold Requirements
The Dutch competition authority (“ACM“) recently confirmed that the obligation to cooperate fully with an inspection/during a dawn raid is of utmost importance and of great relevance to companies under investigation. On 10...more
1/8/2020
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Dawn Raids ,
Destruction of Evidence ,
Electronic Communications ,
Email ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Fines ,
Infringement ,
Internal Communications ,
Investigations ,
Netherlands ,
Regulatory Violations
Good friends can never be separated… -
In 2014, the German Antitrust Authority (the Bundeskartellamt) imposed a fine of almost EUR 200 million on a single member of the ‘sugar cartel’. Therefore, the price for a good...more
Bye bye trade secrets?
In the new ARC, confidential information and trade secrets still enjoy special protection. The reason is clear: as soon as secret information is revealed, it becomes obvious and, as such, is no longer...more
The 9th amendment of the ARC aims at increasing the effectiveness of private antitrust enforcement. This aim does not stop short of obtaining information. In order to strengthen the injured party’s position, the information...more