The German legislator just paved the way for the introduction of new merger control filing thresholds. Based on a recently adopted amending law to the German Act against Restraints of Competition, Germany’s merger control...more
On 13 March 2017, it was announced that a United States (“U.S.”) chipmaker will acquire an autonomous vehicle technology company based in Israel for approximately USD 15.3 billion. This transaction may provide an interesting...more
The Italian Council of State (“CdS”) has recently annulled a EUR 29 million fine imposed by the Italian Competition Authority (Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, “AGCM”) in 2015 on two insurance companies for...more
On 16 March 2017, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager gave a speech on algorithms and competition at the Bundeskartellamt's 18th Conference on Competition in Berlin, during which she discussed the potentially...more
On 8 February 2017, the Commission announced it had imposed fines totaling almost EUR 68 million on three companies for participating in a cartel to fix purchase prices of scrap lead-acid automotive batteries.
The cartel...more
On 15 February 2017, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) published its economic survey of Italy. Among other things, the 156 page report recommends that Italy passes its proposed competition...more
On 1 January 2017, the torch of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (“EU”) was passed from Slovakia to Malta. The Presidency rotates every six months between the EU Member States, but continuity is guaranteed...more
2/6/2017
/ Brussels Regulation ,
Capital Markets Union ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Single Market ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
FSB ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
UK
On 14 January 2017, following the approval by the competent parliamentary committees, the Italian Government has definitively adopted Legislative Decree n. 3 of 2017 (“Decree”) implementing in Italy Directive 2014/104/EU on...more
January will bring some important changes in the internal composition and current leadership of the European Parliament (“EP”). Such changes are expected to shake the EP’s internal life, even without a shift in the general...more
12/21/2016
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Banking Sector ,
Brussels Convention ,
Capital Markets ,
Competition ,
Cybersecurity ,
EU ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Member State ,
TLAC ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
The European Commission (“Commission”) has recently published statistics concerning the European Union (“EU”) merger control review process. Typically, the Commission examines larger mergers with an EU dimension, meaning that...more
11/23/2016
/ Broadcasting ,
Capital Markets Union ,
CETA ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
NCAs ,
Online Platforms ,
Regulation Technical Standards (RTS) ,
Telecommunications ,
TLAC ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
TTIP
On 27 October 2016, the Italian Government adopted a draft decree (“Draft Decree”) implementing Directive 2014/104/EU on antitrust damages actions (“Directive”), which aimed at making easier for victims of antitrust...more
In September, the European Commission published its much-awaited Preliminary Report in the e-Commerce Sector Inquiry, launched last May 2015. Although the primary focus of the Commission’s Inquiry is on restrictions limiting...more
The European Commission (“Commission”) has recently imposed a record fine of EUR 2.93 billion on some of the largest truck producers for their involvement in a cartel lasting 14 years and covering the entire European Economic...more
On 7 July 2016, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that, provided that a licensee is free to terminate a licence agreement on reasonable notice, it can be obliged to pay royalties even after the patent...more
7/15/2016
/ Arbitration ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
EU ,
European Patent Office ,
Genentech ,
IP License ,
License Agreements ,
Patents ,
Popular ,
Royalties ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
On 16 June 2016, the Court of Justice of the EU (“CJEU”) dismissed appeals against the General Court’s (“GC”) rulings on the calcium carbide cartel. The GC had upheld the European Commission’s (“Commission”) EUR 61 million...more
Should the UK leave the EU, the way how antitrust rules apply to companies based in and doing business in the EU and in the UK is unlikely to change significantly in the short or medium term.
Notably, UK domestic...more
The Italian Administrative Tribunal of Lazio Region (the “TAR”) recently overturned the fines imposed by the Italian Competition Authority (“ICA”) against a number of post-production TV companies and a trade association for...more
On 9 June 2016, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it had sent a statement of objections to Ping Europe Limited, a golf equipment manufacturer, alleging that Ping had breached EU and UK...more
Antitrust and competition -
A welcome limitation on the investigatory powers of the Commission when requesting information from companies - On 10 March 2016, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) set aside...more
4/22/2016
/ Air Carriers ,
Article 29 Working Party (WP29) ,
Belgium ,
Cartels ,
CFTC ,
Construction Industry ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Cross-Border ,
Data Collection ,
Data Protection ,
Data Protection Authority ,
Digital Media ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
EU-US Privacy Shield ,
European Commission ,
International Data Transfers ,
Leniency Programs ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Member State ,
MiFID II ,
MiFIR ,
Oil & Gas ,
Request For Information ,
Tax Avoidance ,
Terrorist Threats ,
US-EU Safe Harbor Framework
Consistent with its annual review of the merger filing thresholds, in March this year the Italian Competition Authority (the “AGCM”) updated the turnover thresholds above which transactions must be notified to the AGCM prior...more
The Court of Justice of the EU (“CJEU”) recently issued a seminal preliminary ruling on the relationship between EU leniency programs and the leniency programs of Member States. The CJEU reaffirms that EU and Member State...more
The Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) has recently clarified how participation in cartels can be presumed under EU competition rules. An online booking system used for package holidays had sent to travel agents...more
2/19/2016
/ Banks ,
Breach Notification Rule ,
Capital Markets Union ,
Cartels ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Data Protection Authority ,
EU ,
Italy ,
Loans ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Unfair Competition
On 11 September, TeliaSonera and Telenor have abandoned the proposed merger of their business units in Denmark. The contemplated transaction would have resulted in the establishment of a joint venture active in the provision...more
11/2/2015
/ Binding Corporate Rules ,
Biofuel ,
Broadband ,
Capital Markets Union ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection Authority ,
Denmark ,
Diesel Fuel ,
Digital Media ,
Edward Snowden ,
Energy Sector ,
EU Data Protection Laws ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Germany ,
International Data Transfers ,
Investment ,
Ireland ,
Merger Agreements ,
National Security Agency (NSA) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Personal Data ,
Privacy Laws ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Right to Privacy ,
Safe Harbors ,
Schrems I & Schrems II ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Standard Contractual Clauses ,
Startups ,
Telecommunications ,
Umbrella Agreement ,
Unfair Competition ,
Unfair Pricing ,
US-EU Safe Harbor Framework ,
Wireless Industry
On 22 October 2015, the Court of Justice of the EU (“CJEU”) handed down a seminal judgment holding for the first time that companies facilitating the implementation of a cartel can be sanctioned under EU competition law....more
Antitrust and Competition -
European Court Confirms Commission’s Jurisdiction for Fighting International Cartels
On 9 July 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) upheld the EUR 288 million fine...more
8/6/2015
/ Cable Television Providers ,
Digital Single Market ,
DSM ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Energy Sector ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Film Industry ,
Greece ,
IAEA ,
Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) ,
Iran ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
LCD Panels ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
P5+1 Nations ,
Price-Fixing ,
Taiwan ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
TTIP ,
Unfair Competition