Life With GDPR: Special Emergency Valentine’s Day Edition-Facebook Dawn Raid in Ireland
INTRODUCTION: A recent dawn raid on a multinational technology company, conducted by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (“JFTC”) as part of its investigation into potential anticompetitive conduct in the cloud computing sector,...more
On March 25, 2026, at the 74th ABA Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, five leading competition enforcers from Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Japan, and Mexico sat for the “Enforcers Update: Cartels” panel....more
Incomplete responses, inaccurate information, obstruction and other procedural missteps attracted significant regulatory attention and penalties in 2025. We saw regulators, including in the EU, China, and the U.S., step up...more
2025 saw a plethora of dawn raids as well as authorities reaching for enhanced detection tools and investigative powers....more
Our latest Global antitrust enforcement report offers an insightful analysis of the current state and future trajectory of antitrust enforcement worldwide, based on analysis of enforcement data from over 30 jurisdictions....more
On 10 July 2025, following a comprehensive Staff Working Document published in September 2024, the Commission launched a public consultation to revise Regulation 1/2003. The exercise collected over 80 contributions according...more
In recent years, global antitrust enforcement has undergone a profound transformation, driven by rapid technological advancements, expanding regulatory powers, and the increasing integration of competition policy with broader...more
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been granted a warrant to search the home of a managing director who denied using his personal phone for work purposes during a dawn raid at his company’s premises. ...more
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been granted a warrant to search the home of a managing director who denied using his personal phone for work purposes during a dawn raid at his company’s premises....more
Throughout the second half of 2025, competition authorities across Europe have continued to conduct raids across varied sectors with a focus on digital evidence. Several authorities are seeking wider inspection powers....more
Advocate General Medina issued a well‑reasoned opinion in Joined Cases C‑258/23 to C‑260/23 before the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) that may allow national competition authorities to seize business emails during dawn...more
On 8 September 2025, the European Commission (the Commission) imposed its first-ever fine on a company for providing incomplete information during an ongoing antitrust investigation. In June 2023, the Commission conducted...more
The European Commission (EC)’s EUR172,000 fine tallies with a step up in enforcement by antitrust authorities globally of procedural breaches by companies during antitrust probes....more
On 9 July 2025, the General Court of the European Union handed down its judgment in Case T 188/24, Michelin v. Commission, annulling in part the decision of the European Commission (the Commission) to submit Compagnie...more
Domestic and international enforcement agencies continue to sharpen their tools and maintain an aggressive posture in criminal antitrust enforcement. Recent actions by new antitrust leadership in the Department of Justice’s...more
Dawn raids conducted by antitrust authorities are stressful events. Among other issues, the ensuing investigations consume significant time and effort and often result in high fines for the companies involved. It is therefore...more
"Competition forces you to evolve. When everything is easy, you don't improve". ― Rafael Nadal Parera, 1st Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca Introduction - Over the past two decades, Spain's competition enforcement journey...more
On 9 July 2025, the General Court of the European Union delivered its judgment in Case T-188/24 Michelin, addressing the scope of the European Commission’s powers to conduct on-site inspections (so-called dawn raids) under EU...more
In the first half of 2025, competition authorities across Europe have continued to vigorously use their intrusive dawn raid powers in diverse economic sectors. These operations require diligent and thorough preparation as...more
Evidence is a key battleground in virtually all patent litigation cases. As a Court designed to combine the best and most efficient features of the main EU national patent litigation systems, the Unified Patent Court (“UPC”)...more
"Wrong-house" raids by law enforcement can cause terror and physical injury, significant property damage, and potentially innocent civilian deaths. Suits for damages almost always follow....more
At a recent Practising Law Institute (PLI) webinar on antitrust, over 250 legal professionals joined to hear from three antitrust leaders: Nicole Castle, Zach Terwilliger, and Craig Seebald. In this Q&A, they explore what’s...more
Article 20 of Regulation N°1/2003 enables the European Commission ("Commission") to inspect undertakings when it suspects potential infringements of competition rules might have occurred. These unannounced inspections (called...more
On March 11, the Criminal Chamber of the French Supreme Court (Cour de cassation) handed down four rulings that drastically narrow the scope of French legal privilege. Under French law, when a dawn raid is carried out in a...more
2024 saw a continued trend of heightened dawn raid activity by antitrust authorities across the globe. Of the 31 jurisdictions surveyed, 24 (77%) confirmed that the regulator had carried out dawn raids during the course of...more