Antitrust and Competition - European Commission Launches Evaluation of the Geo-Blocking Regulation - On 11 February 2025, the European Commission launched a call for evidence to seek stakeholders’ views on the Geo-Blocking...more
In a stark alert to providers of global e-commerce services, the UK's most senior court has upheld an earlier decision that Amazon "targeted" UK customers for sales of U.S. goods on its U.S. website, amounting to trademark...more
In the wake of the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, state consumer health data laws have emerged as a critical focal point in the rapidly evolving landscape of how consumer health data will be...more
On September 27, 2023, the EU General Court (GC) rejected an appeal by Valve Corporation (Valve) of a January 2021 decision by the European Commission (Commission), which found that Valve and five PC video game publishers had...more
Even with the current focus on sanctions compliance, many companies have done little to assess and enhance their existing sanctions compliance program. Instead, a number of companies have stitched together a basic sanctions...more
On September 30, 2022, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”) announced a settlement with Tango Card, Inc. (“Tango Card”), a supplier and distributor of stored valued...more
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States, in unprecedented coordination with global allies, has imposed expansive economic measures and export controls that target influential Russian authorities and...more
1. Recent Enforcement: Even Companies That Invest in Compliance Pay Penalties- Since our April enforcement roundup, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in the Department...more
On April 29, 2021, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) of the U.S. Department of Commerce announced settlements with German...more
For many years, the regulation of digital markets has been a key priority in Europe. In 2015, the European Commission committed the EU to the creation of a digital single market – and that commitment spawned a series of...more
BitMEX, a Seychelles-based centralized exchange for trading derivatives on bitcoin, ether and litecoin, and certain of its executives have been charged with a number of violations under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act (CEA),...more
On 21 February 2020, the European Commission (the “Commission”) announced it had fined Spanish hotel group Meliá almost €6.7 million for restrictive clauses in its contracts with tour operators. The decision highlights the...more
A recent federal criminal action shows the depth of the U.S. government’s concern about the use of cryptocurrency (or virtual currency) to violate economic sanctions laws and the lengths to which it will go to charge such...more
On September 24, 2019, the highest court of the European Union (EU), the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), attempted to limit the territorial scope and authority of EU data protection authorities in its recent decision...more
Although not a new practice, the application of geofencing continues to increase in sophistication and expand into personal space on an unprecedented scale, jumping beyond commercial retail advertising schemes and diving into...more
The European Commission has informed various game companies (platforms and publishers) of its preliminary view that the companies prevented consumers from purchasing video games cross-border from other Member States, in...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
The retail and fashion industries may be transforming at a rapid pace, but the Hogan Lovells Retail and Fashion Group will make sure you are on-trend. ...more
On January 10, 2019, Advocate General Szpunar issued his much awaited opinion in the Google case that was referred to the European Court of Justice by the French “Conseil d’Etat”, the highest administrative court of the...more
“Geo-blocking” is the practice whereby traders operating in a country block or limit access to their online interfaces, such as websites or apps, by customers from other countries wishing to engage in cross-border...more
The holiday season is the most wonderful – and the busiest – time of year for retailers. With the holiday season now in full swing, here are 5 things your business needs to consider...more
From 3 December 2018, businesses who sell either B2B or B2C within the EU will have to comply with the EU Geo-Blocking Regulation. The Regulation will have both economic and procedural implications for any trader which sells...more
On December 3, 2018 the Geo-Blocking Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/302) will come into effect in each of the EU member states. As part of a continued effort to provide guidance to businesses in case of a no deal Brexit...more
In the European Commission’s plan to create a unified Digital Single Market, the measures to promote e-Commerce are well ranked....more
The increasing importance of the internet has caused EU and US antitrust regulators to look closely at a range of trading policies including restrictions on internet sales, geo-blocking, use of on line platforms, MFN clauses...more