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
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
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
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
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
“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
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
The European Commission has been closely following the developments in e-commerce. As more and more goods and services are sold online, the Commission finds itself inevitably drawn into regulating the competition rules in...more
Geo-blocking is the practice of preventing internet users in one jurisdiction from accessing services elsewhere based on the user’s geographic location. The European Commission wants to eliminate geo-blocking within the EU –...more
Antitrust and Competition - Another transaction in the technology sector referred to the European Commission for its review - The European Commission (“Commission”) is yet again set to review a transaction in the technology...more
The new provision on the banning of unjustified geoblocking in online sales is at the heart of the EU Commission’s aspiration and effort to create a real Digital Single Market within the European Union....more
The new EU geo-blocking regulation prohibits unjustified geo-blocking. Businesses selling online should review carefully their terms and sales organization to ensure compliance. On 27 February 2018, the European Union (EU)...more
Introduction - Our “trends for 2018” are only a selection of interesting developments to watch for in 2018. Within the political and legislative cycle of the European Union, 2018 promises to be an eventful year, given...more
For the last two years, the European Commission (“EC”) has been carrying out a Sector Inquiry into e-commerce of consumer goods and digital content in the EU. As part of this, the EC has sent companies many questionnaires...more
On 10 May 2017, the European Commission (“Commission”) published its final report (“Report”) concluding a wide-ranging two-year long inquiry into e-commerce (“Inquiry”). During the Inquiry – which was conceived as part of the...more
On 10 May 2017, two years after launching its e-commerce sector inquiry on 6 May 2015, the European Commission published its final report (Final Report) on the inquiry. The inquiry was opened in the framework of the...more
On 10 May 2017, the European Commission (the “Commission”) published its final report (“Final Report”) concluding its wide-ranging, two-year long inquiry into e-commerce including media rights distribution (“Inquiry”). The...more
On 10 May 2017, the European Commission published its final report on the e-commerce sector inquiry. The report is divided into two sections, covering e-commerce issues in relation to consumer goods and digital content. It...more
The final report indicates future enforcement trends related to vertical restraints, pricing and big data. On 10 May 2017, the European Commission (Commission) published its final report on the E-commerce Sector Inquiry...more
The Commission’s mid-term review assesses the progress of DSM initiatives and sets new goals for on data economy, cybersecurity and online platforms. On 10 May 2017, the European Commission published its mid-term review...more
On the 10 May 2017, the EU Commission announced the end of their e-commerce sector inquiry. What is notable about the end of this inquiry is the lack of policy or new legislation following it....more
The European Commission is taking stock of what has been accomplished regarding its Strategy for a Digital Single Market. Two years ago, on 6 May 2015, Commissioners Oettinger and Ansip announced their strategy to create a...more
Since May 2015, the European Commission ("Commission") has identified the completion of the Digital Single Market as one of its top-ten political priorities. The Digital Single Market Strategy ("Strategy") aims at ensuring...more