Antitrust and Trade Regulation Commons^™

A Rose By Any Other Name: Elucidating The Intersection Of Patent And Antitrust Laws In Tying Arrangement Cases, Kyle R. Friedman

Maine Law Review

In Illinois Tool Works Inc. v. Independent Ink, Inc., an ink manufacturer sought to invalidate patents held by a printing system manufacturer by alleging that the patents resulted in illegal tying and monopolization in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. This action was preceded by an infringement action brought by Illinois Tool Works (ITW), which was dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction. Independent Ink (Independent) responded by seeking a judgment of non-infringement and invalidity of patents against ITW. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of ITW on both counts. The court of appeals reversed …

Uber, Lyft, And Regulating The Sharing Economy, Brett Harris

Seattle University Law Review

The “sharing economy” goes by many names such as the “gig economy,” the “1099 economy,” and the “on-demand economy,” all of which describe the economic system that uses online platforms to connect workers and sellers with clients and consumers, primarily through smartphone applications. Many of the sharing economy companies are also called the “tech disruptors.” They earned this title because they have changed the way that people do business. But in changing the way that people do business, they have also created unique regulatory challenges for governments across the country. The news is rife with stories about when these regulations …

Further Reflections On Antitrust And Wealth Inequality, Daniel A. Crane

Articles

Since I have already published a lengthy academic article on antitrust and wealth inequality, I have the freedom of using this piece to present the key arguments unvarnished by dense citations or technical details (readers interested in those things should consult my earlier article) and to respond to some of the criticisms of my article that have since been levied. My thesis, before and now, is this: claims that antitrust enforcement advances income or wealth progressivity are overstated and rest on simplistic and unrealistic understandings of how antitrust actually operates. While some enforcement actions may generate progressive results, others will …

The Horizons Of Antitrust, Richard M. Steuer

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

Critics have been complaining that there are too few jobs in America and too much inequality. They have been calling for broadening the goals of antitrust and, at the very least, for more antitrust enforcement. More enforcement could be expected to have an impact on the concentration of power and on jobs, but even recalibrating the goals of antitrust law cannot, by itself, realistically be considered a panacea for eliminating unemployment or inequality overnight.

At the same time, other countries already have broader goals written into their own laws, including their competition laws, which protect jobs and limit foreign …

Bitcoins And Other Cryptocurrencies As Property?, Kelvin F. K. Low, Ernie G. S. Teo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The hype over bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies has been compared to the tulip mania in seventeenth-century Netherlands. As they have gained popularity, the law has approached the subject warily, mostly from a regulatory perspective. However, there has been no comprehensive consideration of the fundamental nature of a cryptocurrency owner’s private law relation to his cryptocurrencies. Whether or not cryptocurrencies achieve mainstream adoption, this question will inevitably have to be addressed. This paper considers if bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies might be recognised as the subject of property rights by Commonwealth courts and if so, what such rights ought to entail. It …

Models Of Competition Regulation And Interantional Law Forms Of Implementing Competiiton Policy, Kseniia Smyrnova

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

The basics of Keynesian Economics and ordoliberalism have been implemented in national legislations. On the basis of a comparative analysis, it is possible to differentiate two models of competition law regulation – the American and the European model. The difference between these two models results from divergent understandings of the content and goals of competition law regulations. While American legislation aims to protect the economy as a whole, European enforcement practice shows that its main goals are to protect social rights in the context of the Internal Market. The article shows the tendency to converge of national legal conditions of …

Algorithms And Collusion - Background Note By The Secretariat, Daf/Comp(2017)4, Oecd - Directorate For Financial And Enterprise Affairs Competition Committee, 2017 (Agata Jurkowska-Gomułka), Agata Jurkowska-Gomułka

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

No abstract provided.

Rebates Applied By Dominant Undertakings In The Light Of 2011-2015 Ecj Judgments, Kamil Bułakowski

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

This article is dedicated to the problematic issue of rebate schemes applied by dominant undertakings under EU competition law. The said problem is presented in the light of the more economic approach, and in accordance with ECJ judgements published between 2011-2015: Tomra (2011), Intel (2014) and Post Danmark II (2015). Moreover, the article includes an analysis of the Opinion of the Advocate General Nils Wahls to the Intel Case, issued in October 2016.

Commitment Decisions In Eu Case-Law – A Dispute Over The Scope Of Application Of The Principle Of Proportionality, Marcin Mleczko

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

The author presents current EU case-law on commitment decisions. Presented first are an overview of the institution and the statistics of its application. Then, judgments of the CJEU relating to commitment decisions are debated. The essence of the article is the analysis of the current interpretation of the principle of proportionality in the context of commitment decisions by EU courts, and the consideration of its possible implications. The article also discusses the admissibility of appeals against commitment decisions and the scope of their judicial review, as well as other issues raised in case-law.

Selectivity Of A Taxation System For The Purposes Of Article 107(1) Tfeu With Regard To Equal Treatment And Discrimination. Case Comment To Judgment Of The Court Of 21.12.2016 In Joined Cases C‑20/15 P And C‑21/15 P European Commission V World Duty Free Group Sa And Others, Łukasz Stępkowski

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

1. W celu udowodnienia selektywności systemu podatkowego istotna jest tylko okoliczność, że środek – niezależnie od jego postaci lub zastosowanej techniki regulacyjnej – skutkuje tym, że stawia przedsiębiorstwa będące beneficjentami w korzystniejszej sytuacji niż inne przedsiębiorstwa, mimo że wszystkie te przedsiębiorstwa znajdują się w porównywalnej sytuacji faktycznej i prawnej w świetle celu przyświecającego danemu systemowi podatkowemu. Nie można ponadto wymagać, by w celu udowodnienia selektywności takiego środka Komisja określiła pewne szczególne i swoiste cechy charakterystyczne wspólne przedsiębiorstwom będącym beneficjentami korzyści podatkowej, które to cechy pozwalają je odróżnić od przedsiębiorstw wykluczonych z zakresu zastosowania tej korzyści (pkt 78 i 79 wyroku).

The Uber Application Or How To Fit The Sharing Economy Into The Existing Legal Framework?, Maciej Toroń, Katarzyna Wiese

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

The Authors analyze in this article, on the example of the UBER application, problems arising from the dissemination of new business models commonly referred to as belonging to the sharing economy. While the development of the sharing economy is enthusiastically welcomed by the European Commission, it is difficult not to notice that the Member States of the EU, as well as some entrepreneurs, do not share this optimistic approach. In this article, the Authors consider to what extent their objections are justified. Furthermore, the compatibility of the functioning of the application with competition law requirements is also checked.

Admissibility Of The Use Of Unlawfully Obtained Evidence In Cartel Proceedings Before The European Commission. Case Comment To The Judgment Of The General Court Of 8 September 2016 In Case T- 54/14 Goldfish And Others V Commissio, Mateusz Mroczek

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

W wyroku z 8 września 2016 r. w sprawie T-54/14 Goldfish i in. przeciwko Komisji Europejskiej (dalej: wyrok) Sąd zasadniczo potwierdził możliwość wykorzystywania w postępowaniu kartelowym przed Komisją Europejską (dalej: Komisja) dowodów pozyskanych podczas prawidłowo przeprowadzonej kontroli, co do których istnieje podejrzenie, że zostały pierwotnie uzyskane w sposób sprzeczny z prawem przez jedną ze stron niedozwolonego porozumienia (w analizowanym przypadku były to niejawne nagrania rozmów telefonicznych). W wyroku poruszono zatem doniosłą kwestię dopuszczalności wykorzystywania dowodów bezprawnych w postępowaniach prowadzonych przez Komisję w sprawach dotyczących naruszenia reguł konkurencji. Sąd w swoim rozstrzygnięciu – w ślad za orzeczeniami Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka …

Collusion On The Market Of Smart Card Chips. Case Comment To The Judgment Of The General Court Of 15.12.2017 In Joined Cases T-758/14 Infineon Technologies Ag V. Commission And T-762/14 Koninklijke Philips Nv And Philips France V. Commission, Szymon Gołębiowski

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

Wyrokami z dnia 15 grudnia 2016 r. Sąd Unii Europejskiej (General Court) oddalił skargi Infineon Technologies AG , Koninklijke Philips NV oraz Philips France przeciwko Komisji Europejskiej. Wniesione przez przedsiębiorców skargi zawierały żądanie uchylenia decyzji Komisji z dnia 3 września 2014 r. stwierdzającej naruszenie art. 101 ust. 1 TFUE przez producentów układów scalonych do kart inteligentnych (smart card chips – SCC). Zarzucana producentom SCC praktyka funkcjonowała w oparciu o system dwustronnych relacji pomiędzy czterema przedsiębiorcami, którzy wymieniali się między sobą informacjami dotyczącymi m.in. przyszłych strategii rynkowych (w tym cen). Po przeprowadzeniu postępowania – wszczętego na skutek złożenia wniosku leniency przez …

Infringement Of A Right To Be Heard As A Basis For An Annulment Of A Merger Decision. Case Comment To The Judgment Of The General Court Of 07.03.2017 In Case T-194/13 United Parcel Service, Inc. V. European Commission, Marta Michałek-Gervais

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

7 marca 2017 r. Trybunał Sprawiedliwości po raz kolejny w ostatnich latach wypowiedział się w kwestii istotnej z punktu widzenia ochrony prawa przedsiębiorców do obrony w kontekście postępowania z zakresu prawa konkurencji. Mianowicie w sprawie United Parcel Service, Inc. (dalej: UPS lub Skarżąca) przeciwko Komisji Europejskiej. Sąd unieważnił decyzję Komisji zakazującą przejęcia przez UPS wyłącznej kontroli nad TNT Express NV (dalej: TNT) ze względu na naruszenie przez Komisję istotnego elementu prawa Skarżącej do obrony, tj. prawa do bycia wysłuchanym . Komisja nie poinformowała bowiem UPS o ostatecznej wersji modelu ekonometrycznego, na którym oparła swoją decyzję, a tym samym uniemożliwiła Skarżącej …

United States Versus Microsoft: A Case Study, Michael Betts

Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Standardization In Information Technology Industries: Emerging Issues Under Section Two Of The Sherman Antitrust Act, Michael Betts

Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Plunging Into The Information Age: The Effect Of Current Competition Policy On United States Science And Technology Policy, Michael Betts

Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Irma Price Gouging Highlights Sad Truth: Consumer Fleecing Is The New Normal, Ramsi Woodcock

Law Faculty Popular Media

By bringing desperation to so many, Hurricane Irma is revealing a sad fact about many American companies, and not just airlines: that they have come in recent years to embrace taking advantage of desperate consumers as a central part of their business models.

The practice, called dynamic pricing, is intended to ration scarce goods and services, yet, as I show in a recent paper, it primarily harms consumers by making it easier for companies to fleece them.

Extraterritoriality Of The Regulations And Interconnections Of The Derivatives Market: Legal Implications For East And Southeast Asia, Christopher C. H. Chen

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article examines the legal implications of the interconnections of the global derivatives market, such as the exchange and over-the-counter (OTC) markets, in East and Southeast Asia. First, we introduce the interconnectedness of the global derivatives market. We then examine some legal implications of such interconnectedness from several angles, such as the extraterritoriality of relevant regulations (notably the reporting, clearing and trading mandates prescribed by the G20 and the new initial margin rule), standard product documentation, the effect of substituted compliance, the potential competition effect due to shifting OTC trades to exchange trading and the effect of consolidating exchanges and/or …

Amazon's Whole Foods Deal Could Still Be Reversed Thanks To Forgotten Antitrust Case, Ramsi Woodcock

Law Faculty Popular Media

Amazon formally took ownership of Whole Foods this week after the Federal Trade Commission signaled on August 23 that it wouldn’t stop the deal.

The online retailer isn’t wasting any time remaking the high-end grocery chain in its low-price image. Its first act involved cutting prices on dozens of items, from avocados to tilapia. But that is not what is sending shivers down the aisles of rival food retailers like Walmart, which now controls 20 percent of the grocery market by pursuing just such a low-price strategy.

The reason, which the FTC ignored in providing its imprimatur, is that Amazon …