On 22 November, Johan Ysewyn and Maria Jaspers (DG COMP) presented the highlights of recent EU cartel enforcement in their annual dual-presentation at the Advanced EU Competition Law Conference in Brussels. They covered their traditional three pillars of enforcement, policy and court review.
Continue Reading Key Conclusions – Cartels: Lessons from Recent Investigations, Brussels Advanced Competition Law Conference
Investigations
Price comparison websites: The UK’s CMA weighs in on the competition law, data protection and consumer protection requirements
By Kevin Coates on
The UK’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has published a 349 page Final Report (combined with 5 Background Papers and a glossary) on its Market Study into what it refers to as Digital Comparison Tools (DCTs) – a term which includes price comparison websites, best buy tables, and other more automated services like matching services which analyse complex usage patterns, voice-based comparison tools, and reverse auction platforms. The CMA concluded that consumer experiences of these services were mostly positive, although there were concerns over:
- Competition law implications of exclusive or preferential arrangements;
- Data protection law and the use of personal data;
- Consumer protection law and the transparency of arrangements between these sites and the services that they are comparing.
German Court sends online sales bans to ECJ
On 25 April, the German Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt filed a request for a preliminary ruling with the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) in a case that turns on the ability of branded goods manufacturers to protect the reputation of their brands by controlling online trade.
Continue Reading German Court sends online sales bans to ECJ