An important judge changes the Senate. Is that news? And what news! Even Rupprecht Podszun, who is usually not at a loss for words, was momentarily speechless when he heard this one. Now he has regained his composure and quickly jotted down his thoughts – here are his SSNIPpets, small but significant news, information and pleasantries – our pet project! This HR development is a real bang for the buck: Prof. Dr Jürgen Kühnen, the legendary “Judge Kühnen”,…
Just before the summer break, the European Commission (“Commission”) continues to tick off its To-Do-List, adding an important checkmark in its efforts to modernise the current set of rules in various areas of competition law. On 9 July 2021 it published its draft reform of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (“Draft VBER”), including revised Guidelines on Vertical Restraints (“Draft Vertical Guidelines”). Kaan Gürer has taken a closer look. What is this all about? The VBER sets out the conditions under…
What are the limits to cooperation between companies in areas of research and development under the rules of antitrust law? The European Commission had to rule on a case in which five German car manufacturers allegedly engaged in illegal collusion regarding the use of emission-reducing technologies (AT.40178). The decision has not yet been published. Leon Kümmel has already taken a closer look at the European Commission’s press release. What happened? On July 8, 2021, the European Commission published in a press…
For three days in a row, Rupprecht Podszun sat through the Annual Conference of ASCOLA, the Academic Society for Competition Law – a scholars-only event where research on antitrust is on display. Yes, he does that voluntarily, but he also serves as the Vice President of this organisation, so read his debrief with care. He tells you about the big ideas, the big names and the small stories of this conference. Name of the event: 16th Annual Conference of the Academic Society…
Do national courts have the power to fully apply Article 101(1) TFEU and Article 53(1) EEA‑Agreement with regard to anticompetitive practices? This question was referred to the European Court of Justice by the Rechtbank Amsterdam (District Court Amsterdam) on 6 November 2019 (Case C ‑819/19). Advocate General Bobek gave his opinion on the matter in his Opinion of 6 May 2021. Anna-Jacqueline Limprecht reports. Price agreements for air freight services trigger the proceedings As a warning, it should be mentioned that a large number of…