There is something new in the Facebook case. Or maybe not quite. Rupprecht Podszun brings you up to date on the current state of affairs in this spectacular German abuse proceedings, which has been going on for some time now in the courts (and this blog). And you may rejoice: The story will remain with us! In my calendar, 25 November 2020 is marked in red. On this day it is like it sometimes was in the old days when…
Lockdown light. Trump has been voted out of office, a company from Mainz, Germany, has apparently developed a vaccine, and most freshmen leave their cameras on during digital lessons in class. Glimmers of Hope. Rupprecht Podszun is riding the 2nd wave – here are his SSNIPpets, small but significant news, information and pleasentries – our pet project! The fifth season of the year Karneval, a German tradition that is close to Mardi Gras in New Orleans or the Rio Carnival,…
Once a year the Bundeskartellamt calls a meeting of professors and judges to discuss a current topic. This year’s topic was “sustainability and competition”. The day before, platform regulation had been discussed at the “European Data Summit” in Berlin. Rupprecht Podszun was present at both events – here is his double conference debriefing! Name of Event 1: Meeting of the Working Group on Competition Law (vulgo “Professors’ Conference”) Topic: “Open markets and sustainable business – public interest objectives as a…
On some days the antitrust lawyer does not know where to look first, so much is happening. Rupprecht Podszun has no other choice. Without claiming to be complete, correct or chucklesome, he has noted down what he noticed recently in the wonderful world of competition. Here are his SSNIPpets – small but significant news, information and pleasantries – our pet project! Jubilee Line Is this a good day to send SSNIPpets? 60 years ago, OPEC, the infamous cartel of oil-exporting…
Summary of the reasoning of the German Bundesgerichtshof’s decision in Facebook (antitrust / data).
The Academic Society for Competition Law, ASCOLA, regularly brings together the academics who research and teach in the area of competition – even this year! Instead of going to lovely Porto, however, the community of antitrust aficionados met in a three-day-Zoom-conference. Rupprecht Podszun was one of the hosts. He is the Ascola Vice President, and defying all journalistic ethics, he interviews himself here and gives his personal conference debrief for the readers of D’Kart. Thankfully, less biased Friso Bostoen shares…
The German Federal Supreme Court has ruled against Facebook and in favour of the Bundeskartellamt, the German competition authority, in preliminary proceedings on a leading competition/data case. This goes into the heart of Facebook’s business model. For the Bundeskartellamt, it is the most important case in the era of the data economy. The decision is, at the very least, a surprise. Rupprecht Podszun has first thoughts on it. You may read this post in German, too, by switching the language…
The time of working from home is for many people a time for DIY – the author of these lines met a well-known Düsseldorf antitrust law partner in the very long queue to a DIY store on a Corona-Saturday. The European Commission is also currently working on all kinds of things. And the courts are anyway. Time for a workshop report by Rupprecht Podszun. Here are his SSNIPpets – small but significant news, information and pleasantries – our pet project!…
In the antitrust community, the term “Phase II” has so far triggered thoughts about merger control: This is where Phase II is rather frightening. Today, “Phase II” gets a new meaning, even with competition folks – it is the gradual reopening of public life after the shutdown. Rupprecht Podszun is in his SSNIPpets phase. Here are his small but significant news, information and pleasantries – our pet project! Stop the clock Since we had collectively been ordered into isolation a…
Carnival is over, we were still allowed to go outside the door in the Rhineland then. In the meantime, everything has moved to home office. Now, what happens if you are no longer allowed to see your local bookstore since you may bump into someone coming home from a conference in China? Before you run out of stock of reading material, Rupprecht Podszun has hoarded news and written down what was still on his mind for 2019 and 19a. Here…