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Category: Allgemein

National Industrial Strategy 2030 – Relax, take it easy!

National Industrial Strategy 2030 – Relax, take it easy!

When Peter Altmaier, Germany’s Minister of Economics, presented his National Industrial Strategy 2030 there was uproar with competition lawyers and economists. Philipp Steinberg, one of the thought leaders in the Ministry, sets out his thoughts in D’Kart today. Dieser Text ist auch auf Deutsch verfügbar. Klicken Sie dazu einfach oben rechts auf die Flagge. Globalisation is a fact that Europe and all countries need to accept. Europe is a global player and has no reason to fear global competition. Competition…

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Miba/Zollern: The next ministerial authorisation of a banned merger?

Miba/Zollern: The next ministerial authorisation of a banned merger?

A few days ago, German media surprised us with the fact that they had found something in a somewhat older edition of the Federal Gazette. An interesting discovery had been made: another application for ministerial approval had been submitted to the Ministry of Economics. This instrument of German antitrust law allows the Federal Minister of Economics to override a decision of the competition agency (Bundeskartellamt) on reasons of the common good. This is exciting for every antitrust lawyer, especially for…

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Furman Report: Her Majesty’s New Digital Antitrust Law

Furman Report: Her Majesty’s New Digital Antitrust Law

While the UK is trying to escape a #HardBrexit and is making friends with a #Brextension, the final report of the “Digital Competition Expert Panel“ led by Jason Furman, former chief economist under Barack Obama, was published on March 13, 2019. The British are thus presenting some far-reaching proposals for a new digital antitrust law. Adrian Deuschle shares his thoughts. So, what’s going on in the digital economy? In the first chapter, the business model of online platforms is presented,…

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The “undertaking” is liable in antitrust tort law! – ECJ in Skanska

The “undertaking” is liable in antitrust tort law! – ECJ in Skanska

The European Court of Justice’s judgment in Skansa was anticipated with excitement. This damage claim case has the potential to change European competition law – since it deals with the question whether the definition of undertaking is the same for damage claims as for fining. Patrick Hauser and Jörn Kramer report on one of the top cases in 2019. Introduction The Skanska decision has been highly anticipated, as it has/had the potential to shape antitrust tort law to a considerable…

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Events in Competition Law 2019

Events in Competition Law 2019

There are not many things in life that are better than talking antitrust. And luckily, the world provides us with thousands of occasions to do so – competition law conferences, workshops and seminars are everywhere. In order for you not to miss anything, we present an Antitrust Calendar as of today with events in competition law that may be of interest to our readers. Click here, go there, listen closely, speak up – and do not forget to take off…

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Bundeskartellamt gegen Facebook: Konditionenmissbrauch wegen unangemessener Datenverarbeitung

Bundeskartellamt gegen Facebook: Konditionenmissbrauch wegen unangemessener Datenverarbeitung

Facebook hat seine marktbeherrschende Stellung zum Nachteil der Nutzer missbraucht und muss seine bisherigen Nutzungsbedingungen ändern. Zu diesem Ergebnis ist das Bundeskartellamt nach seiner knapp dreijährigen Untersuchung der Geschäftsaktivitäten von Facebook gekommen. Im Anschluss an Justus Haucap und Rupprecht Podszun, die bereits in der vergangenen Woche ihre ersten Gedanken zu der Entscheidung geäußert haben, nimmt nun Kyra Brinkmann, die sich in ihrer Dissertation intensiv mit der Frage eines Marktmachtmissbrauchs durch Verstöße gegen das Datenschutzrecht und gegen andere außerkartellrechtliche Rechtsvorschriften auseinandergesetzt…

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More, not less, competition is needed in Europe

More, not less, competition is needed in Europe

The prohibition of the merger between Siemens and Alstom triggered a political discussion. Do we need “European champions”? And does antitrust law possibly stand in the way of a reasonable industrial policy? Competition economists Massimo Motta from the University of Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona and Martin Peitz from the University of Mannheim drafted an open letter that we publish on D’Kart today. Their plea for a competition-oriented policy was signed by numerous other renowned competition economists, including our Düsseldorf colleagues Justus Haucap,…

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Skanska Industrial – Opinion of Advocate General Wahl

Skanska Industrial – Opinion of Advocate General Wahl

The Skanska case is a much anticipated ECJ case on damages. The question of this case is who is liable – or put differently: What is an undertaking in the meaning of Art. 101 TFEU? And is TFEU applicable anyway? Advocate General Nils Wahl has spoken and Jörn Kramer reviews his opinion. Dieser Text ist auch auf Deutsch verfügbar. Klicken Sie dazu einfach oben rechts auf die Flagge. Finishing his term as Advocate General, Nils Wahl delivered his now last…

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The Facebook decision: First thoughts by Podszun

The Facebook decision: First thoughts by Podszun

The Bundeskartellamt’s decision on Facebook received a warm welcome by the media in Germany yesterday. Probably, our blog with Justus Haucap’s remarks was the loudest (and most profound) critical voice. Today, Rupprecht Podszun joins in to share his first thoughts on a decision that is definitely a nominee for Innovation of the Year. Dieser Text ist auch auf Deutsch verfügbar. Klicken Sie dazu einfach oben rechts auf die Flagge. Disclaimer first: I have not yet seen the decision. What I know about…

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The Facebook decision: First thoughts by Haucap

The Facebook decision: First thoughts by Haucap

The long-awaited Facebook decision of the Bundeskartellamt is finally out. Professor Justus Haucap from the Dusseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE) shares his first thoughts here on D’Kart. Finally, the Bundeskartellamt (Germany’s Federal Cartel Office, FCO) has today presented its long awaited decision in the Facebook case, following its three year investigation into Facebook’s activities. The FCO’s findings are that Facebook has exploited consumers by collecting and combining too much user data without obtaining users’ consent. Not obtaining user consent…

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