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Showing archive for:  “EU”

The EU and jurisdictional competition for hedge fund regulation

The NYT reports: When he rejected a new European accord on Friday that would bind the continent ever closer, Prime Minister David Cameron seemingly sacrificed Britain’s place in Europe to preserve the pre-eminence of the City, London’s financial district. The question now is whether his stance will someday seem justified, even prescient. Mr. Cameron refused ... The EU and jurisdictional competition for hedge fund regulation

A Macro Conference

I was invited to attend the Financial Times Global Conference “The View From the Top: The Future of America” and since I was in New York anyway I thought it would be fun.  I don’t hang around with macro types much, and even less with liberal macro types.  I will not summarize the entire conference, ... A Macro Conference

Nuno Garoupa on Reforming Legal Professions in Europe

The European Commission, in particular the Directorate-General for Competition, has shown interest in promoting competition in the market for legal services since the early 2000s. Some countries such as the United Kingdom have taken this matter seriously. After a long review process, the British government has recently implemented a new regulatory set-up for legal services ... Nuno Garoupa on Reforming Legal Professions in Europe

The FTC Makes its Google Investigation Official, Now What?

No surprise here.  The WSJ announced it was coming yesterday, and today Google publicly acknowledged that it has received subpoenas related to the Commission’s investigation.  Amit Singhal of Google acknowledged the FTC subpoenas at the Google Public Policy Blog: At Google, we’ve always focused on putting the user first. We aim to provide relevant answers ... The FTC Makes its Google Investigation Official, Now What?

TechFreedom Search Engine Regulation Event today

Today at 12:30 at the Capitol Visitor Center, TechFreedom is hosting a discussion on the regulation of search engines:  “Search Engine Regulation: A Solution in Search of a Problem?” The basics: Allegations of “search bias” have led to increased scrutiny of Google, including active investigations in the European Union and Texas, a possible FTC investigation, ... TechFreedom Search Engine Regulation Event today

The End of An Era?

Well, perhaps not quite the end of an era given all of the intense antitrust scrutiny that continues in the high-tech sector.  But it seems like it should not go without noting that the Microsoft case will officially come to an end on May 12th.  The San Francisco Chronicle observes: In a final hearing in ... The End of An Era?

Google, Antitrust, and First Principles

I’ve read with interest over the last few days the commentary on Microsoft’s filing of a formal complaint with the EU, Microsoft’s defense of its actions, and the various stories around the web.  Geoff and Paul appropriately focus on the error-cost concerns associated with intervention in high-tech markets; Paul also emphasizes the ironies associated with ... Google, Antitrust, and First Principles

Microsoft comes full circle

I am disappointed but not surprised to see that my former employer filed an official antitrust complaint against Google in the EU.  The blog post by Microsoft’s GC, Brad Smith, summarizing its complaint is here. Most obviously, there is a tragic irony to the most antitrust-beleaguered company ever filing an antitrust complaint against its successful competitor. ... Microsoft comes full circle

Antitrust in Tech Industries

Two stories about Google indicate the dangers of antitrust in fast moving tech industries.  Microsoft is urging the EU antitrust authorities to sue Google.   (Microsoft was itself the victim of a massive antitrust action. I guess it is true that abusers are likely to have been themselves abused.)  At the same time Google is ... Antitrust in Tech Industries

EU Bans Insurer Price Discrimination Based on Gender

From the WSJ: The European Union’s highest court declared illegal the widespread practice of charging men and women different rates for insurance, roiling the industry and setting in motion an overhaul of how life, auto and health policies are written across Europe.Two Belgian men had challenged the higher life-insurance premiums charged to members of their ... EU Bans Insurer Price Discrimination Based on Gender

Dan Crane’s The Institutional Structure of Antitrust Enforcement

Dan Crane’s new book is now available from Oxford University Press (HT: Danny Sokol).  Dan has been a repeat visitor to TOTM, is a co-author, and his scholarship on is always insightful.  I suspect this book will become a standard reference in the growing antitrust institutions literature.  Here is the book description from the OUP ... Dan Crane’s The Institutional Structure of Antitrust Enforcement

Why can’t we have a better press corps?: WaPo Google antitrust edition

Steven Pearlstein at the Washington Post asks if it’s “Time to loosen Google’s grip.”  The article is an analytical mess.  Pearlstein is often a decent business reporter–I’m not sure what went wrong here, but this is a pretty shoddy piece of antitrust journalism. For the most part, the article is a series of tired claims ... Why can’t we have a better press corps?: WaPo Google antitrust edition