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Showing archive for:  “International Antitrust”

The Virulence of Free Trade

[TOTM: The following is part of a blog series by TOTM guests and authors on the law, economics, and policy of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The entire series of posts is available here. This post is authored by Ramsi Woodcock, (Assistant Professor of Law, University of Kentucky; Assistant Professor of Management, Gatton College of Business ... The Virulence of Free Trade

Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 4): The Commission’s Economic Analysis

This is the fourth, and last, in a series of TOTM blog posts discussing the Commission’s recently published Google Android decision (the first post can be found here, and the second here, and the third here). It draws on research from a soon-to-be published ICLE white paper. The previous parts of this series have mostly ... Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 4): The Commission’s Economic Analysis

Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 3): Where is the Harm?

This is the third in a series of TOTM blog posts discussing the Commission’s recently published Google Android decision (the first post can be found here, and the second here). It draws on research from a soon-to-be published ICLE white paper. (Comparison of Google and Apple’s smartphone business models. Red $ symbols represent money invested; ... Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 3): Where is the Harm?

Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 2): Ignoring Google’s Competitors

This is the second in a series of TOTM blog posts discussing the Commission’s recently published Google Android decision (the first post can be found here). It draws on research from a soon-to-be published ICLE white paper. (Left, Android 10 Website; Right, iOS 13 Website) In a previous post, I argued that the Commission failed ... Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 2): Ignoring Google’s Competitors

Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 1): Four Problems with the EU Commission’s Market Definition

This is the first in a series of TOTM blog posts discussing the Commission’s recently published Google Android decision. It draws on research from a soon-to-be published ICLE white paper. The European Commission’s recent Google Android decision will surely go down as one of the most important competition proceedings of the past decade. And yet, ... Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 1): Four Problems with the EU Commission’s Market Definition

On the Antitrust Risks of Four to Three Mergers: A Case Study of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger

Today, Reuters reports that Germany-based ThyssenKrupp has received bids from three bidding groups for a majority stake in the firm’s elevator business. Finland’s Kone teamed with private equity firm CVC to bid on the company. Private equity firms Blackstone and Carlyle joined with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to submit a bid. A third ... On the Antitrust Risks of Four to Three Mergers: A Case Study of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger

The Digital Policy of the Next EU Commission: All roads Lead to Margrethe Vestager

Ursula von der Leyen has just announced the composition of the next European Commission. For tech firms, the headline is that Margrethe Vestager will not only retain her job as the head of DG Competition, she will also oversee the EU’s entire digital markets policy in her new role as Vice-President in charge of digital ... The Digital Policy of the Next EU Commission: All roads Lead to Margrethe Vestager

Doing double damage: The German competition authority’s Facebook decision manages to undermine both antitrust and data protection law

The German Bundeskartellamt's Facebook decision is unsound from either a competition or privacy policy perspective, and will only make the fraught privacy/antitrust relationship worse.

A preliminary assessment of the relative antitrust risk of a Comcast vs Disney purchase of 21st Century Fox assets

As has been rumored in the press for a few weeks, today Comcast announced it is considering making a renewed bid for a large chunk of Twenty-First Century Fox’s (Fox) assets. Fox is in the process of a significant reorganization, entailing primarily the sale of its international and non-television assets. Fox itself will continue, but ... A preliminary assessment of the relative antitrust risk of a Comcast vs Disney purchase of 21st Century Fox assets

The Tariff Act is indeed protectionist — and that’s how Congress wants it

Although not always front page news, International Trade Commission (“ITC”) decisions can have major impacts on trade policy and antitrust law. Scott Kieff, a former ITC Commissioner, recently published a thoughtful analysis of Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Products — a potentially important ITC investigation that implicates the intersection of these two policy areas. Scott was ... The Tariff Act is indeed protectionist — and that’s how Congress wants it

The International Competition Network at Seventeen

Introduction Last week I attended the 17th Annual Conference of the International Competition Network (ICN) held in New Delhi, India from March 21-23.  The Delhi Conference highlighted the key role of the ICN in promoting global convergence toward “best practices” in substantive and procedural antitrust analysis by national antitrust (“competition”) agencies.  The ICN operates as ... The International Competition Network at Seventeen

Foreign Export Cartels, Comity, and the Separation of Powers

Over the last two decades, the United States government has taken the lead in convincing jurisdictions around the world to outlaw “hard core” cartel conduct.  Such cartel activity reduces economic welfare by artificially fixing prices and reducing the output of affected goods and services.  At the same, the United States has acted to promote international ... Foreign Export Cartels, Comity, and the Separation of Powers