The European Commission has been conducting thorough investigations into the state aid measures provided to Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Air France-KLM Group to ensure their compliance with EU State aid rules
Antitrust & Competition Law
Another EU Antitrust Action Against Microsoft: A New Chapter in a Longstanding Saga
This move marks the latest development in the EU’s ongoing scrutiny of Microsoft’s market practices, particularly concerning its software bundling strategies, one which has ongoing for the better part of two decades.
The Evolution of EU Antitrust Law: Emerging Trends and Challenges
The European Union (EU) antitrust enforcement landscape is experiencing unprecedented changes, largely shaped by volatile geopolitical and economic circumstances and by recent influential case law.
Disclosure of information compiled ex novo permissible, subject to proportionality by national courts
The case originated from a 2016 Commission Decision, where the Commission found continuous infringement of Article 101 TFEU by 15 international truck manufacturers, with most infringements taking place between January 1997 and January 2011.
Amazon hoping for an agreement to stop competition law investigations
The e-commerce giant could potentially be imposed some significant fines reaching in the billions of euros, in violation of EU competition law rules, unless they can strike a deal with the Commission.
Dedicated buttons on TV remotes – a challenge to cultural sovereignty?
“If there is a button for an American platform, there must be a button for a French platform.”
Everything from the pig goes…except cartels!
Fake notebooks, clandestine meetings, secret phone calls, destroyed documents, the list goes on and on. About fifty companies were ultimately targeted by the twenty-three months of investigation.
Reflecting on EU state aid measures during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Commissioner for Competition has been active in approving state aid measures in order to benefit the affected businesses as quickly as possible.
Employee data rights reaffirmed in various settings
Two interesting data protection developments were concluded on the first week of October, with the Court clarifying elements of the Commission investigation procedure into anticompetitive activities and a hefty fine for a H&M subsidiary for data collection
Amazon under scrutiny by German competition authorities
The investigation looks into whether Amazon’s practices during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic towards third-party marketplace sellers could amount to an abuse of a dominant position.