Competition on the Internet

Undeniably widespread and powerful as it is, the Internet is not beyond control: it can reach as high as the sky (cloud computing), but it cannot escape competition. Yet, protecting competition in the "network of networks" is not without challenges: not only are competitive processes in platform-based industries complex, so is competition law analysis. The latter is often confronted with the difficulties in predicting the outcome of competition, in particular in terms of innovation. Do the specific competition law issues in a digital environment presuppose a reconsideration of competition law concepts and their application? Can current competition law tools be adjusted to the rush pace of dynamic industries? To what extent could and should competition law be supplemented by regulation? This book provides an analysis of recent developments in the most relevant competition law cases in a digital environment on both sides of the Atlantic (the EU and the US) and assesses platform competition issues from a legal as well as an economic point of view.

Résumé

Undeniably widespread and powerful as it is, the Internet is not almighty: it can reach as high as the skies (cloud computing), but it cannot escape competition. Yet, safeguarding competition in the network of networks is not without challenges: not only are competitive processes in platform-based industries complex, so is competition law analysis. The latter is often challenged by the difficulties in predicting the outcome of competition, in particular in terms of innovation. Do the specific competition law issues in a digital environment presuppose a reconsideration of competition law concepts and their application? Can current competition law tools be adjusted to the rush pace of dynamic industries? To what extent could competition law be supplemented by regulation is the latter a foe or rather an ally? This book provides an analysis of recent developments in the most relevant competition law cases in a digital environment on both sides of the Atlantic (the EU and theUS) and assesses platform competition issues from a legal as well as an economic point of view.

Contenu

Introductory remarks by Gintar Surblyt.- Selective Distribution and the Internet Lessons from Case C-439/09 Pierre Fabre Dermo-Cosmétique (13 October 2011)by Stefan Enchelmaier.- Internet Competition and E-books: Challenging the Competition Policy Acquis? by Simonetta Vezzoso.- A Note on Price Parity Clauses in Platform Markets by Sebastian Wismer.- FTC v. Google: The Enforcement of Antitrust Law in Online Markets by Ronny Hauck.- A Legal Framework for the Assessment of Discriminatory Behaviour in the ICT Sector by Pablo Ibáñez Colomo.- Competition Concerns in Multi-sided Markets in Mobile Communication by Severin Frank.- The more technological approach Competition law in the digital economy by Rupprecht Podszun.