Contracts between suppliers and distributors that actively prevent consumers from buying goods and digital content online across the European Union’s borders could face closer antitrust inspection, the bloc’s competition watchdog said Friday.
The European Commission, the bloc’s antitrust authority, released the first findings of its probe into the e-commerce sector with a paper that focused on geo-blocking, a practice to discriminate via price or the range of goods a company offers based on a customer’s location. The EU said geo-blocking was “widespread” in Europe.
The EU announced last March it would open a sweeping investigation into the e-commerce sector to establish whether some firms are raising contractual or other barriers to limit how consumers can shop online across national borders inside the EU.
The EU’s antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager has said she may open antitrust cases into individual companies based on the findings, especially where they are suspected of abusing their dominant market position to restrict trade, in violation of EU law.
On Friday, she noted that some of the geo-blocking activity resulted from restrictions in agreements between suppliers and distributors.
“Where geo-blocking occurs due to agreements, we need to take a close look whether there is anti-competitive behavior, which can be addressed by EU competition tools,” she said.
As part of the investigation, the EU has questioned online marketplaces; Internet streaming services; content producers; manufacturers that sell goods online; as well as broadcasters. It has received replies from more than 1,400 companies across the bloc’s 28 countries.
Full Content: The Wall Street Journal
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
University of Kentucky Eyes Structural Shift Amid Antitrust Pressures
Apr 24, 2025 by
CPI
Opt-Out Flops Out At WIPO Meeting on AI and IP
Apr 24, 2025 by
CPI
Belgian Watchdog Fines Pharma Giants Over Anti-Competitive Practices in Pharmacies
Apr 24, 2025 by
CPI
X Sues Minnesota Over Law Banning AI Deepfakes in Elections
Apr 24, 2025 by
CPI
Twelve States Sue Trump Over Tariff Policy, Citing Overreach of Executive Power
Apr 24, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Mergers in Digital Markets
Apr 21, 2025 by
CPI
Catching a Killer? Six “Genetic Markers” to Assess Nascent Competitor Acquisitions
Apr 21, 2025 by
John Taladay & Christine Ryu-Naya
Digital Decoded: Is There More Scope for Digital Mergers In 2025?
Apr 21, 2025 by
Colin Raftery, Michele Davis, Sarah Jensen & Martin Dickson
AI In the Mix – An Ever-Evolving Approach to Jurisdiction Over Digital Mergers in Europe
Apr 21, 2025 by
Ingrid Vandenborre & Ketevan Zukakishvili
Antitrust Enforcement Errors Due to a Failure to Understand Organizational Capabilities and Dynamic Competition
Apr 21, 2025 by
Magdalena Kuyterink & David J. Teece