Margrethe Vestager announced a new methoc for the EU’s competition enforcer to crack down on technology groups by dusting off a powerful weapon, reported the Financial Times.
The investigation unveiled on Wednesday, June 26, by Ms Vestager into US chip manufacturer Broadcom seeks to overcome what she has come to see as one of the major challenges to competition policy in fast-moving technological markets, the years that can pass before an antitrust measure can be implemented. In the intervening period, the dominance of a deep-pocketed company over its rivals can be cemented, regardless of the outcome of a case.
“The technology cases the European Commission has recently pursued have all been for naught, as the decisions have come too late to have any real effect in the market,” said Thomas Vinje of Clifford Chance, who represented complainants in a case against Google for illegally favoring its shopping service, and also worked with Spotify in its recent complaint against Apple for allegedly abusing its power over the App Store to give Apple Music an advantage.
Ms Vestager is seeking to use interim measures “to order Broadcom to halt its behaviour while our investigation proceeds, to avoid any risk of serious and irreparable harm to competition.”
Interim measures were first established in EU competition law in 1980. But they have remained dormant since 2001, when a European court set a high legal threshold for their use. Now, however, Ms Vestager is building on similar efforts made by French competition authorities in some domestic antitrust cases.
“If this [EU] test case works, then we can expect a number of future unilateral conduct investigations in digital and high-tech sectors to incorporate interim measures,” said Ioannis Kokkoris, antitrust expert and professor of law and economics at Queen Mary University of London.
Full Content: Financial Times
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
T-Mobile’s Acquisition of Ka’ena Corporation Receives FCC Approval
Apr 26, 2024 by
CPI
UK Regulator Announces Two New Senior Executive Appointments
Apr 26, 2024 by
CPI
Paramount Global and Skydance Media Near Merger Deal, Eyeing CEO Change
Apr 26, 2024 by
CPI
BHP Unveils £31bn Mining Megamerger Proposal with Anglo American
Apr 25, 2024 by
nhoch@pymnts.com
ByteDance Prefers Shutdown Over Sale of TikTok Amid US Ban Threats
Apr 25, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI