Information Technology as a Challenge for EU Law Google - Abuse of Dominant Position within the EU Abstract Google is primarily an ad-centric platform-based ecosystem and its services are daily used by millions of consumers, many without any monetary compensation. However, despite this undeniable benefit, due to its anti-competitive conduct (abuse of its dominant position) within the EEA, the European Commission had to intervene and impose fines and remedies on Google in order to restore competition on the merits and cease further consumer harm. The objective of this thesis is to establish, whether it was the conduct of Google which caused consumer harm, in qualitative terms of diminishing consumer choice and stifling innovation, or whether it was the allegedly interventionist approach of the European Commission, established through the remedies stipulated in the analysed decisions, which caused it. To reach this objective, firstly, the economic realities of multisided platforms are explained in Chapter 1. Afterwards, in Chapter 2, the specification of consumer harm in the digital markets coupled with the factors which influence consumer harm are discussed. Then, in Chapters 3 to 5 three separate analyses of three separate decisions on Google's abuse of dominant position are presented - namely - Google...

Résumé The presented work addresses the issue of the double-tracking nature of a dominant position in European competition law. The aim of the integration efforts during the establishment of the EU was the creation of an internal market, especially the customs union. In order to achieve this state, it was necessary to take a number of integration measures and create a legal framework, i.e. conditions, under which economic competition in the internal market could operate effectively. In this context a variety of legislation valid for the whole EU territory has been accepted. However, in the context of the economic competition this work analyzes the legislation on market dominance carried out first in Article 102 of TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) prohibiting restrictive business practices in the form of abuse of a dominant position and also in Council Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89 and later in Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 regulating the control of concentrations between undertakings. In case of both the legislations the crucial question is the "dominant position" of an enterprise in the market, while Article 102 of TFEU represents the ex post control, i.e. applies only to the possible abuse of the dominant position, and in this sense the dominant position itself is not the...

Abuse of the Dominant Position by Prohibited Pricing Activities Abstract This thesis analyzes selected pricing practices of dominant undertakings namely predatory pricing, margin squeeze and excessive pricing. These practices may, under certain circumstances, constitute an abuse of the dominant position. The aim of the thesis is to focus on problematic aspects of each of these practices, on explanation of various legal and economic tests used to prove that certain pricing policy constitutes an abuse of dominant position and on the description of conditions that have to be met in order to consider such practice contrary to the competition law of the Czech Republic and the European Union. The thesis is composed of four chapters. In Chapter One a brief introduction to the competition law itself and to the analyzed matter is given. Chapter Two describes basic terminology used when dealing with cases of abuse of a dominant position such as basic legal concept of the abuse itself, definition of an undertaking and a competitor according to the EU law and the Czech law respectively, delimitation of a relevant market and finally definition of a dominant position. Chapter Three is oriented on the selected pricing practices of dominant undertakings. This Chapter is subdivided into three parts each of which is dealing...

Résumé The presented work addresses the issue of the double-tracking nature of a dominant position in European competition law. The aim of the integration efforts during the establishment of the EU was the creation of an internal market, especially the customs union. In order to achieve this state, it was necessary to take a number of integration measures and create a legal framework, i.e. conditions, under which economic competition in the internal market could operate effectively. In this context a variety of legislation valid for the whole EU territory has been accepted. However, in the context of the economic competition this work analyzes the legislation on market dominance carried out first in Article 102 of TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) prohibiting restrictive business practices in the form of abuse of a dominant position and also in Council Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89 and later in Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 regulating the control of concentrations between undertakings. In case of both the legislations the crucial question is the "dominant position" of an enterprise in the market, while Article 102 of TFEU represents the ex post control, i.e. applies only to the possible abuse of the dominant position, and in this sense the dominant position itself is not the...

I uppsatsen undersöks marknadsavgränsningen vid onlinetjänster vilket är ett ämne som uppmärksammats nyligen i ett avgörande från Marknadsdomstolen där inblandade parter var OnlinePizza och Pizza24, som båda är verksamma inom onlinebeställning av mat. Yrkandet kunde inte bifallas på grund av bristande bevisning från den yrkande parten. Författarna har diskuterat hur utfallet av domen kunde blivit om tillräcklig bevisning hade lagts fram.Med stöd av svensk och europeisk rätt samt relevant praxis diskuterar författarna framförallt angående begränsningen av den relevanta produktmarknaden vid onlinetjänster, särskilt för matbeställningar.Det går inte att dra slutsatser angående den relevanta produktmarknaden för onlinetjänster eftersom tjänsterna till en väldigt stor grad skiljer sig från varandra generellt i syfte och användning. Författarna har undersökt tjänsten onlinebeställning av mat och kommit fram till att den relevanta produktmarknaden bygger på tre grundpelare. Även om onlinetjänster oftast betraktas som geografiskt obegränsade spelar dock den geografiska marknaden roll vid fastställandet av den relevanta marknaden för olika onlinetjänster.

Šiame darbe analizuojamas Europos Bendrijos ir Lietuvos Respublikos konkurencijos teisės normų, reglamentuojančių piktnaudžiavimą dominuojančia padėtimi nustatant nesąžiningas kainas, taikymas. Analizuojama nesąžiningų kainų sąvoka, išskiriant pagrindines tokių kainų rūšis – nepagristai didelės kainos, „grobuoniškos” kainos, diskriminacinės kainos bei nesąžiningas nuolaidų taikymas. Darbe aptariama Europos Teisingumo teismo, Europos Komisijos bei Lietuvos Respublikos Konkurencijos Tarybos bei administracinių teismų praktika, nagrinėjant nesąžiningų kainų taikymo bylas ir pateikiamos pagrindinės taisyklės, pagal kurias nesąžiningas kainas galima atskirti nuo sąžiningų, taip pat trečiame šio darbo skyriuje įvardijamos pagrindinės šių taisyklių taikymo praktikoje problemos. Paskutiniame skyriuje apžvelgiama konkurencijos teisės normų, susijusių su nesąžiningomis kainomis, įgyvendinimas Lietuvoje po įstojimo į ES, analizuojama konkurencijos politikos įgyvendinimo efektyvumas, kokybė, pateikiami pagrindiniai sprendimai bei išaiškinimai, nustatant piktnaudžiavim�� dominuojančia padėtimi taikant nesąžiningas kainas. / This thesis was set out to analyse the application of competition law on unfair pricing related to the abuse of dominant positions in the European Community and the Republic of Lithuania. Firstly, the study gives a definition of unfair pricing and identifies four types of such pricing: excessive pricing, “predatory” pricing, discriminatory pricing and unfair discounts and rebates. Then, it overviews the practice of the European Court of Justice, the European Commission and the Competition Council and the administrative courts of the Republic of Lithuania in hearing cases on unfair pricing. The author then lists the fundamental rules that may help to distinguish between fair and unfair pricing. The third chapter indicates the main problems faced when applying these rules in practice. The last chapter gives an overview of the application of competition law on unfair pricing following Lithuania’s accession to the EU. The author also analyses the effectiveness and quality of the implementation of competition policy and presents the fundamental judgements on and interpretations of unfair pricing in relation to the abuse of dominant positions.

De tous les droits de propriété intellectuelle, le droit d’auteur était celui qui semblait le plus éloigné des préoccupations économiques des autorités de concurrence. Conçu à l’origine dans un souci de protection de la création littéraire et artistique, il apparaît aujourd’hui davantage comme un outil de puissance économique tourné vers la protection de l’investissement et, plus généralement, un vecteur de l’activité économique. C’est à ce titre que l’application des règles de concurrence à des pratiques mettant en cause l’exercice ou la gestion de droits d’auteur est désormais considérée comme incontournable. Cette application se doit cependant d’être mesurée. Elle bouscule parfois les principes de la propriété littéraire et artistique et conduit à s’interroger sur une définition plus appropriée des contours de la protection offerte par le droit d’auteur. En outre, la remise en cause, au nom du principe de libre concurrence, de pratiques par ailleurs conformes aux règles du droit d’auteur, n’est pas sans risque. Elle contribue à modeler les contours du droit d’auteur selon une conception propre au droit de la concurrence et peut tendre, parfois, vers un amenuisement des prérogatives des titulaires de droits ou un affaiblissement du niveau de leur protection. À terme, la création pourrait s’en trouver menacée. Il convient donc de rechercher, en toute hypothèse, un équilibre permettant de satisfaire aussi bien à l’exigence de concurrence sur les marchés qu’à l’impératif d’efficacité de la protection du droit d’auteur. / Among all intellectual property rights, copyright seemed to be initially far away from the economic concerns of competition authorities. Originally designed with a view to protecting literary and artistic creation, it now appears more as a tool of economic power turned to investment protection, and, more generally, as a vehicle of economic activity. As such, the application of competition rules to practices based on exercise or management of copyright is now regarded as unavoidable. However, such application must be performed with care and caution as it sometimes bumped into the principles of literary and artistic property and raises questions about a more appropriate definition of the protection offered by copyright. Moreover, the modification of practices complying with copyright rules, in the name of free competition, is not without risk. It leads to draw the outlines of copyright according to considerations designed for competition laws and can aim, sometimes, towards an erosion of the rights of copyright’s owners or a decline of their level of protection. Eventually, creation could be threatened. In any event, it is therefore essential to look for an equilibrium which would satisfy both the requirements and principles of free market competition and the necessity to effectively protect copyright.

Indecopi has within its functions the defense of free competition and the protection of intellectual property. This institutional design has the advantage of being able to see more clearly what are the points of convergence between the two subject-matter, harmonize them and achieve the goals they have in common. Within this convergence, there are sensitive issues as the granting of compulsory licenses. In this work, we highlight that compulsory licenses are exceptional measures and, to consider its granting, the State must have a procedure that provides confidence and predictability to citizens and clear definitions of what is meant by public interest, emergency and national security. Finally, it is proposed that the granting of compulsory licenses should be justified by a cost benefit analysis showing that is the best choice. / El Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual (IndecopI) tiene entre sus funciones tanto la defensa de la libre competencia como la protección de la propiedad intelectual. Este diseño institucional tiene la ventaja de permitir apreciar con mayor claridad cuáles son los puntos de convergencia entre ambas materias, armonizarlos y conseguir los objetivos que tienen en común. Dentro de esta convergencia, existen temas sensibles, como el otorgamiento de licencias obligatorias, por lo que en el presente trabajo se destaca su carácter de medida excepcional y se plantea que, para considerar su otorgamiento, el Estado debe contar con un procedimiento que brinde confianza y predictibilidad a la ciudadanía y con definiciones claras sobre qué debemos entender por interés público, emergencia y seguridad nacional. Finalmente, se propone que su otorgamiento tenga justificación en un análisis costo beneficio que arroje como resultado que, en efecto, era la opción más adecuada.

The aim of the diploma thesis is a comprehensive analysis of the concept of collective dominance, in particular with reference to the evaluation of its applicability and utility in practice. The first chapter deals with the main features of the oligopoly market and Czech and European legal provisions on the abuse of a dominant position and mergers within which it has evolved. On base of the analysis of Court of Justice and General Court judgements the second chapter explains the notion of the collective dominance and examines the obligatory conditions of the collective dominance, as well as the factors which influence these conditions. The third chapter concerns the concept of collective dominance with regard to competition law taxonomy. It compares not only the test of collective dominance applied pursuant to the article 102 TFEU with the test applied according to the Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings, but also the concept of collective dominance with the agreements pursuant to the article 101 TFEU. It also deals with abusive practices typical for oligopolies. Beside the explanation of the UK legislation the last two chapters illustrate decisions of competition authorities in the Czech Republic and in the United Kingdom and analyse and compare them. The diploma thesis is concluded by the analysis of main shortcomings of the concept of collective dominance and the evaluation of actual state of the examined topic with the aim to abstractly summarize knowledge gained through the thesis.

Access to big data under the "refusal to supply" case-law of the Court of Justice of the EU Abstract This thesis deals with the topic of access to the so-called big data from the perspective of EU competition law. The thesis deals with the question whether and if so, to what extent it is possible to use the so-called "refusal to supply" case-law created by the Court of Justice of the EU to gain access to big data held by a dominant undertaking. The thesis finds that, under certain conditions, it is possible for all necessary steps to be fulfilled to allow one undertaking to request access from a dominant undertaking to big data under the control of that undertaking. This thesis therefore firstly discusses what factors affect the so-called online platforms, which can often find themselves in the position of dominant undertakings in terms of access to big data. The thesis analyses the effects of the so-called network effects, the impact of data analysis on their efficiency and the issue of the so-called multi-sided markets in connection with the position of online platforms. Subsequently, an assessment of the individual steps which, in summary, lead to the classification of the behavior of a dominant undertaking as an abuse of its dominant position by refusing access to big data is conducted. From the point...