Tag Archives: Competition Policy

Facebook: abuso di posizione dominante per violazione della privacy degli utenti

Entro un anno, gli utenti tedeschi di Facebook potranno decidere se permettere o meno che il social network combini i dati che essi generano all’interno della piattaforma con quelli generati usando Whatsapp, Instagram o quei siti terzi che utilizzano i tasti di condivisione o usano gli strumenti di analisi creati da Facebook. Facebook ha giàContinue reading “Facebook: abuso di posizione dominante per violazione della privacy degli utenti”

Open Standards to Boost the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) integrates the physical world into a computer-based system to allow objects to collect and exchange data. This inter-networking should bring improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefits. However, many of the benefits of the IoT will occur only as a result of a widespread approach, sharing of data across the valueContinue reading “Open Standards to Boost the Internet of Things”

Vertical mergers are not necessarily competition law friendly

The vertical integration of producers of complementary products or services results in no loss of direct competition as they operate at different levels of the supply chain. On the one hand, vertical mergers are likely to produce efficiency gains because they give rise to a direct incentive to reduce prices and/or improve quality. On theContinue reading “Vertical mergers are not necessarily competition law friendly”

Is economics helpful when it comes to cartels?

Economics implies that cartels are inherently unstable and so should be short-lived because they price above the Nash equilibrium. However, the evidence is cartels are often long-lived. When players interact for an infinite number of times, as do firms in real markets, they can escape the short-run Nash equilibrium of the Prisoner Dilemma. In theContinue reading “Is economics helpful when it comes to cartels?”

When the market definition/market share approach does not work to assess market power

Traditionally, competition authorities start their assessment by identifying the competitive scene, i.e. the relevant market, which includes the firm’s product and potential substitutes. They then calculate market shares to decide whether the firm(s) under scrutiny has enough market power to benefit from the adoption of an anticompetitive strategy.  However, when market shares are not aContinue reading “When the market definition/market share approach does not work to assess market power”