Guidance to Business on Monopolisation and Abuse of Dominance

The OECD published an interesting piece of work on monopolisation: Guidance to Business on Monopolisation and Abuse of Dominance. Interestingly there are only limited number of countries that have made contributions, and Hungary is not within them, although usually it is.

Abstratct: This Working Party 3 roundtable focused on how competition authorities can provide businesses with effective guidance on monopolization and abuse of dominance. While some uncertainty over the reach of rules prohibiting anticompetitive unilateral conduct is inevitable, authorities responsible for the enforcement of antitrust laws must strive to provide as much transparency as possible as to their enforcement policies so that businesses can plan and invest with some predictability. Uncertainty as to the reach of unilateral conduct rules may induce companies to refrain from business practices which are lawful and competitively neutral (if not pro-competitive). 

“Better than 24…” – a source from Brussels

A friend of mine sent me the link below with the commet: “Supposedly better than 24.” The action starts around 6:45.

 

They shoud have made an English version also. Nevertheless see also:

The Use of Settlements in Public Antitrust Enforcement: Objectives and Principles

Professor Wouter held recently a wonderful lunchtime lecture at the Competition Law Research Centre. Now a paper was published on “The Use of Settlements in Public Antitrust Enforcement: Objectives and Principles” (World Competition: Law and Economics Review, Vol. 31, No. 3, 2008 Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1135627)

Abstract:     
This paper discusses two general questions concerning the use of settlements in public antitrust enforcement, namely under which conditions the use of settlements contributes to optimal antitrust enforcement, and under which conditions self-incrimination and waivers of procedural rights by settlement candidates are compatible with fundamental rights of defence. The discussion of these general questions will be illustrated with the specific example of the two settlement procedures for the enforcement by the European Commission of the antitrust prohibitions contained in Articles 81 and 82 EC, namely the commitment procedure under Article 9 of Regulation 1/2003, and the proposed new settlement procedure in cartel cases.

Reminder – Wouter Wils lecture

We are honoured to welcome Professor Wouter Wils, who will give a lunchtime lecture on 13 May 2008 at the Competition Law Research Centre, with the support of the Centre for Competition Culture, Office of Economic Competition. The event is co-organised by the Hungarian Competition Law Association.

See more here.

Competition Policy International

As already noted a few days ago, the OFT just published a paper on consumer protection and competition policy. The new issue of Competition Policy International also has some articles on the issue. As far as I remember CPI as free until recently. It is a pity that now you have to pay for access, but I also have to note that the subscription fee is not too high.

From the last issue:

Consumer Protection Policies, Economics, and Interactions with Competition Policy
by Paul Pautler (Federal Trade Commission)
Interactions between Competition and Consumer Policy
by Mark Armstrong (University College London)
Consumer Protection and Behavioral Economics: To BE or Not to BE?
by Howard Beales (George Washington University)
Regulation of Information and Advertising
by Paul Rubin (Emory University)
Unfair Commercial Practices and Misleading and Comparative Advertising: An Analysis of the Harmonization of EU Legislation in View of the Italian Implementation of the Rules
by Claudio Tesauro (Bonelli Erede Pappalardo) & Francesco Russo (Amsterdam Center for Law and Economics)