Does EU Merger Control Discriminate against Small Market Companies?

Does EU Merger Control Discriminate against Small Market Companies? PDF

Author: Mika Oinonen

Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.

Published: 2010-07-20

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 9041142355

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Although the question posed by the title of this book has generated considerable debate, the essential issue remains open and largely blurred. While some believe that there is no so-called ‘small market problem’, others discern discrimination against small market companies (i.e., companies with a strong position in their home markets but a modest position in the European and global markets) and a consequent need for changes in competition law. The author of this enormously helpful work here sets the stage for meaningful discussion by analysing the EC Merger Regulation’s objectives, economic foundations, and application practice to present a reasoned view of the issues that can be considered relevant for such a discussion. Considering their effect on the ’small market problem’, the author scrutinizes such factors as the following: the Commission’s methodology for delineating relevant markets in merger assessments; unnecessary prohibition caused by overestimation of the market power of small market mergers; erroneous approval of cases that should actually be prohibited; impact of the so-called ‘Harvard’ and ‘Chicago’ schools of competition theory and their key policy implications; process-related alternative views of competition and new synthesizing approaches; relevant criteria for a proper analysis of market power; concentration measures and market shares; barriers to entry; price and profitability analyses; and product definition v. geographic definition of markets. In a final chapter, the author presents some tentative conclusions, normative in nature, concerning the problem and the relevant issues relating to it. As the first in-depth analysis of the issues that are actually involved – with its particular diagnosis of the assessment of market power in considering the relevant issues for the problem – this study brings into salience the terms of the debate on the ‘problem’, and thus takes a giant step forward towards defining what needs to be done. Competition lawyers, policymakers, and academics in Europe and elsewhere will find the discussion of great value.

The EU Merger Regulation

The EU Merger Regulation PDF

Author: Alistair Lindsay

Publisher: Sweet & Maxwell

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 849

ISBN-13: 041404844X

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This is the 4th edition of The EC Merger Regulation - a detailed guide to the method of merger control in the European Union. Fully revised for 2012, this comprehensive text describes how the European Commission determines approval of a notified merger, thereby providing information and techniques to complete merger deals successfully for companies operating in the European Union

Does EU Merger Control Discriminate Against Small Market Companies?

Does EU Merger Control Discriminate Against Small Market Companies? PDF

Author: Mika Oinonen

Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.

Published: 2010-01-01

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 9041132619

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Although the question posed by the title of this book has generated considerable debate, the essential issue remains open and largely blurred. While some believe that there is no so-called 'small market problem', others discern discrimination against small market companies (i.e., companies with a strong position in their home markets but a modest position in the European and global markets) and a consequent need for changes in competition law. The author of this enormously helpful work here sets the stage for meaningful discussion by analysing the EC Merger Regulation's objectives, economic foundations, and application practice to present a reasoned view of the issues that can be considered relevant for such a discussion. Considering their effect on the 'small market problem', the author scrutinizes such factors as the following: the Commission's methodology for delineating relevant markets in merger assessments; unnecessary prohibition caused by overestimation of the market power of small market mergers; erroneous approval of cases that should actually be prohibited; impact of the so-called 'Harvard' and 'Chicago' schools of competition theory and their key policy implications; process-related alternative views of competition and new synthesizing approaches; relevant criteria for a proper analysis of market power; concentration measures and market shares; barriers to entry; price and profitability analyses; and product definition v. geographic definition of markets. In a final chapter, the author presents some tentative conclusions, normative in nature, concerning the problem and the relevant issues relating to it. As the first in-depth analysis of the issues that are actually involved - with its particular diagnosis of the assessment of market power in considering the relevant issues for the problem - this study brings into salience the terms of the debate on the 'problem', and thus takes a giant step forward towards defining what needs to be done. Competition lawyers, policymakers, and academics in Europe and elsewhere will find the discussion of great value.

European Merger Control

European Merger Control PDF

Author: Catalin Stefan Rusu

Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.

Published: 2010-09-17

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 9041142436

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Twenty years of experience have inevitably brought to light challenges and tensions in the enforcement of the European merger control system. Some of these challenges have been faced, some have been solved and some remain latent. This very valuable study starts from the proposition that the EU has never fully acknowledged those fundamental challenges which relate to the rationale behind merger control in Europe. The author shows how the Commission’s focus on adapting the rules of merger control to the economic realities of the future business environment, although designed with a view to facilitating European integration, has compromised attainment of legal certainty, transparency and welfare enhancement. In its detailed evaluation of the ‘future market structure prediction process’ embedded in European merger control policy, this book approaches two rock-bottom, far-reaching questions: In what ways does merger control promote consumer and societal welfare? Is the Commission able to correctly predict the outcome of any given concentration transaction? These considerations take the reader through a deep and searching analysis that calls into question the very credibility and transparency of the system, leading to alternatives which promise a new clarity of purpose and procedure. The author describes how these recommendations can be integrated into the functioning framework of the European project. Taken fully into account along the way is a wide spectrum of relevant source material, including the following: applicable articles and chapters of the founding and subsequent European Treaties; secondary European legislation concerning competition and merger activity; domestic competition laws; guidelines, notices and action plans; competition law reviews, statements of intentions; draft legislative attempts; speeches on the enactment and purpose of merger control; Member States’ views concerning European merger control as expressed during Council negotiations; officially available concentration-related statistics; and a wide-ranging literature review covering both the legal and economic sides of merger control. Throughout, the author substantiates theoretical assertions with case law examples, clearly exposing doctrines arising from such cases as Continental Can, Phillip Morris/Rothmans and the Airtours, Schneider and Tetra Laval trilogy. A unique feature of the analysis draws on the author’s personal experience while working for a Brussels competition law firm. This book is a remarkable compound of academic guide to the roots and rationales of the European Merger Control System, practical guide to the day-to-day intricacies of merger control enforcement, and ‘raw’ guide for decision makers and merger control law enforcers. It will be of immense value in all three contexts.

Promoting Competition in Innovation Through Merger Control in the ICT Sector

Promoting Competition in Innovation Through Merger Control in the ICT Sector PDF

Author: Kalpana Tyagi

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-06-21

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 366258784X

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This book addresses the question of how competition authorities assess mergers in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector so as to promote competition in innovation. A closer look at the question reveals that it is far more complex and difficult to answer for the ICT, telecommunications and multi-sided platform (MSP) economy than for more traditional sectors of the economy. This has led many scholars to re-think and question whether the current merger control framework is suitable for the ICT sector, which is often also referred to as the new economy. The book pursues an interdisciplinary approach combining insights from law, economics and corporate strategy. Further, it has a comparative dimension, as it discusses the practices of the US, the EU and, wherever relevant, of other competition authorities from around the globe. Considering that the research was conducted in the EU, the practices of the European Commission remain a key aspect of the content.Considering its normative dimension, the book concentrates on the substantive aspects of merger control. To facilitate a better understanding of the most important points, the book also offers a brief overview of the procedural aspects of merger control in the EU, the US and the UK, and discusses recent amendments to Austrian and German law regarding the notification threshold. Given its scope, the book offers an invaluable guide for competition law scholars, practitioners in the field, and competition authorities worldwide.

Merger Control in the EU and Turkey

Merger Control in the EU and Turkey PDF

Author: Fevzi Toksoy

Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.

Published: 2022-05-11

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9403543043

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As a country on the way to integration with the European Union (EU), Turkey has been following EU principles in establishing and improving its merger control regime, as well as overall competition law, keeping pace with changes in relevant EU legislation and case law. This book presents, for the first time, a description and analysis of the relationship between the EU and Turkish merger control law and practice. The second edition of the book considers the legislative changes that occurred in 2020-2021, including the reform of the Turkish Competition Law which introduced the significant impediment to effective competition (SIEC) test into the Turkish concentration control. The authors—all three, both practicing lawyers and academicians in Turkey—focus on comparing substantive, procedural and jurisdictional issues and draw parallels on their regulation in the two jurisdictions. These matters include the following: determining whether a transaction shall be regarded as a notifiable merger, hence be subject to control; financial thresholds used for allocating jurisdictions; extraterritoriality of merger control; relationship between the SIEC test and the dominance test; determination of the relevant market; techniques used for assessment of horizontal and non-horizontal mergers; notification requirements; procedural duties of competition authorities in relation to remedies; third-party rights; gun-jumping fines and other sanctions for failure to comply with merger control requirements; and peculiarities of assessment of mergers in the Big Data world. Each chapter provides an overview of the respective issues in the EU and Turkey, projecting a clear understanding of the main similarities and differences in the two regimes. A notable feature is an in-depth analysis of applicable case law concerning each issue, with most of the Turkish decisions available in English for the first time. The book’s comparative approach will prove to be of great value. With its clear answers to questions about what transactions are subject to merger control, what criteria are used in assessing those transactions, and the main issues that a foreign company should be aware of while merging with another foreign company with effect in Turkey and/or EU, the book will be of immeasurable value for lawyers and their business clients dealing with multijurisdictional merger cases. Interested academics and policymakers will also find much here to attract their attention.

Trademarks and Brands in Merger Control

Trademarks and Brands in Merger Control PDF

Author: Damiano Canapa

Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.

Published: 2016-06-23

Total Pages: 402

ISBN-13: 9041167188

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The role of intellectual property rights in merger control procedures has not received the attention it warrants. Most research has focused on the assessment of intellectual property rights in anticompetitive conducts rather than on how a firm can monopolise a market by accumulating such assets. This is despite the fact that access to such assets, whether used or unused, is often a key factor, if not the only one, motivating mergers. This book, the first to address trademarks and brands from the perspective of merger control procedure, studies the legal issues of the topic. It provides a comprehensive response to the question of how European and Swiss competition authorities should consider trademarks and brands when assessing a merger. The author's thorough and critical approach addresses topics such as: - the in-depth assessment of the legal and economic foundations of both trademarks and brands, and merger control; - why trademarks and brands may be relevant to the assessment of mergers, including the distinction between trademarks and brands, the origin of the brands' strength according to marketing sciences, and how and why brands may provide market power to their holder; - the conditions under which the assignment or licence of a trademark may qualify as a concentration under the definition of the European Union Merger Regulation or of the Swiss Cartel Act; - the role played by trademarks and brands in the substantive assessment of a merger, including the definition of the relevant markets, different types of mergers, and the invocation of the failing firm defence; - the provision of detailed guidelines describing the possible influence of trademarks and brands on the outcome of the merger assessment; and - the importance of trademarks and brands in the design and assessment of remedies. At every stage of the study, special attention is given to the decisions of both the European Commission and the Swiss Competition Commission. As the first detailed analysis of the role of trademarks and brands in the assessment of mergers, this book constitutes a deep and illuminating answer to the uncertainties regarding the outcomes of the assessment of mergers that derive from the 'more economic approach' prevailing in European Union Law. It cannot fail but capture the interest of practitioners, businesspeople and academics whose work involves competition and intellectual property.

Merger Control Regimes in Emerging Economies

Merger Control Regimes in Emerging Economies PDF

Author: Marco Botta

Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 442

ISBN-13: 9041134026

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When emerging economies draft competition law and begin to enforce it, they usually draw on the EU and US competition law systems. However, significant country-specific legal and practical variations tend to arise quickly, making it imperative for international business lawyers to acquire more than a passing knowledge of competition legislation and relevant case law in these countries. Now for the first time a thoroughly researched book provides an in-depth empirical analysis of the legal problems raised for competition, and especially for merger control and its enforcement, in emerging economies, using a case study approach in the Brazilian and Argentinean contexts to reveal paradigmatic trends. Brazil and Argentina are chosen not only because they are among the major trading jurisdictions in the developing world, but also because they have each established a track record of over a decade in formulating and enforcing a system of merger control. The author describes and analyses all Brazilian and Argentinean legislation in the field of competition law, as well as the main merger decisions adopted by the competition authorities and the judgements held by the courts of these countries. The book thoroughly covers the system of competition law currently enforced in each country, as well as the main innovations of proposed new competition law currently pending in Brazil. In addition, the author draws on field interviews with competition lawyers and officers of competition authorities conducted between April and July 2008 in Buenos Aires, Brasilia, and São Paulo. The analysis considers such issues as the following: y impact of M & As on the level of competition in the markets of developing countries; y enforcement of competition law and the judiciary; y criteria for notification of economic concentrations; y application of econometric tests to define the relevant market and the degree of market concentration.

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