Following an investigation opened in April 2018, the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) has issued a £3.7m fine against Casio Electronics for pressuring retailers to sell its digital pianos and keyboards at high minimum prices. The practice, known as Resale Price Maintenance, or “RPM”, is against competition law, The fine is the highest the CMA…
The blurring lines of data controllers: a case for joint responsibility of website operators and social media giants In recent days, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the “CJEU”) ruled on a crucial matter regarding the privacy-compliant integration of a Facebook ‘Like‘ Button by Fashion ID, a German website operator (C-40/17). In a…
The European Commission has announced a formal investigation into Broadcom, a US chipmaker, regarding alleged abuse of a dominant position in the markets for modem and television chipsets. In doing so, the European Commission has indicated that it intends to impose interim measures to restrain any exclusionary practices the chipmaker may be engaging in. This…
The battle of the tech titans continues as Google launches a new shopping service in the US which provides users with product suggestions based on their internet search history. Reported to be a move to tackle the rise of Amazon in product search and associated advertising revenues, it will be interesting to see whether the…
Ofcom has announced a £1.4 million fine against mobile provider Giffgaff. This follows an Ofcom investigation in which Giffgaff was found to have overcharged millions of customers due to an error in its billing system. In total, customers are said to have been overcharged almost £2.9 million. Ofcom’s press release can be found here. Please…
The US Department of Justice has announced that it will be reviewing the practices employed by market-leading online platforms in terms of whether they create or maintain structural impediments to competition in the market. The announcement follows the launch of similar antitrust investigations by regulators around the world, targeting online platform giants such as Google…
The UK Government has issued a consultation on its plans to implement the European Electronic Communications Code (the “EECC”). The EECC is an EU Directive reforming the EU regulatory framework for telecommunications with the aim of encouraging more investment in telecommunications infrastructure. Despite the ongoing Brexit process, under current timeframes the UK will still be…
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) has opened an investigation into the proposed private equity consortium takeover of Inmarsat. Inmarsat is the UK headquartered leading global mobile satellite communications provider of connectivity to ships, aircraft, and generally to locations not covered by traditional mobile networks. Moreover, it is reported that the CMA has also…
The EU has rejected a range of proposed standards for internet-connected cars, citing legal reasons. Despite speculation, the EU Transport Commissioner, Violeta Bulc, has indicated that the decision to block the proposed standards was not linked to calls for the standard to allow use of cellular technology, in particular 5G, as well as WiFi. Car…
The European Commission has fined US chipmaker Qualcomm €242 million for abuse of market dominance in 3G baseband chipsets. The chipsets are a key component which enable smartphones and computer tablets to connect to the internet via 3G. The European Commission has found that company engaged in predatory pricing, “with the intention of eliminating a…
