It has been reported today that the UK Government sees free-to-use digital services as raising antitrust issues.
In a response to a House of Lords Select Committee on Communications inquiry, UK advertising in a digital age, the Government indicates that “digital services – particularly those that are free-to-use and funded by advertising – pose challenges to our existing competition frameworks.”
As a result, the UK’s competition tools in the context of digital markets will be reviewed as part of an overall review of competition law, which will be completed by April 2019.
The issues that digital platforms raise in terms of antitrust enforcement have been highlighted in Technopoly, a report co-authored by Preiskel & Co Partner, Tim Cowen, which calls for reform to competition law to ensure effective enforcement in digital markets.
Please contact Tim Cowen if you have any questions regarding the above, or competition law more generally.