Dear Readers, It has been fifteen years since Rochet & Tirole published their influential article Platform Competition in Two-Sided Markets. The September 2018 CPI Antitrust Chronicle features articles on today’s debates related to Platform Competition. We are delighted to open the September Chronicle with an interview with Thomas Kramler, Head of the Digital Single Market […]
…with Thomas Kramler In the month’s edition of CPI Talks… we have the pleasure of speaking with Thomas Kramler. Mr. Kramler is Head of the Digital Single Market Task Force in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition. Mr. Kramler addresses questions related to the digital economy, how well do existing competition rules work in […]
By Hugh Mullan & Natalie Timan – There are numerous examples of digital platforms with market power. There have been calls to regulate these platforms. This article explores an alternative way of tempering any significant market power by changing the relative bargaining strength of the platform vis-à-vis its customers. The bargaining strength of any customer […]
By Benjamin Edelman & Damien Geradin – Many of the largest and most successful businesses today rely on providing service at no charge to at least a portion of their users. Free services often delight users, yet also create a series of challenges for competition policy, including impeding entry, inviting overproduction on quality, and increasing […]
By Henry Ergas, Jonathan Pincus & Sabine Schnittger – The advent of the Internet and of new Internet-based platforms and social networks has profoundly changed the competitive landscape for traditional publishers of “public interest journalism” or, more generally, quality journalism. Consumers now have access to virtually unlimited online content, of which quality journalism is one […]
By Caron Beaton-Wells – Are the goals of competition and privacy in alignment or in conflict? The antitrust-privacy interface is the subject of much academic and policy debate, particularly in the context of digital platforms. This article maps the contours and underlying values of two models for managing the interface, one of policy consistency (as […]
By Konstantinos Stylianou – Twenty years after the emergence of platform literature antitrust courts and authorities still face formidable challenges in deciphering platform business models. The latest two Google cases (Google Search, Google Android) highlight the schism between what firms consider an innovative business plan and what the law is ready to accept. Noting the […]
By Renato Nazzini – This article asks the question as to whether existing antitrust tools are suitable for dealing with perceived antitrust concerns raised by online platforms by focusing on three examples: (1) market definition and market shares; (2) barriers to entry; and (3) the role of innovation as a safe harbor or as a […]
By Lapo Filistrucchi – In his dissenting opinion in Ohio et al. vs American Express, Justice Breyer seems to call for a clarification, from Filistrucchi et al. (2014) on the distinction between products sold by two-sided platforms and complementary products. The question however has been lingering also in economic circles. In fact, it has often […]
Dear Readers, The August 2018 CPI Antitrust Chronicle features articles on a topic that has been all over the news recently: vertical mergers. The recent District Court decision in the AT&T/Time Warner merger has opened a Pandora’s Box of antitrust discussions. This seems understandable seeing that the case is the first government action to block […]