13 November 2019
Five years of the Competition Damages Directive: The first rulings from the European Court of Justice
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2019/global/five-years-of-the-competition-damaged-directive

November 2019 marks the 5th anniversary of the adoption of the EU Competition Damages Directive. We lead with an analysis of the two judgments of the European Court of Justice to date that address this Directive.

16 November 2020
The FCA rejects Sony’s commitments in an abuse of dominance case
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/france/the-fca-rejects-sonys-commitments-in-an-abuse-of-dominance-case

2020 proves to be a busy year for the French Competition Authority (FCA) as far as tech giants are concerned. After Google and Apple, it's now Sony's turn to be under the FCA’s spotlight. While the Japanese company is ...

23 December 2020
European Commission publishes sweeping new rulebook for online platforms offering services in Europe
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/global/european-commission-publishes-sweeping-new-rulebook-for-online-platforms-offering-services-in-europe

In a bid to achieve "technological sovereignty", the European Commission has unveiled a wide-ranging package of proposals that will provide a new rulebook for online platforms offering goods and services in Europe.

16 February 2021
Video games sector hit with anti-trust fine for geo-blocking practices
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2021/global/video-games-sector-hit-with-anti-trust-fine-for-geo-blocking-practices

One of the final cases resulting from the European Commission's e-commerce sector enquiry has come to a conclusion. On 20 January 2021, the Directorate-General for Competition fined Valve Corporation, owner of the Steam ...

06 April 2020
Tightening the enforcement belt – the Special Advisors, Self preferencing, Google Shopping and the General Court
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/global/tightening-the-enforcement-belt

The Commission is testing the fitness of the competition regime, we assess the merits of its approach by reference to Google Shopping and the appeal which will be determinative.

20 January 2021
“Big Tech” under pressure - new Rules for Digital Platforms in the EU and UK
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2021/global/big-tech-under-pressure

The EU and UK have published ground-breaking proposals which threaten to revolutionise the governance of digital platforms. The regime will apply to “Big Tech” and will establish new rules of the game and be backed up ...

12 June 2019
EU Regulatory Initiatives and Competition Policy in the Digital Era: What has been completed and what to expect in the next mandate
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2019/global/eu-regulatory-initiatives-and-competition-policy-in-the-digital-era

This International Bar Association paper prepared under the leadership of Bird & Bird experts Hein Hobbelen, Francine Cunningham & Baptist Vleeshouwers, takes stock of EU Digital Single Market initiatives and ...

01 August 2019
ACCC publishes Digital Platforms Inquiry Final Report
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2019/global/accc-publishes-digital-platforms-inquiry-final-report

On Friday, Australia's competition regulator, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), released its final report in the landmark Digital Platforms Inquiry (Inquiry).

12 October 2020
The future of the VBER
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/uk/the-future-of-the-vber

The current VBER has been in force since 2010. Since then, the commercial landscape has changed dramatically. The Commission published its evaluation of the VBER on 8 September 2020. This article looks at the changes to ...

20 January 2021
Final act in the judicial saga on the TV broadcasting rights for Italian football championship
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2021/italy/final-act-in-the-judicial-saga-on-the-tv-broadcasting-rights-for-italian-football-championship

On 28 December 2020, the Italian Supreme Administrative Court (Consiglio di Stato – "CDS") issued a judgment marking the last act in the national judicial dispute related to the assignment of the Lega Serie A (i.e. the ...