The draft directive on antitrust damages Actions and its likely effects on national Law

Seminar - The Stibbe Annual Competition Update will take place on 23 January 2020 at our office in Amsterdam.

Short Reads - Companies should be aware that the Dutch competition authority (ACM) will not only examine electronic records and emails, but can also check WhatsApp messages during dawn raids. The ACM recently imposed a fine of EUR 1.84 million on a company for non-cooperation with a dawn raid; its highest fine so far for non-cooperation. Several of the company’s employees had left WhatsApp groups and deleted chats before handing over their mobile phones for inspection.

Articles - Civiele procedures worden waarschijnlijk niet sneller en eenvoudiger met het Conceptwetsvoorstel modernisering en vereenvoudiging bewijsrecht en de Tijdelijke Experimentenwet rechtspleging. De wetsvoorstellen gaan uit van onjuiste veronderstellingen over het verloop van civielrechtelijke procedures en overspannen verwachtingen van de rol van de civiele rechter als alvermogende geschilbeslechter.

Short Reads - Companies beware: the ACM’s and European Commission’s approach to access to the file are not aligned. According to an interim relief judge, the ACM cannot be forced to grant a company access to a broader set of documents in competition procedures. A potential error in the administrative procedure can be remedied before a court at a later stage. This is different to the right to access to the Commission’s file during administrative procedures, as acknowledged in EU case law.