94 results Killing three birds with one stone: Illumina wins Article 22 battle The ECJ wrote the epilogue to the Illumina/Grail saga, overturning the EC’s novel ‘Article 22’ approach. It is now clear that the EC cannot accept referral requests to review transactions that fall below the thresholds of national merger control regimes. Google Shopping: self-preferencing can be abusive The European Court of Justice has confirmed that Google abused its dominance by favouring its own shopping comparison service and demoting competing ones. However, not all favouritism is doomed. Stibbe Amsterdam appoints three new partners We are pleased to announce that Stibbe Amsterdam has promoted Roos Elemans, Lotte Hover-Boon and Daisy Nijkamp to partner effective 1 January 2025. These appointments will further strengthen our EU and Competition Law, Tax and Litigation practices. Tom Verdonk co-edited ‘Unfair Trading Practices in the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain’ Tom Verdonk has co-edited the book ‘Unfair Trading Practices in the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain’, recently published by Larcier-Intersentia. If you can’t stand the heat: kitchen retailers fined for misleading consumers There is a new enforcement trend in the Netherlands; consumer protection is shifting from private enforcement before the civil courts, to public enforcement through the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). Waiting for the EC: third-party platform bans and RPM still on radar The results of the European Commission’s evaluation of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) call for more clarity and convergence in the interpretation of certain (online) vertical restrictions. The next 5 years: European Commission launches New Consumer Agenda Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission is already looking ahead to set its consumer protection priorities for the next five years. On the right track? GC sends mixed messages with Lithuanian Railways The essential facilities doctrine imposes on holders of indispensable facilities a duty to deal with their competitors. Jurisdictional hide & seek: merger thresholds and buyer joint ventures Companies beware: the turnover of a joint venture buying a target is not necessarily decisive for determining whether the EU merger thresholds are met. Stibbe represents MAN Stibbe acts as co-counsel to MAN regarding the European Commission's finding of an antitrust infringement in the truck manufacturing industry. Shaping the Future: The Belgian Competition Authority’s 2025 Roadmap On 29 April 2025, the Belgian Competition Authority announced its sectoral and strategic priorities. These priorities reflect a confident authority that seeks to strengthen its enforcement tools to meet new challenges in competition law. COVID-19 impacts level and payment of antitrust fines As well as granting companies leeway on certain COVID-19 initiated collaborations (see our May 2020 newsletter), the coronavirus outbreak has also led competition authorities to take a more lenient stance towards fine calculations and payments. ICO to impose record-breaking fines for inadequate security measures and data breaches Though the European data protection authorities have taken their time in enforcing the GDPR two announcements by the ICO in the UK regarding proposed fines for British Airways and Marriott demonstrate that large fines are about to start landing regularly. Prove it or lose it: court sets aside ACM fines in two separate cases The Rotterdam District Court recently confirmed the high bar which has been set for the ACM when proving its case: the court annulled the fines imposed by the ACM in two different cases and, significantly, each for the same reason. No parking! Canon fined EUR 28 million for warehousing transaction structure The European Commission has landed a third strike against gun-jumping, the prohibition to implement a transaction before notification to and clearance by the Commission. Successful challenges to merger decisions seem to be the exception The General Court recently confirmed the high degree of discretion enjoyed by the European Commission in the context of merger control decisions, particularly with respect to assessments of an economic nature. Low prices, high fines: Commission's creative purchase cartel fine upheld Companies should take note that the European Commission will deviate from its own general fining methodology if a particular case calls for it. The General Court recently upheld the Commission's novel fining approach in regard of a purchase cartel. Double-check your merger info - or face significant fines for inaccuracies Failing to submit complete and accurate information to the European Commission during a merger investigation can have costly consequences. Pagination Previous page Page 1 Current page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Next page
Killing three birds with one stone: Illumina wins Article 22 battle The ECJ wrote the epilogue to the Illumina/Grail saga, overturning the EC’s novel ‘Article 22’ approach. It is now clear that the EC cannot accept referral requests to review transactions that fall below the thresholds of national merger control regimes.
Google Shopping: self-preferencing can be abusive The European Court of Justice has confirmed that Google abused its dominance by favouring its own shopping comparison service and demoting competing ones. However, not all favouritism is doomed.
Stibbe Amsterdam appoints three new partners We are pleased to announce that Stibbe Amsterdam has promoted Roos Elemans, Lotte Hover-Boon and Daisy Nijkamp to partner effective 1 January 2025. These appointments will further strengthen our EU and Competition Law, Tax and Litigation practices.
Tom Verdonk co-edited ‘Unfair Trading Practices in the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain’ Tom Verdonk has co-edited the book ‘Unfair Trading Practices in the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain’, recently published by Larcier-Intersentia.
If you can’t stand the heat: kitchen retailers fined for misleading consumers There is a new enforcement trend in the Netherlands; consumer protection is shifting from private enforcement before the civil courts, to public enforcement through the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM).
Waiting for the EC: third-party platform bans and RPM still on radar The results of the European Commission’s evaluation of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) call for more clarity and convergence in the interpretation of certain (online) vertical restrictions.
The next 5 years: European Commission launches New Consumer Agenda Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission is already looking ahead to set its consumer protection priorities for the next five years.
On the right track? GC sends mixed messages with Lithuanian Railways The essential facilities doctrine imposes on holders of indispensable facilities a duty to deal with their competitors.
Jurisdictional hide & seek: merger thresholds and buyer joint ventures Companies beware: the turnover of a joint venture buying a target is not necessarily decisive for determining whether the EU merger thresholds are met.
Stibbe represents MAN Stibbe acts as co-counsel to MAN regarding the European Commission's finding of an antitrust infringement in the truck manufacturing industry.
Shaping the Future: The Belgian Competition Authority’s 2025 Roadmap On 29 April 2025, the Belgian Competition Authority announced its sectoral and strategic priorities. These priorities reflect a confident authority that seeks to strengthen its enforcement tools to meet new challenges in competition law.
COVID-19 impacts level and payment of antitrust fines As well as granting companies leeway on certain COVID-19 initiated collaborations (see our May 2020 newsletter), the coronavirus outbreak has also led competition authorities to take a more lenient stance towards fine calculations and payments.
ICO to impose record-breaking fines for inadequate security measures and data breaches Though the European data protection authorities have taken their time in enforcing the GDPR two announcements by the ICO in the UK regarding proposed fines for British Airways and Marriott demonstrate that large fines are about to start landing regularly.
Prove it or lose it: court sets aside ACM fines in two separate cases The Rotterdam District Court recently confirmed the high bar which has been set for the ACM when proving its case: the court annulled the fines imposed by the ACM in two different cases and, significantly, each for the same reason.
No parking! Canon fined EUR 28 million for warehousing transaction structure The European Commission has landed a third strike against gun-jumping, the prohibition to implement a transaction before notification to and clearance by the Commission.
Successful challenges to merger decisions seem to be the exception The General Court recently confirmed the high degree of discretion enjoyed by the European Commission in the context of merger control decisions, particularly with respect to assessments of an economic nature.
Low prices, high fines: Commission's creative purchase cartel fine upheld Companies should take note that the European Commission will deviate from its own general fining methodology if a particular case calls for it. The General Court recently upheld the Commission's novel fining approach in regard of a purchase cartel.
Double-check your merger info - or face significant fines for inaccuracies Failing to submit complete and accurate information to the European Commission during a merger investigation can have costly consequences.