On 14 May 2020, the German Parliament adopted temporary amendments to the Act against Restraints of Competition (ARC) to mitigate consequences resulting from COVID-19 in the field of competition law. See BT-Drucksache 19/18963. In order to enable the Federal Cartel Office (FCO) to continue investigating mergers and their impact on the market concerned under the … Continue Reading
With COVID-19 sweeping across the globe, competition law authorities and legislative bodies across the world are having to act quickly and flexibly to minimise disruption while ensuring business compliance and consumer protection. In our recent client alert, we take a look at how COVID-19 is shaping the competition landscape from a multi-jurisdictional perspective, honing in … Continue Reading
Facebook has a unique positioning in the digital market, which is based entirely on the collecting of user data. Currently, users have only one option: accepting the terms and conditions imposed by Facebook or being excluded from the social network entirely. After almost three years of investigation, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) found that … Continue Reading
On 11 April 2019, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) released the final report on its sector inquiry into comparison websites. The FCO’s report identifies areas of concern in various industries, including energy, telecommunications, insurance, finance and travel, which are particularly relevant for consumers. The findings indicate that in some cases consumers are being misled, … Continue Reading
