Last year we noted that U.S. antitrust enforcement was in a period of nearly unprecedented public attention and policy debate, and also that the Biden Administration seemed likely to launch significant new policy initiatives as the year progressed.

Last year we noted that U.S. antitrust enforcement was in a period of nearly unprecedented public attention and policy debate, and also that the Biden Administration seemed likely to launch significant new policy initiatives as the year progressed. …
In September 2022, the General Court partially annulled the European Commission’s 2018 Google Android decision, which fined Google €4.3 billion for abuses of dominance relating to apps it offers for its Android mobile operating system (“OS”).[1] The Court also found that the Commission’s investigation suffered from procedural errors. It reduced the fine by €200 million.
On October 12, 2022, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This is the last step in the almost two-year long journey since the publication of the Commission’s initial proposal in December 2020.[1]…
The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) on 8 August 2022 set aside a £17.9 million fine against price comparison website Compare The Market, criticising the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) legal and evidential assessment of the case. The CAT found that the CMA’s “anecdotal evidence”[1] failed to prove that Compare The Market kept home insurance premiums artificially high by using most favoured nation clauses (MFNs) in its contracts with insurance providers. The CMA has said it is disappointed with the CAT’s ruling and is considering its options, including a potential appeal.
…
On 26 July the CMA published an Update Paper in its music and streaming market study (launched 27 January).[1] The Update Paper sets out the CMA’s preliminary findings halfway through its study into how well competition works in music streaming.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last week fined pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Flynn £63 million and £6.7 million for engaging in excessive pricing. In the CMA’s view, the companies charged unfairly high prices for Phenytoin capsules, a genericised anti-epilepsy drug, in violation of competition law.
On July 18, the European Council approved the final text of the DMA, marking the final step before the DMA enters into force. This followed the European Parliament approving, on July 5, the final text of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), by 588 votes to 11. The DMA is likely to enter the EU’s Official Journal in October, which means the behavioural rules will kick in early-to-mid 2024.
Updated on May 10, 2022
The UK Government has published its response to the consultation on a new regulatory regime for digital markets on May 6, 2022.…
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (the “CMA”) is consulting on its draft guidance (“Draft Guidance”) for its proposed Vertical Agreements Block Exemption Order (“VABEO”). It invites comments by May 5, 2022.…