2020, the UK Supreme Court issued its judgment in a standard-essential patent (SEP) dispute between Huawei and Unwired Planet (see full alert memorandum).
National Grid Electricity Transmission plc v ABB Ltd and Others
On 24 August 2020, Safran SA, a French technology group, entered into a deed of settlement with National Grid Electricity…
Preventx v. Royal Mail Group
On 20 August 2020, the High Court ordered an interim injunction against Royal Mail Group in favour of Preventx, a provider of remote diagnostic testing services and clinical referral services for sexually transmitted diseases (STIs).
The Commission Approves Mastercard’s Acquisition of Nets’ Account-to-Account Payments Business Subject to Remedies
On August 17, 2020, the Commission conditionally approved Mastercard’s acquisition of Nets’ payment application division, following a Phase I review (“the Transaction”).[1] The Commission reviewed the Transaction following a referral by the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority, and ultimately identified competitive concerns in an EEA-wide market for account-to-account core infrastructure services (“A2A CIS”) in relation to managed solutions that required the transfer of the overlapping business to secure Phase I approval.
UPS/TNT: The General Court Awards UPS a Fraction of Its Requested Costs Arising From Its Successful 2017 Application for Annulment of the European Commission’s Prohibition Decision
The FCO’s Narrow Price Parity Clause Investigation
In August 2020, the FCO published the results[1] of its investigation into the effect of narrow price parity clauses on online sales. Narrow price parity clauses restrict suppliers from offering their products or services at lower prices or more favorable conditions in certain sales channels. In contrast, wide price parity clauses restrict suppliers from offering their products or services at lower prices or with more favorable conditions anywhere else.
The Commission Conditionally Approves Alstom’s Acquisition of Bombardier’s Rail Division
On July 31, 2020, the Commission conditionally approved Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier’s rail transport division, following a Phase I investigation.[1] The Alstom/Bombardier merger is one of the first complex deals to be cleared during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Council of State Upholds an ICA Decision Refusing To Review the Amount of a Fine
SP Power Systems Limited and others v Prysmian S.p.A and others
On 30 July 2020, the CAT published a consent order by which it stayed a damages claim brought by SP…
Monopolies Commission Biennial Report XXIII “Competition 2020”
On July 29, 2020, the Monopolies Commission published its Biennial Report XXIII. The Monopolies Commission makes three main recommendations to strengthen the German and European competition regimes.[1]