This book, written by an academic-cum-practitioner with substantial experience in the field of antitrust enforcement, presents the rise of private enforcement of competition law in Europe, especially in the context of the recent modernisation and decentralisation of EC competition law enforcement. In particular, the study examines the role of courts in the application of the EC competition rules and views that role in the broader system of antitrust enforcement. The author starts from the premise of private enforcement's independence of public enforcement and after examining the new institutional position of national courts and their relationship with the Court of Justice, the Commission, and public enforcement in general, proceeds to deal with the detailed substantive and procedural law framework of private antitrust actions in Europe. The author describes the current post-decentralisation state of affairs but also refers to the latest proposals to enhance private antitrust enforcement in Europe both at the Community level, where reference is made to the December 2005 Commission Green Paper on Damages Actions and its aftermath, and at the national level, where reference is made to recent and forthcoming relevant initiatives.

This book, written by an academic-cum-practitioner with substantial experience in the field of antitrust enforcement, presents the rise of private enforcement of competition law in Europe, especially in the context of the recent modernisation and decentralisation of EC competition law enforcement. In particular, the study examines the role of courts in the application of the EC competition rules and views that role in the broader system of antitrust enforcement. The author starts from the premise of private enforcement's independence of public enforcement and after examining the new institutional position of national courts and their relationship with the Court of Justice, the Commission, and public enforcement in general, proceeds to deal with the detailed substantive and procedural law framework of private antitrust actions in Europe. The author describes the current post-decentralisation state of affairs but also refers to the latest proposals to enhance private antitrust enforcement in Europe both at the Community level, where reference is made to the December 2005 Commission Green Paper on Damages Actions and its aftermath, and at the national level, where reference is made to recent and forthcoming relevant initiatives.

Private Enforcement of Antitrust Law in the United States is a comprehensive Handbook, providing a detailed, step-by-step examination of the private enforcement process, as illuminated by many of the country's leading practitioners, experts, and scholars. Written primarily from the viewpoint of the complainant, the Handbook goes well beyond a detailed cataloguing of the substantive and procedural considerations associated with individual and class action antitrust lawsuits by private individuals and businesses. It is a collection of thoughtful essays that delves deeply into practical and strategic considerations attending the decision-making of private practitioners. This eminently readable and authoritative Handbook will prove to be an invaluable resource for anyone associated with the antitrust enterprise, including both inexperienced and seasoned practitioners, law professors and students, testifying and consulting economists, and government officials involved in overlapping public/private actions and remedies. Contributors: W.K. Arends, A.C. Briggs, W.J. Bruckner, P.B. Clayton, C.C. Corbitt, E.L. Cramer, M.B. Eisenkraft, A.A. Foer, A.J. Gaughan, P. Gilbert, J. Goldberg, D.E. Gustafson, M.D. Hausfeld, K. Kinsella, R.H. Lande, J. Langenfeld, S. Martin, K.J.L. O'Connor, H.L. Renfro, J.D. Richards, V. Romanenko, J.L. Rubin, M.R. Salzwedel, A.E. Shafroth, D.C. Simons, S.P. Slaughter, R.M. Stutz, B.E. Sweeney, J. Tabacco, M.J. Waters, S. Wheatman, K.C. Wildfang, G.G. Wrobel, J.A. Zahid

The European Commission’s recent Green Paper on damages actions for breach of EC antitrust rules stirred a debate across Europe on the need for legal reform that would encourage private plaintiffs to claim compensation for losses suffered as a result of anticompetitive conduct. Prominent in the wake of that initiative was the international conference convened by the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg in April 2006, the papers and proceedings of which are presented in this important book. Among the topics and issues raised and discussed here are the following: – the 2001 Courage judgment of the European Court of Justice, in which the court decided that everyone who suffers losses from a violation of arts. 81 or 82 EC is entitled to compensation; – relevance of the case law that contributes to general principles of European tort law; – comparative analysis from the more comprehensive experience of national laws in the United States, Germany, France, and Italy; – calculation of damages; – passing-on of losses sustained in an upstream market to customers in a downstream market; – procedural devices which may help to overcome the lack of implementation; – duties of disclosure and the burden of proof; – collective actions that may help to overcome the rational abstention of individuals; – pitfalls of leniency programmes implemented by national competition authorities; and – issues of jurisdiction and choice of law. The lively debates that followed the presentations at the conference are also recorded here. Although more discussion will be needed before a viable legal framework in this area begins to emerge, these ground-breaking contributions by lawyers of various disciplines, jurists, economists, academics, and European policymakers take a giant step forward. For lawyers, academics, and officials engaged with this important area of international law, this book clearly improves our understanding of the economic need and legal particularities which could generate an effective European system of private antitrust litigation.

This text provides clear answers to the major questions concerning the modernization of EC antitrust enforcement such as: should a notification system be maintained, or should the antitrust rules be enforced exclusively through deterrence?; and at what levels should fines be set?