Under the purely economics-based approach to competition law, the central consideration is whether the conduct of undertakings has the effect of restricting competition or not. Such an ‘objective’ approach to antitrust enforcement leaves little room for subjective elements like intentions. But what happens when economic analysis reaches its limits? In this signal contribution, the author invokes the criminal law concept of mens rea, the idea of the ‘guilty mind’, thoroughly evaluating the normative cogency of mens rea evidence in the determination of antitrust infringements. Delving deep into the case law, the author views the subject from the standpoint of a confluence of various areas of law, including: the role of mens rea in the criminal law in France, Germany, and England and Wales; the different types of mens rea (e.g., intent, recklessness, negligence); mens rea in a corporate context; mens rea evidence in United States antitrust law; the notion of the ‘meeting of minds’ in Article 101 TFEU; relevance of intentions in the determination of the object of an agreement or concerted practice; relevance of intentions in the determination of abuse of a dominant position; and the role of mens rea in the determination of fines for antitrust breaches. The author also examines arguments both for and against the use of mens rea evidence in determining whether an antitrust infringement took place and how it should be punished. This is the first full-length assessment of what role mens rea evidence actually plays and should play in competition law even as the tools for antitrust analysis are meant to become increasingly objective. As a thoroughly researched and systematically presented commentary and analysis of the current status of the use of mens rea in antitrust enforcement and how the practice could develop, it is sure to be welcomed by practitioners as well as by policymakers and academics.

In enforcing EU competition law, the Commission employs a unique doctrine of parental antitrust liability: it imposes fines on the parent company of an infringing subsidiary in cases where the parent exercises decisive influence over the subsidiary's commercial policy. Critics of this contentious aspect of EU competition law believe that the doctrine is unfair, ineffective, obscure, disproportionate, contrary to due process, and based upon a dubious, if not extremely flimsy, justificatory foundation. Such criticism raises serious and unanswered questions about the legitimacy of the Commission's efforts to enforce competition law. Parental Liability in EU Competition Law: A Legitimacy-Focused Approach is the first monograph to be dedicated to this controversial topic. Written by Professor Peter Whelan, the book contends that, although the general concept of parental liability can be justified in principle, the current EU-level doctrine of parental antitrust liability in fact suffers from a distinct and problematic lack of legitimacy. More specifically, the said doctrine displays significant deficiencies with respect to effectiveness, fairness, and legality. Given this undesirable state of affairs, Parental Liability in EU Competition Law offers a fully-rationalised, reformulated approach to parental antitrust liability for EU competition law violations that is built around the notion of parental fault. That approach provides a solid normative account of how to impose parental antitrust liability in a manner that is theoretically robust, effective in practice, fair in substance, and legally sound.

What is algorithmic collusion? This evaluative book provides an insight into tackling this important question for competition law, with contrasting critical perspectives, including theoretical, empirical, and doctrinal – the latter frequently from a comparative perspective. Bringing together scholarly discussion on algorithmic collusion, the book questions whether competition law is adeptly equipped to deal with its various facets.

This book explores the distinction between private and public aspects in competition law and focuses on how the concept of competition is incorporated into the legal framework. Distinguishing between antitrust regulations and competition-related legal rules in private law, such as unfair competition and contract laws, the book also differentiates between the utilitarian and deontological principles that underpin competition regulation. This historical and philosophical approach is used to compare two influential jurisdictions: England and Spain. These legal systems have had a significant impact on the development of legal rules in Common law and Civilian (Latin American) countries, respectively. Through this lens, the book further analyses the concept of "competition" and its value in each legal tradition. This understanding, in turn, helps clarify the scope of competition regulation within antitrust and private law and how the two fields coexist. Additionally, the book examines the role of property law theory in the context of competition regulation. The book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of competition law, tort law, and legal history.

Increasingly, we conduct our lives online, and in doing so, we grant access to our personal information. The crucial feedstock of the world economy thus generated - the commercialization and exploitation of personal data and the intrusion of digital privacy it entails - has built an imposing edifice of market power. As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, this detailed exploration of the interlinkage between competition and data privacy takes a critical look at competition policy to evaluate whether the system in its current form and with the existing approach is capable of tackling the challenges raised by the role of personal data in the shift from an offline to an online economy. Challenging the commonplace assumption that privacy has little or no role and relevance in competition law, the author’s penetrating analysis accomplishes the following and more: provides an in-depth understanding of the intersection of competition and privacy in the data-driven economy; surveys legal policy developments on the role of privacy in competition law; underlines the importance of non-price parameters in competition, such as consumer choice; clearly explains why and how competition law can protect privacy among its policy objectives; and addresses challenges in measuring the intangible harm of digital privacy violation in assessing abuse of market power. Recent case law in Europe and elsewhere, a revealing comparison between relevant European Union (EU) and United States (US) practice, the expanded role of the EU’s Competition Commissioner, and the likely impact of such phenomena as the coronavirus pandemic are all drawn into the book’s remit. In her analysis of the growing privacy dimension in competition policy, the author examines the topic from a broad perspective that includes societal, political, economic, historical and cultural elements. Her insightful multidimensional and value-based review will prove of immeasurable value to practitioners, academics, policymakers and enforcers in its identification of implications for business practice as we go forward.

The challenges facing the criminalization of cartel activity in the EU are threefold: theoretical, legal, and practical. This book analyses these crucial challenges so that the complexity of the process of European antitrust criminalization can be accurately understood.

Vertical agreements represent a variety of supply and distribution contracts involving different market players, such as suppliers of diverse inputs, manufacturers, distributors and retailers. They gain particular significance in a global economy where technological advances are dynamic and are changing all the time. Such agreements are signed among businesspeople on a daily basis, and antitrust experts around the world are often asked to advise on whether they have any negative impact on competition or whether they infringe antitrust law. Taking into consideration the complex economic impacts of these vertical alliances, and the different market conditions that firms face in a wide variety of situations, the author proposes an in-depth examination of the following topics: resale price-fixing; geo-blocking clauses; exclusive and selective distribution systems; the concept of ‘economic efficiency’ in the context of vertical restraints; self-assessment of potential anticompetitive effects and antitrust risks; ex post control of vertical restraints; digital economies and its policy impact; alternative enforcement models under various institutional frameworks; the role and influence of political pressure groups. The book offers very constructive theoretical and political insights at the frontier between the disciplines of Economics and Law. By comparing two world’s leading antitrust jurisdictions, this book explores the lessons to be learned from the legal rules in the European Union and in Brazil, considering their promises and drawbacks, and formulates policy recommendations.