Another victory for the Bundeskartellamt! The German Supreme Court (BGH) confirmed that Apple is an undertaking of paramount significance for competition across markets (UPSCAM) pursuant to Sec. 19a para. 1 GWB. Although the full decision is not out yet, today’s press release already gives us an idea of what the BGH has been thinking about […]
One Year of DMA Compliance: Time to Grade the Homework
One Year of DMA Compliance: Time to Grade the Homework The digital gatekeepers have provided their second round of compliance reports to the DMA units in the European Commission. Our SCiDA Team took a close look. Here is our report! Big Tech’s DMA homework is in—and it spans a whopping 1214 pages. From detailed disclosures […]
AI Action Summit: Can Europe still enter the Competition?
Utilising its full force of glamour, diplomacy, and Parigian style, France rang the wake-up bell for Europe in the race to Artificial Intelligence with the AI Action Summit in Paris. Maybe this came a bit late – but it came with a bang. Emmanuel Macron announced an investment package of 109 billion Euros for AI […]
A Report from the Court Room Part II: Apple’s paramount significance for competition across markets on trial
Germany had its second and, for the moment, last round of hearings concerning a designation by the Bundeskartellamt under Sec. 19a para. 1 GWB! A lot of what was discussed seemed like a déjà-vu for those who have followed Amazon’s line of arguments back in April 2024. But the hardware icon Apple has also tried […]
Platform for the study of systemic risk: Art. 40(4) DSA and the draft delegated act
In this week’s blog, we put the DMA’s little sister into the spotlight, the Digital Services Act (DSA), and explore an important topic for the academic community: Art. 40(4) DSA. This provision grants researchers the right to request data from very large online platforms and search engines in order to study systemic risks. Juliane Mendelsohn, […]
SCiDA’s Digital Regulation Review of 2024
2024 is coming to an end and what a year for Shaping Competition in the Digital Age! The DMA picked up steam with record pace, we have a new EU Commissioner for competition and a new law in the UK (DMCCA) – to name only a few developments of a packed year. 2024 has proven […]
Meta’s Less-personalised Ads: A Compliance Facade?
Meta has introduced a new free subscription option with less personalised ads for Facebook and Instagram. Is this the end of behavioural advertising or a showcase of illusive compliance? Sebastian Steinert analyses Meta’s tactics to protect its data-driven business model based on behavioural advertising. By Sebastian Steinert “We want to empower citizens to be […]
Booking’s compliance workshop: a road well travelled?
On 25 November 2024 the Commission hosted its seventh DMA compliance workshop which was a first for two reasons: 1. The first European gatekeeper had to explain and answer to market participants interested and in parts skeptical about the travel platform’s DMA compliance plans. 2. It was a little (too) calm. Does this have to […]
Defining fairness in digital: how to operationalise an ideal?
Behrang Kianzad, researcher at Lund University School of Economics and Management, ponders the idea of fairness in EU regulation. It will be difficult to find someone who would argue in favour of a world that is unfair, yet the idea of fairness is not as universal as it may seem, nor is it easy to […]
A human-centred digital transformation: can we recapture the promises of the internet?
Book Review – Digital Policy in the EU: Towards a Human-Centred Digital Transformation” by Werner Stengg Werner Stengg’s formal position sounds modest: He is a „Cabinet Expert“ in the European Commission. Yet, Stengg, a Commission official since 1996, is one of the masterminds behind European digital regulation. In his career he oversaw many important portfolios […]