by Anush Ganesh* and Megan Kirkwood** Introduction On 28 January 2026, the CMA published four proposed conduct requirements (CRs) for Google Search in its capacity as the designated strategic market status (SMS) holder under the DMCCA. These CRs address fair ranking, publisher controls, user choice, and data portability. The consultation attracted 60+ published responses from […]
Conference Debrief: Highlights from the Concurrences Innovation Ecosystem Conference
The Concurrences Innovation Ecosystem: Legal and Economic Perspectives Conference was held on 16 March 2026 at Kings College, London. The conference brought together senior competition practitioners, regulators, judges, and academics to discuss pressing issues in UK and EU competition law across panels on merger control reform, digital markets regulation, cartel enforcement, EU-UK cooperation, and class […]
Highlights from The Economist’s Antitrust Summit 2026
The Economist’s Antitrust Summit 2026, held on 26 February 2026 in City Hall, Westminster, brought together a formidable gathering of competition authority heads, senior regulators, practitioners, and industry representatives to take stock of the evolving global competition landscape. Co-chaired by Tamzin Booth, Editorial Director (B2B) at The Economist Group, and Jan Piotrowski, Finance and Economics […]
Investigating the UK’s mobile ecosystems’ commitments
The UK has taken its next steps in enforcing the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA), the relatively new ex ante law brought in to impose rules in the digital sector. The law gives the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) the power to designate dominant firms as having Strategic Market Status (SMS) in […]
AI made in Europe? For sure!
AI innovation does not arise from political reunions, but from incubators, co-working spaces and research labs. So, what better place to visit than the AI Day by Europe’s largest tech startup association, to understand where Europe’s AI innovation is headed. On 10 February 2026, France Digitale brought together over 2.500 tech and AI leaders in […]
Japan’s Smartphone Act (MSCA)in the Shadow of Competition Law Under-Enforcement
Following the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Japan has enacted a digital competition regulation (a form of sector-specific regulation that blends competition principles with prescriptive provisions, as Lazar Radic et al. 2024 describe) with a more targeted scope in the smartphone software ecosystem: the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA). This blog throws some light […]
Ex ante but Insufficient? The Commission’s Five AI Investigations Launched in Just 22 Days
AI markets are booming across Europe and beyond, and competition and innovation in this sector have sparked extensive discussions worldwide. In just 22 days, the European Commission announced five investigations into artificial intelligence (‘AI’) related services, though not under the same regulatory framework. The investigations into Meta AI and Google AI Overview and AI Mode […]
Conference Debrief – Highlights from the Competition Law & Artificial Intelligence Summit – 2nd Annual
Event was hosted by Thought Leaders 4 Competition in London The Competition Law & Artificial Intelligence Summit – 2nd Annual, held on 2 December 2025 at Carpenters’ Hall, right in the heart of London, brought together competition authorities, legal practitioners, and industry experts to explore the critical intersection of AI and competition law. With artificial […]
Google SMS Designation responses – A comprehensive analysis
by Anush Ganesh 27 Stakeholders Responded to the Google’s proposed SMS designation decision The Competition and Markets Authority’s consultation on designating Google Search with Strategic Market Status has concluded with one of the first stakeholder responses in the UK’s DMCCA chapter. Twenty-seven organizations ranging from Google itself to independent publishers, airlines to academic institutions have […]
This is no big deal: Europe must stand strong on Big Tech
Europe must stand strong on Big Tech and enforce the DMA, say Monika Schnitzer and Rupprecht Podszun. They also argue in favour of an independent European enforcement agency.