US FTC: Qualcomm not immune from antitrust

The apparent assertion by the US Department of Justice that Qualcomm should be immune from antitrust scrutiny is a question for Congress and not the courts, the US Federal Trade Commission has said in response to the company and the DOJ's antitrust division.

Competition rules must adapt to tackle digital platforms, says UK minister

The UK’s business secretary Greg Clark has said competition rules require “urgent” change to tackle the disruption of digital platforms, as he supported recommendations made in the Furman report and by Lord Andrew Tyrie.

CADE adds two more probes to Operation Car Wash

Brazil’s competition authority has launched two investigations into a group of construction companies for allegedly forming a bid-rigging cartel for contracts to build World Cup stadiums, and for certain construction projects for Petrobras.

US slams China’s antitrust enforcement for bias

The US Department of State has called out China’s competition authority as allegedly favouring local companies in its enforcement of anti-monopoly laws.
UK rail operator’s exclusivity rule is abusive, CAT rules

The national rail operator’s requirement that all its suppliers use a mandated quality assurance scheme is anticompetitive, the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal has held, rendering the rule immediately void and unenforceable.
Platform problems: The Asia-Pacific Tipline for 19 July 2019

Europe has been the largest headache of late for big US technology companies, but things continue to heat up in Asia. While we await the release of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s final report on Google’s and Facebook’s market power, Japan’s competition watchdog is reportedly set to impose tighter restrictions on the use of consumer data by the platforms. Taiwan's antitrust agency has commissioned a slew of studies to probe the digital economy. And some predict that India’s most recently launched probe of Google – which mirrors the European Commission’s abuse case – could conclude with substantial penalties.

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GCR USA

Judge ponders behavioural remedies in CVS/Aetna

Judge Richard Leon has asked the Department of Justice if adding behavioural remedies to the agency’s CVS/Aetna settlement would help to protect the public interest.

In like a Leon, out like a lamb: The Tipline for 22 July 2019

Would any hearing involving the Department of Justice’s antitrust division before Judge Richard Leon be complete without a scolding from the bench? On Friday, the judge lectured the division before oral arguments in his Tunney Act review of the CVS/Aetna merger settlement, saying the agency had “misrepresented” the facts when claiming it “was not permitted to present witnesses” during hearings held in June. However, Judge Leon finished the day with a softer tone. He said he “appreciates the novelty of these proceedings” and that it is an “extremely high priority for the court” to work out these important issues potentially affecting millions of Americans.

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Features

Firewalls: separation short of a breakup

“Break up Big Tech” has become a rallying cry on both ends of the political spectrum, as people around the world worry about dominant technology companies’ ability to buy up potential rivals and extend their reach into other areas of business. Pallavi Guniganti considers whether firewalls – separating business units operationally while keeping them under the same corporate umbrella – could address some of these competition concerns.

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