Competitive Dominance

Behaviour.

How does it come about that a certain firm dominates a market? Can an understanding of this process lead to a more effective enforcement of competition law? That is the question approached in this compelling book. The author reviews the European Union’s (EU’s) Article 102 case law, comparing it with United States (US) provisions, demonstrating that new ways of looking at market power are needed – today’s tech giants differ from older monopolies. He clarifies the role of dominant firms in the competitive process, proposing that conduct should be scrutinized differently depending on the source of market power, rather than using the same approach for all dominant undertakings. Supporting his contention that the legal consequences that derive from holding a dominant position cannot be disassociated from the sources of that market power—that a dynamic understanding of dominance requires looking both forwards and backwards in time—the author examines such sources of dominance as the following: ‒ statutory dominance derived from explicit protectionist measures or subtler geoeconomic strategies; ‒ legacy firms such as the telecommunications or transport industries; ‒ natural monopolies, e.g., the exploitation of a mine; ‒ investment efforts undertaken in a competitive environment; ‒ intangible resources such as timing, reputation, experience, innovation capabilities, or managerial processes; ‒ lucky monopolies; and ‒ anticompetitive behavior on the road to dominance. Drawing insights from EU and US case law, industrial organization scholarship, and strategic management literature, the book resolves questions related to the role that the origins of market power have played and should play in the enforcement of EU competition rules against dominant firms. It concludes with a list of policy recommendations bringing the application of Article 102 TFEU against dominant firms more in line with the objective of protecting the competitive process. With its focus on how EU competition law enforcement should be fine-tuned to adequately incorporate the origins of firm dominance into the analysis of single-firm behavior, the book makes a major contribution to the analysis of anticompetitive effects. Practitioners, competition authorities, and academics in competition law will greatly appreciate the book’s combination of legal analysis and recommendations for policy reform.

"For starters, today's companies need superior strategic processes and streamlined quality practices. But these are not enough. Competitive Dominance: Beyond Strategic Advantage and Total Quality Management emphasizes the importance of implementing an integrated strategy and quality management system." "Authors Tang and Bauer are leading industry executives who have used strategy and quality to create organizational change, resulting in turnaround and competitive dominance in billion dollar businesses. In this book, they take you through the various stages of strategy and quality practices, explaining how to integrate and implement them." "Tang and Bauer also present 10 principles of competitive dominance that create integration and synchronization between all the stages of strategy and quality. Plus, they recommend an expanded set of tools and methodologies that complement conventional quality and strategy practices and facilitate the implementation of competitive dominance." "Also included is a list of management malpractices to avoid, outlining the 12 worst management practices from the authors' experiences with organizations of many different sizes and from a broad range of industries."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Granting rebates to a customer or refusing to supply a competitor are examples of ordinary commercial practices, which become ‘abusive’ under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) when carried out by ‘dominant’ firms. This topical book provides an up-to-date account of the emerging trends in the enforcement and interpretation of this provision at both the EU and national level.

Three questions surround the interpretation and application of Article 82 of the EC Treaty. What is its underlying purpose? Is it necessary to demonstrate actual or likely anticompetitive effects on the market place when applying Article 82? And how can dominant undertakings defend themselves against a finding of abuse? Instead of the usual discussion of objectives, Liza Lovdahl Gormsen questions whether the Commission's chosen objective of consumer welfare is legitimate. While many Community lawyers would readily accept and indeed welcome the objective of consumer welfare, this is not supported by case law. The Community Courts do not always favour consumer welfare at the expense of economic freedom. This is important for dominant undertakings' ability to advance efficiencies and for understanding why the Chicago and post-Chicago School arguments cannot be injected into Article 82.

Antitrust and competition law is a fast moving area of law and the subject of extensive academic research. The aim of this volume is to select articles as tools for understanding how antitrust and competition law is applied to unilateral conduct which is harmful to the consumer and to the competitiveness of the market. The articles examine the meaning of dominance and monopolisation and show that although legal and economic rules have been developed to establish whether undertakings hold such strong market positions, it is often difficult to determine with certainty that the undertaking being investigated meets the threshold. The various debates on pricing and non-pricing conduct are also represented as are the conflicts that have arisen regarding the exercise of intellectual property rights by powerful undertakings, particularly in the context of the new economies. The volume includes scholarly articles published on both sides of the Atlantic and enables a greater understanding of the application of antitrust and competition law from the point of view of economics and politics.

This Research Handbook offers a comprehensive and state-of-the-art collection on the competition law (antitrust) prohibition of abuse of a dominant position and monopolization. It draws from the long and influential traditions of leading jurisdictions such as the European Union and the United States to analyse applicable rules and policy in these jurisdictions. It also takes a comparative approach to identify common threads and differences.

A prohibition of the abuse of dominance is an essential provision in any country's competition law. The purpose of such a prohibition is to protect competition where it is potentially weakened by the presence of dominant market players. If applied immoderately, however, this prohibition is liable to seriously harm competition rather than protect it. In this useful compilation, local practitioners and academics in twelve countries provide a detailed summary and analysis of the application of their countries' law in this area, drawing on the experience of national competition authorities in dealing with market dominance as well as a wide range of legislation, administrative regulations, and case law. Nine EU member states are covered, as are Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Although contributors were specifically asked not to compare their national provisions with Article 82 EC, the book nevertheless provides useful insight on that article, as well. National "borderline cases", of the kind described here, help to clarify the application of Article 82 EC, especially considering that the case law on this provision is often controversial. Dealing with Dominance is a useful reference tool for the application of the national counterparts to Article 82 EC in Europe and beyond and answers a basic practical need of both national and international competition law practitioners. This book can also be seen as an especially important contribution to the comparative analysis of an increasingly crucial area of economic law.