European Commission Decisions on Competition: Economic Perspectives on Landmark Antitrust and Merger Cases

450 Pages·2010·1.57 MB·English

by  Francesco Russo

EuropeanCommissionDecisionsonCompetition
EuropeanCommissionDecisionsonCompetitionprovidesacomprehensiveeconomic
classification and analysis of all European Commission decisions adopted pursuant to
Articles 101, 102, and 106 of the FEU Treaty from 1962 to 2009. It also includes a
sampleoflandmarkEuropeanmergercases.Thedecisionsareorganizedaccordingto
theprincipaleconomictheoryappliedinthecase.Foreacheconomiccategory,thesem-
inalCommissiondecisionthatbecameareferencepointforthattypeofanticompetitive
behavior is described. For this, a fixed template format is used throughout the book.
Allsubsequentdecisionsinwhichthesameeconomicprinciplewasappliedarelisted
chronologically. This book complements the most widely used textbooks in industrial
organization,competitioneconomics,andcompetitionlawtowhichdetailedreferences
areoffered.Itcontainssourcematerialforteachers,students,andscholarsofcompetition
lawandeconomics,aswellaspractisingcompetitionlawyersandofficials.
francesco russo worksasacompetitionlawyeratBonelliEredePappalardoand
isamemberoftheItalianBar.HeisavisitingresearcherattheAmsterdamCenterfor
LawandEconomics(ACLE).
maarten pieter schinkelisProfessorofCompetitionEconomicsandRegulation
attheDepartmentofEconomicsoftheUniversityofAmsterdamandCo-directorofthe
Amsterdam Center for Law and Economics (ACLE). He is a visiting professor at the
CollegeofEuropeinBruges.
andrea gu¨nster isapost-doctoralresearcherineconomicsattheProfessorshipfor
IntellectualPropertyoftheETHZurich.SheisavisitingresearcherattheAmsterdam
CenterforLawandEconomics(ACLE).
martin carree is Professor of Industrial Organization in the School of Business
andEconomicsofMaastrichtUniversity.HeisthecurrentHeadoftheDepartmentof
OrganizationandStrategy.

European Commission Decisions
on Competition
Economic Perspectives on Landmark Antitrust
and Merger Cases
FRANCESCO RUSSO
MAARTEN PIETER SCHINKEL
ANDREA GU¨ NSTER
MARTIN CARREE
cambridge university press
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,Singapore,
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PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
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Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521117197
(cid:2)c FrancescoRusso,MaartenPieterSchinkel,AndreaGu¨nster,andMartinCarree2010
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2010
PrintedintheUnitedKingdomattheUniversityPress,Cambridge
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
EuropeanCommissiondecisionsoncompetition:economicperspectivesonlandmarkantitrust
andmergercases/FrancescoRusso...[etal.].
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-521-11719-7(hardback)
1.EuropeanCommission. 2.Antitrustlaw–EuropeanUnioncountries–Cases. 3.Consolidation
andmergerofcorporations–Lawandlegislation–EuropeanUnioncountries–Cases.
I.Russo,Francesco,1978– II.Title.
KJE6456.E938 2010
343.24(cid:3)0721–dc22 2010006632
ISBN978-0-521-11719-7Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor
accuracyofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredto
inthispublication,anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuch
websitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
Contents
Listoffigures pagexiii
Listoftables xiv
Listofabbreviations xv
Tableoflegislation xvi
Tableofequivalences xxii
Acknowledgments xxiii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 AbriefhistoryofEuropeancompetitionpolicy 3
1.1.1 Institutionalandlegalframework 3
1.1.2 Europeancompetitionpolicyandrules 5
1.1.3 Commissiondecisionsovertime 10
1.1.4 Enforcementofthecompetitionrules 16
1.1.5 Remediesandfines 19
1.2 Structureofthebook 20
1.3 Userguide 25
2 Horizontalrestrictions 26
A Introduction 26
B ApplicableEUlegislation 27
C Relatedeconomicstexts 28
D Relatedlegaltexts 28
2.1 Pricefixingcartels 28
A Introduction 28
B ApplicableEUlegislation 28
C Relatedeconomicstexts 28
D Relatedlegaltexts 29
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 29
F Economiclandmarkcases 33
2.2 Marketsharing,quotacartels,andspecializationagreements 43
A Introduction 43
B ApplicableEUlegislation 44
C Relatedeconomicstexts 44
D Relatedlegaltexts 44
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 45
F Economiclandmarkcases 49
v
vi contents
2.3 Bid-riggingandtenderfixing 61
A Introduction 61
B ApplicableEUlegislation 61
C Relatedeconomicstexts 61
D Relatedlegaltexts 61
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 62
F Economiclandmarkcases 62
2.4 Structuralcrisiscartels 69
A Introduction 69
B ApplicableEUlegislation 69
C Relatedeconomicstexts 69
D Relatedlegaltexts 69
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 70
F Economiclandmarkcases 70
2.5 Exportcartels 73
A Introduction 73
B ApplicableEUlegislation 73
C Relatedeconomicstexts 73
D Relatedlegaltexts 73
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 74
F Economiclandmarkcases 74
2.6 Tradeassociations 78
A Introduction 78
B ApplicableEUlegislation 79
C Relatedeconomicstexts 79
D Relatedlegaltexts 79
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 79
F Economiclandmarkcases 81
2.7 Marketingandadvertisingagreements 85
A Introduction 85
B ApplicableEUlegislation 85
C Relatedeconomicstexts 85
D Relatedlegaltexts 86
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 86
F Economiclandmarkcases 87
2.8 Agreementsonstandards 93
A Introduction 93
B ApplicableEUlegislation 94
C Relatedeconomicstexts 94
D Relatedlegaltexts 94
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 94
F Economiclandmarkcases 95
2.9 Exchangeofinformation 105
A Introduction 105
B ApplicableEUlegislation 105
C Relatedeconomicstexts 105
D Relatedlegaltexts 105
contents vii
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 106
F Economiclandmarkcases 107
3 Abuseofdominance 113
A Introduction 113
B ApplicableEUlegislation 114
C Relatedeconomicstexts 114
D Relatedlegaltexts 114
3.1 Excessivepricing,discriminatorysalesconditions,and
prohibitiontoresale 115
A Introduction 115
B ApplicableEUlegislation 115
C Relatedeconomicstexts 115
D Relatedlegaltexts 116
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 116
F Economiclandmarkcases 117
3.2 Loyaltydiscountsandfidelityrebates 121
A Introduction 121
B ApplicableEUlegislation 121
C Relatedeconomicstexts 121
D Relatedlegaltexts 122
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 122
F Economiclandmarkcases 123
3.3 Predatorypricing 137
A Introduction 137
B ApplicableEUlegislation 138
C Relatedeconomicstexts 138
D Relatedlegaltexts 138
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 138
F Economiclandmarkcases 139
3.4 Bundlingandtying 148
A Introduction 148
B ApplicableEUlegislation 149
C Relatedeconomicstexts 149
D Relatedlegaltexts 149
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 150
F Economiclandmarkcases 150
3.5 Pricesqueezing 158
A Introduction 158
B ApplicableEUlegislation 158
C Relatedeconomicstexts 158
D Relatedlegaltexts 158
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 159
F Economiclandmarkcases 159
3.6 Restrictingand/orpreventingentry 165
A Introduction 165
B ApplicableEUlegislation 166
viii contents
C Relatedeconomicstexts 166
D Relatedlegaltexts 166
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 166
F Economiclandmarkcases 167
3.7 Refusaltodealandessentialfacilitiesdoctrine 181
A Introduction 181
B ApplicableEUlegislation 182
C Relatedeconomicstexts 182
D Relatedlegaltexts 183
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 183
F Economiclandmarkcases 184
3.8 Preventinginteroperabilityofstandardsandnetworks 189
A Introduction 189
B ApplicableEUlegislation 189
C Relatedeconomicstexts 189
D Relatedlegaltexts 189
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 190
F Economiclandmarkcases 190
3.9 Bestpriceguarantees(“Englishclauses”) 193
A Introduction 193
B ApplicableEUlegislation 193
C Relatedeconomicstexts 193
D Relatedlegaltexts 194
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 194
F Economiclandmarkcase 194
4 Licensing 198
A Introduction 198
B ApplicableEUlegislation 198
C Relatedeconomicstexts 198
D Relatedlegaltexts 199
4.1 Trademarksandbranding 199
A Introduction 199
B ApplicableEUlegislation 200
C Relatedeconomicstexts 200
D Relatedlegaltexts 200
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 200
F Economiclandmarkcases 201
4.2 Patentsandotherintellectualpropertyrights 207
A Introduction 207
B ApplicableEUlegislation 208
C Relatedeconomicstexts 208
D Relatedlegaltexts 208
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 208
F Economiclandmarkcases 209
contents ix
5 Verticalrestrictions 218
A Introduction 218
B ApplicableEUlegislation 218
C Relatedeconomicstexts 219
D Relatedlegaltexts 219
5.1 Exclusivedealingandmarketforeclosure 219
A Introduction 219
B ApplicableEUlegislation 220
C Relatedeconomicstexts 220
D Relatedlegaltexts 220
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 220
F Economiclandmarkcases 221
5.2 Territorialexclusivityandparallelimport/exportbans 231
A Introduction 231
B ApplicableEUlegislation 232
C Relatedeconomicstexts 232
D Relatedlegaltexts 232
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 232
F Economiclandmarkcases 235
5.3 Resalepricemaintenance 245
A Introduction 245
B ApplicableEUlegislation 245
C Relatedeconomicstexts 245
D Relatedlegaltexts 245
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 246
F Economiclandmarkcases 246
5.4 Bundlingandtying 249
A Introduction 249
B ApplicableEUlegislation 249
C Relatedeconomicstexts 249
D Relatedlegaltexts 249
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 250
F Economiclandmarkcases 250
5.5 Selectivedistributionsystems 250
A Introduction 250
B ApplicableEUlegislation 251
C Relatedeconomicstexts 251
D Relatedlegaltexts 251
E Commissiondecisionsinchronologicalorder 251
F Economiclandmarkcases 252
5.6 Franchising 263
A Introduction 263
B ApplicableEUlegislation 263
C Relatedeconomicstexts 263
D Relatedlegaltexts 264