Competition Law - All Boxed Up

Introduction

This 6-part webinar box set will provide you with the latest update on competition law.

What You Will Learn

The six modules will cover the following:

Module 1 - Artificial Intelligence, Competition Law & Regulation

This module provides insight into how AI impacts competition and how it is viewed by competition and regulatory authorities. This module will cover:

• What is AI? Legislative and regulatory definitions, including the EU AI Act
• AI and anti-competitive outcomes, algorithmic collusion and discriminatory pricing
• Attributing competition law liability for AI decisions
• Competition law investigations involving AI practices in the UK and internationally
• Case studies from sectors most impacted by AI (e-commerce, finance and banking, technology and software)

Module 2 - Competition Law - Data, Data Protection & Digital Services

This module examines how data and data protection law impact on competition in digital services and will cover the following:

• Role of Data and Big Data in competition law
• Data as a barrier to entry, critical data sets, data hoarding and exclusive access
• Competition concerns in digital services from use of data driven algorithms for pricing, consumer behaviour prediction, and market manipulation
• Intersection of competition law with data protection laws
• Examples of competition law interventions in competition cases involving data concerns (Amazon Use of Marketplace data case, Google Android case, Microsoft/LinkedIn merger)

Module 3 - Competition Law & Regulation of Digital Platforms - Update

This module explores the main competition issues raised by digital platforms and the recent digital regulations and enforcement to tackle these and will cover the following:

• Characteristics of digital platforms such as network effects, data control, and multi-sided markets, and how these features contribute to market power
• Competition law concerns in digital platforms including anti-competitive conduct such as self-preferencing, data misuse, and price manipulation, and the impact of platform behaviour on innovation and consumer choice
• Regulatory frameworks such as the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), Digital Services Act (DSA), and US antitrust laws, which aim to address anti-competitive practices. How these regulations define ‘gatekeepers’ and impose specific obligations on dominant platforms
• Recent antitrust cases involving digital platforms, such as the European Commission’s investigations into Google, Apple, and Amazon, illustrating how regulators have addressed anti-competitive practices like self-preferencing, restrictive data usage, and market foreclosure
• Ongoing challenges in regulating digital platforms, cross-border enforcement, balancing promoting innovation and protecting competition

Module 4 - IPR Settlement & Competition Law - What’s New?

Recent cases indicate a heightened emphasis on competition concerns in IPR settlement agreements, and their impact is wider than the pharmaceutical sector. This module will explore how settlements made in the context of IPR licensing can give rise to competition law compliance issues, covering the following topics:

• How UK and EU competition law applies to IPR settlement agreements
• Focus on recent ‘pay for delay’ licensing cases in the UK, EU, and USA including the Servier case and GSK cases
• Standard Essential Patents (SEP) licensing practices, the CMA report, and the European Commission Qualcomm SEP case
• Legal frameworks and guidance on IPR settlements and how to manage this risk

Module 5 - Competition Law - Mergers, Acquisitions & Innovation in the Technology Sector

This module focuses on how mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the technology sector can raise competition concerns, particularly in the context of innovation and start-ups. This module will cover the following:

• Features of mergers and acquisitions in the tech industry
• How competition authorities assess technology-sector mergers
• Innovation and ‘killer acquisitions’ (acquiring potential competitors)
• Recent cases (EU, UK): Microsoft/Activision, Google/Fitbit, Nvidia/Arm, Facebook/Giphy

Module 6 - Competition Law & Abuse of Dominance in Digital Technology Sectors

The digital technology sector is increasingly under scrutiny for potential abuses of dominance under Article 102 TFEU and Chapter II of the Competition Act. Recent cases have shifted the focus from traditional monopolistic practices (like predatory pricing) to issues such as self-preferencing, data control, and market manipulation by dominant platforms. This module covers:

• Evolving and expanding nature of abuse of dominance in competition law
• New abuses of dominance emerging from case law in the digital technology sector
• Self-preferencing as abuse and the Google Shopping and Amazon marketplace cases
• Market access and digital ecosystems
• The relationship between the evolving abuse of dominance case and the new regulatory frameworks to address anti-competitive practices in digital markets

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Wednesday 13th August 2025

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