Notícias
Suspected anti-competitive behaviour relating to freelance and employed labour in the production, creation and/or broadcasting of television content, excluding sport
The CMA is investigating suspected breaches of competition law in relation to the purchase of freelance services and the employment of staff supporting the production, creation and/or broadcasting of television content in the UK, excluding sport content.From:Competition and Markets AuthorityPublished12 October 2023Last updated26 March 2024 — See all updatesCase type:CA98 and civil cartelsCase state:OpenMarket sector:CommunicationsOpened:11 October 2023
Administrative timetable
| Date | Action |
| April 2024 to October 2024 | Further investigatory steps and assessment of evidence |
| October 2023 to March 2024 | Initial investigation: information gathering |
| 11 October 2023 | Investigation opened |
Case information
On 11 October 2023, the CMA launched an investigation under section 25 of the Competition Act 1998 (‘CA98’) into a suspected infringement or infringements of the Chapter I prohibition of the CA98 by a number of undertakings involved in the production, creation and/or broadcasting of television content.
The investigation concerns the activities of these undertakings in relation to the purchase of services from freelance providers, and the employment of staff, who support the production, creation and/or broadcasting of television content in the UK, excluding sport content.
The CMA is investigating suspected breaches of competition law by at least the following undertakings: the British Broadcasting Corporation, Hartswood Films Limited, Hat Trick Productions Limited, ITV PLC, Red Planet Pictures Limited, Sister Pictures Limited and Tiger Aspect Productions Limited.
At this stage the CMA believes it has reasonable grounds to suspect one or more breaches of competition law. The CMA has not reached a view as to whether there is sufficient evidence of an infringement of competition law for it to issue a statement of objections to any party or parties. Not all cases result in the CMA issuing a statement of objections and no assumption should be made at this stage that the CA98 has been infringed.
The CMA is separately investigating suspected breaches of competition law in relation to the purchase of freelance services and the employment of staff supporting the production and broadcasting of sports content in the UK. Please see the case page for further details.
Personal data
The CMA may collect, use and share personal data for its investigations, including investigations under the Competition Act 1998. This includes processing personal data for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
For more information about how the CMA handles personal information, please see the CMA’s Personal Information Charter.
Contacts
- Assistant Project Director, Helen Cameron helen.cameron@cma.gov.uk
- Project Director, Emma Lindsay emma.lindsay@cma.gov.uk
- Senior Responsible Officer, Juliette Enser juliette.enser@cma.gov.uk
Media contact
Any media enquiries should be directed to a member of our Press Office: press@cma.gov.uk.
Information about suspected anti-competitive activity can be reported to the CMA.
Published 12 October 2023
Last updated 26 March 2024 + show all updates
La CNMC autoriza con compromisos la compra de World Padel Tour por Qatar Sports Investments
27 Mar 2024 | Competencia Nota de prensa
- La adquisición afecta al mercado de tenencia de derechos de explotación de competiciones deportivas de pádel profesional.
- Los compromisos presentados garantizarán la libertad de los jugadores/as de participar en otras competiciones.
La Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) ha aprobado en primera fase y con compromisos la compra de World Padel Tour (WPT) por parte de Qatar Sports Investments (QSI).
La operación afecta al mercado de tenencia de derechos de explotación de competiciones deportivas de pádel profesional. Premier Padel (de QSI) y WPT son dos de los circuitos de pádel profesional más relevantes a nivel nacional e internacional. Solapan sus actividades y, con esta operación, buscan fusionarse en un único torneo, Premier Padel (C/1430/23).
Riesgos para la competencia
La CNMC analizó los problemas de competencia que podrían producirse si autorizaba la compra sin compromisos. Para ello, realizó un test de mercado con diversos agentes que podían verse afectados por la operación: promotores, patrocinadores, cadenas de retransmisión de eventos deportivos y, especialmente, jugadores.
Los actores consultados se mostraron, con carácter general, favorables a la operación. Sin embargo, una vez autorizada la compra, Premier Padel alcanzará cuotas muy elevadas y liderará el mercado de tenencia de derechos de explotación de competiciones deportivas de pádel profesional. Así, QSI tendrá una posición privilegiada a la hora de decidir las condiciones de participación de los jugadores/as. Esto podría suponer la imposición de cláusulas de exclusividad o de otro tipo que limiten de forma directa o indirecta su participación en otros torneos competidores.
Compromisos de QSI
La CNMC considera que los compromisos propuestos por QSI son suficientes para eliminar los problemas de competencia.
- Los jugadores/as podrán participar en torneos del circuito Premier Padel en España sin necesidad de suscribir un acuerdo o de estar afiliados a alguna asociación.
- No se aplicarán cláusulas de exclusividad a los jugadores/as para torneos en España, independientemente de si han firmado acuerdos con Premier Padel o si están afiliados a alguna asociación.
- En caso de adhesión a los acuerdos de Premier Padel, regirán las condiciones actualmente previstas para los torneos que se celebren en España.
- En consecuencia, otros contratos vigentes dejarán de aplicarse cuando se cierre la operación y no se retomarán en el futuro.
- QSI informará a la CNMC, para que lo valide, si adopta un nuevo acuerdo marco o modifica las condiciones vigentes.
- Los compromisos durarán tres años, con posibilidad de extenderse dos años más.
Contenido relacionado:
Documento no oficial destinado a los medios de comunicación y que no vincula a la CNMC. Reproducción permitida solo si se cita a la fuente.
Développer les capacités numériques pour renforcer la capacité d’action des autorités de concurrence : l’ICN adopte une déclaration commune
Publié le 26 mars 2024Imprimer la page
- Partager sur Twitter (nouvelle fenêtre)
- Partager sur LinkedIn (nouvelle fenêtre)
- Partager sur Facebook (nouvelle fenêtre)
Les 25 et 26 mars, des représentants des unités numériques et experts en technologie des autorités de concurrence et de protection des consommateurs ont participé au Technologist Forum organisé dans le cadre du Réseau international de la concurrence (ICN) par la Federal Trade Commission (FTC) à Washington D.C., aux Etats-Unis. 24 agences se sont réunies dans le but de partager leurs expériences et de promouvoir un renforcement des capacités numériques et technologiques des autorités de concurrence. Il s’agit de la première réunion mondiale des experts en technologie des autorités de concurrence et de protection des consommateurs.
A l’issue de ce forum, les agences participantes, dont l’Autorité de la concurrence, ont adopté une déclaration commune qui réaffirme trois axes clés :
- La nécessité de développer les capacités numériques pour faire face à la numérisation croissante de l’économie.
- La nécessité de renforcer la mise en œuvre du droit de la concurrence en augmentant l’expertise interne et les capacités techniques.
- La nécessité de renforcer la coopération entre les agences internationales, au niveau des experts techniques.
DÉCLARATION COMMUNE (EN ANGLAIS)
Building Digital Capacity to Strengthen and Support Law Enforcement Agencies
Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive conduct by Zoetis over novel pain medicine for dogs
Page contents
The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether animal health company Zoetis may have breached EU competition rules by preventing the market launch of a competing novel biologic medicine used to treat chronic pain in dogs.
Zoetis is a global animal health company headquartered in the US. Zoetis’ Librela is the first and only monoclonal antibody medicine approved in Europe to treat pain associated with osteoarthritis in dogs. The medicine is administered monthly and offers a novel pain relief option, particularly relevant for older dogs.
In parallel to developing Librela, Zoetis acquired another late-stage pipeline product for the same indication of pain relief, which was going to be commercialised in the European Economic Area (‘EEA’) by a third party. The Commission is concerned that Zoetis may have engaged in exclusionary behaviour contrary to EU antitrust rules by terminating the development of this alternative pipeline product and refusing to transfer this pipeline medicine to the third party which in the EEA had exclusive commercialisation rights.
If proven, the behaviour under investigation may breach EU competition rules, which prohibit the abuse of a dominant position (Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU’)) and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement.
This is the Commission’s first formal investigation into a potential abuse relating to the exclusionary termination of a pipeline product which was to be commercialised by a third party.
The Commission will carry out its in-depth investigation as a matter of priority. The opening of a formal investigation does not prejudge its outcome.
Background
In November 2020, Virbac, a French company specialised in animal health, submitted a complaint against Zoetis.
The Commission carried out unannounced inspections at Zoetis’ premises in Belgium in October 2021.
Article 102 TFEU prohibits the abuse of a dominant position that may affect trade within the EU and prevent or restrict competition. The implementation of this provision is defined in Regulation No 1/2003, which can also be applied by the national competition authorities.
Article 11(6) of Regulation No 1/2003 provides that the opening of proceedings by the Commission relieves the competition authorities of the Member States of their competence to apply EU competition rules to the practices concerned. Article 16(1) further provides that national courts must avoid adopting decisions which would conflict with a decision contemplated by the Commission in proceedings it has initiated.
The Commission has informed Zoetis and the competition authorities of the Member States that it has opened proceedings in this case.
There is no legal deadline for bringing an antitrust investigation to an end. Its duration depends on a number of factors, including the complexity of the case, the extent to which the companies concerned cooperate with the Commission and the exercise of the rights of defence.
More information on the investigation will be available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number AT.40734.
Quote(s)
Competition in veterinary medicines ensures pet owners can choose between different safe, innovative, and affordable medicines. This is why we are investigating whether Zoetis may have unlawfully prevented the entry of a novel medicine used to treat chronic pain in dogs which could have competed with its own biologic medicine Librela.
Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy
Related topics
Print friendly pdf
Possible anticompetitive conduct by Zoetis
English
40.642, kB – PDF
Commission sends Statement of Objections over proposed acquisition of a stake in ITA Airways by Lufthansa
Page contents
The European Commission has informed Deutsche Lufthansa AG (‘Lufthansa‘) and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (‘MEF‘) of its preliminary view that their proposed acquisition of joint control of ITA Airways (‘ITA‘) may restrict competition on certain routes in the market for passenger air transport services in and out of Italy. The Commission is concerned that customers may face increased prices or decreased quality of services after the transaction.
Lufthansa and ITA operate an extensive network of routes from their respective hubs in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. Lufthansa has joint ventures with United Airlines and Air Canada for transatlantic routes as well as with All Nippon Airways for routes to Japan. The joint venture partners coordinate on price, capacity, scheduling, and share revenues.
The Statement of Objections
On 23 January 2024 the Commission opened an in-depth investigation to assess if Lufthansa’s acquisition of a stake in ITA may restrict competition in the provision of passenger air transport services in and out of Italy.
The Commission has conducted a wide-ranging investigation to understand the potential impact of the deal. This investigation has included, among others, analysing internal documents and detailed information provided by the parties and gathering information and views from competing airlines, airports, slot coordinators and customers.
The Commission has also considered proactive submissions from individual consumers, consumer representative organisations, airports, rival airlines and trade unions expressing their views in support of or against the transaction.
As a result of this in-depth investigation, the Commission is concerned that the transaction may:
- Reduce competition on a certain number of short-haul routes connecting Italy with countries in Central Europe. On such routes, Lufthansa and ITA compete or will compete head-to-head mainly with direct, but also with indirect flights. Competition in such routes appears limited and comes primarily from low-cost carriers, such as Ryanair, who in many cases operate from more remote airports.
- Reduce competition on a certain number of long-haul routes between Italy and the US, Canada and Japan. On such routes, ITA on the one hand and Lufthansa and its joint venture partners on the other hand compete head-to-head with direct or indirect flights. Competition from other airlines appears insufficient on those routes. In its assessment, the Commission treats the activities of ITA, Lufthansa and its joint venture partners as those of a single entity after the merger.
- Create or strengthen ITA’s dominant position at the Milan-Linate airport, which could make it harder for rivals to provide passenger air transport services from and to Milan-Linate.
Every year, millions of passengers travel on those routes for a total annual spending of over €3 billion. The Commission’s objective is to ensure that the transaction would not lead to adverse effects for customers – consumers and businesses alike – in terms of increased prices or decreased quality of services. ITA has had a successful start to its operations. The Commission is concerned that, absent suitable remedies, the removal of ITA as an independent airline may have negative effects on competition in these already concentrated markets. The routes giving rise to potential concerns represent a small share of total short- and long-haul routes and passengers served by both parties and their joint venture partners, and the potential concerns do not affect the vast majority of routes that ITA operates.
A Statement of Objections is a formal step in an investigation, where the Commission informs the companies concerned in writing of the objections raised against them. The sending of a Statement of Objections does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation. Lufthansa and MEF now have the opportunity to reply to the Commission’s Statement of Objections, to consult the Commission’s case file and to request an oral hearing.
Lufthansa and MEF also have the possibility to put forward remedies to address the preliminary competition concerns identified by the Commission. They can decide to submit remedies at any time of the proceedings until the remedy deadline, which currently falls on 26 April 2024.
Companies and products
ITA, headquartered in Italy, is a full-service carrier with domestic and international operations in passenger and cargo air transport. ITA operates a hub-and-spoke network with its principal hubs in Rome and Milan. ITA was created by the Italian State in October 2020 and it had a successful year 2023. ITA is a member of the SkyTeam alliance.
Lufthansa, headquartered in Germany, is a global full-service carrier with domestic and international operations in passenger and cargo air transport. Lufthansa also operates a hub-and-spoke network with its principal hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels. Its subsidiaries include Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Swiss International Airlines and Air Dolomiti. Lufthansa is a member of the Star Alliance, of a transatlantic joint venture with United Airlines and Air Canada and of a joint venture for traffic between Europe and Japan with All Nippon Airways.
MEF carries out the tasks and responsibilities of the Italian government in the fields of economic policy, financial policy, budgeting, and tax policies. MEF holds shareholdings in public and strategic companies in Italy, among others in the transport sector, and it is currently the sole shareholder in ITA. The companies in which MEF has shareholdings are active worldwide.
Background
The transaction was notified to the Commission on 30 November 2023. On 8 January 2024, Lufthansa submitted commitments to address some of the Commission’s preliminary concerns. However, these commitments were insufficient, in terms of both scope and effectiveness, to clearly dismiss the Commission’s preliminary concerns. The Commission therefore did not test them with market participants.
The Commission opened an in-depth investigation on 23 January 2024 and has until 6 June 2024 to take a final decision.
The Commission has the duty to assess mergers and acquisitions involving companies with a turnover above certain thresholds (see Article 1 of the Merger Regulation) and to prevent concentrations that would significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area or any substantial part of it.
The vast majority of notified mergers do not pose competition problems and are cleared after a routine review. From the moment a transaction is notified, the Commission generally has 25 working days to decide whether to grant approval (Phase I) or to start an in-depth investigation (Phase II).
In addition to the current transaction, there is currently one ongoing Phase II merger investigation, namely the proposed acquisition of Air Europa by IAG.
More information will be available on the Commission’s competition website, in the Commission’s public case register under the case number M.11071.
Related topics
Print friendly pdf
ITA Airways by Lufthansa
English
40.52, kB – PDF
24 International Competition Network Participants Issue Joint Statement on Increasing Tech Capacity to Keep Pace with Increasing Digitization of the Economy
FTC also releases paper on evolution of technologist expertise at agency
Tags:
- Consumer Protection
- Competition
- Office of International Affairs
- International Competition Network (ICN)
- Technology
- Tech
- Office of Technology
The Federal Trade Commission and other member agencies of the International Competition Network (ICN) jointly issued a statement about how regulatory agencies can increase their tech capacity to keep pace with the increasing use of technology across industries.
The joint statement grew out of a first-ever Technology Forum convened March 25-26 in Washington DC by competition and consumer protection authorities who participate in the ICN and hosted by the FTC.
Separately, a number of U.S. federal and state agencies, including the FTC, also released agency-specific action statements today on tech capacity. These statements reflect concrete actions to increase tech capacity, including actively hiring technologists, which will help the agencies enforce existing laws and design remedies that work for consumers, workers, small businesses, and others.
The FTC also released a new staff report today that details the evolution of the agency’s work to expand its technological expertise and how the agency’s Office of Technology, created in early 2023, applies its subject matter expertise to assisting the agency’s enforcement and regulatory work.
A Joint Statement on Increasing Tech Capacity in Law Enforcement Agencies Around the World
The joint statement recognizes that the increasing digitization of economies around the world require a greater level of expertise in order to assess the behavior of companies and the ability to weigh potential benefits and risks of technology. The statement notes that integrating technological expertise in competition and consumer protection enforcement work can help ensure timely intervention to tackle problems at their inception. This includes detecting consumer harms or anticompetitive conduct, targeting unlawful practices before they are widely adopted, or assessing market conditions that could lead markets to tip. This can help limit harms, promote greater competition and innovation, and save time and resources over the long term.
The joint statement also calls for building interdisciplinary technological expertise by hiring roles across software and hardware engineering, product design and user experience, data science, investigative and user research, expertise in machine learning and artificial intelligence, ad tech and others. Lastly, the participants called for building on this year’s ICN Technology Forum through continued engagement and cross fertilization of ideas and best practices.
The lead staffers on these matters include Noam Kantor, Amritha Jayanti, and Stephanie Nguyen in the Office of Technology and Paul O’Brien and Maria Coppola in the Office of International Affairs.
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. You can learn more about consumer topics and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.
Contact Information
Media Contact
Office of Public Affairs
Casos
CADE
Ato de Concentração nº 08700.001350/2024-93
Requerentes: Arezzo Indústria e Comércio S.A. e Grupo de Moda Soma S.A. Advogados: Ana Paula Paschoalini, Beatriz Kenchian, Barbara Rosenberg, Marcos Exposto e Julia Krein. Decido pela aprovação sem restrições.
Ato de Concentração nº 08700.001388/2024-66
Requerentes: Orizon Energia e Gás Renovável Limitada e GN Verde Participações S.A. Advogados: Ricardo Botelho, Victoria Malta Corradini e Mylena Augusto de Matos. Decido pela aprovação sem restrições.
Ato de Concentração nº 08700.001755/2024-21
Requerentes: Goldwind Equipamentos e Soluções em Energia Renovável Ltda. e GE Energias Renováveis Ltda. Advogados: Leonardo Maniglia Duarte, Fernanda Lins Nemer, Luciana Martorano e Maria Amoroso Wagner. Decido pela aprovação sem restrições.
Ato de Concentração nº 08700.001395/2024-68
Requerentes: BlackRock Funding, Inc. e Global Infrastructure Management, LLC. Advogados: Vivian Fraga, Raquel Jorge, João Paulo Salviano, Stefany Carvalho de Paula, Barbara Rosenberg, Guilherme Morgulis e Marcela Abras Lorenzetti. Decido pela aprovação sem restrições.
Ato de Concentração nº 08700.001423/2024-47
Requerentes: DaVita Brasil Participações e Serviços de Nefrologia Ltda. e INEHDI – Instituto de Nefrologia, Hipertensão Arterial e Diálise Ltda. Advogados: Daniel Oliveira Andreoli, Mariana Llamazalez Ou e Karina Rezende. Decido pela aprovação sem restrições.
CMA
Venus Topco Limited / Atlanta Investment Holdings 3 Limited merger inquiry
- The CMA is investigating the anticipated acquisition by Venus Topco Limited of Atlanta Investment Holdings 3 Limited.
- Updated: 26 March 2024
Qualcomm Incorporated / Autotalks Ltd merger inquiry
- The CMA investigated the anticipated acquisition by Qualcomm Incorporated of Autotalks Ltd.
- Updated: 25 March 2024
Comissão Europeia
TA ASSOCIATES / SSCP / MACQUARIE / BYGGFAKTA GROUP
Merger
Last decision date:
25.03.2024 Simplified procedure
SILVER LAKE / AUSTRALIANSUPER / DIGITALBRIDGE / VANTAGE EMEA
Merger
Last decision date: 25.03.2024 Simplified procedure
AGCO / TRIMBLE / JV
Merger
Last decision date: 25.03.2024
DEUTSCHE LUFTHANSA / MEF / ITA
Merger
Last decision date: 25.03.2024
Ongoing
Investigation phase: 2