Most of the competition laws currently enforced by states aim to protect consumer welfare and promote fair competition by regulating against anticompetitive behavior. Yet despite the shared objectives the global community does not have a common global competition law. In exploring the reasons for this, this book takes a unique interdisciplinary approach by using international relations theories to illustrate the relationship between the enforcement of competition laws and international relations through an analysis of competition cases relating to cartels, extraterritoriality, and corporate mergers and acquisitions. Through an examination of this relationship, this book will consider why the views held by state leaders on the condition of international relations may at times lead them to either arbitrarily over-enforce or disregard their competition laws to the detriment of fair competition and consumer welfare. This book also provides suggestions for global business investors who face competition law issues on how they may accommodate such views.

This book presents a comprehensive study of the emergence, functioning and evolution of international cooperation among competition authorities. It presents an in-depth look at network cooperation taking place within international organisations, as well as networks based on binding international agreements and various informal networks, among others. It further identifies and analyses the forms of international cooperation among national competition authorities (NCAs) that are taking place within transnational competition networks. The book classifies these forms of cooperation by grouping them into three stages – soft, developed and enhanced cooperation – discussing each in detail. It thus reflects the evolution of the international cooperation process and provides insights as to its possible development. This work will be of interest to researchers, academics and advanced students in the fields of competition law, public administration, international relations and those interested in international competition law and its contribution to global public governance.

Recent studies on competition law and digital markets reveal that accumulating personal information through data collection and acquisition methods benefits consumers considerably. Free of charge, fast and personalised services and products are offered to consumers online. Collected data is now an indispensable part of online businesses to the point that a new economy, a data-driven sector, has emerged. Many markets such as the social network, search engine, online advertising and e-commerce are regarded as data-driven markets in which the utilisation of Big Data is a requisite for the success of operations. However, the accumulation and use of data brings competition law concerns as they contribute to market power in the online world, resulting in a few technology giants gaining unprecedented market power due to the Big Data accumulation, indirect network effects and the creation of online ecosystems. As technology giants have billions of consumers worldwide, data-driven markets are truly global. In these data-driven markets, technology giants abuse their dominant positions, but existing competition law tools seem ineffective in addressing market power and assessing abusive behaviour related to Big Data. This book argues that a novel approach to the data-driven sector must be developed through the application of competition law rules to address this. It argues that current and potential conflicts can be mitigated by extending the competition law assessment beyond the current competition law tools to offer a modernised and unified approach to the Big Data–related competition issues. Promoting new legal tests for addressing the market power of technology giants and assessing abusive behaviour in data-driven markets, this book advocates for cooperation between competition and data protection authorities. It will be of interest to students, academics and practitioners with an interest in competition law and data protection.

This book explores the distinction between private and public aspects in competition law and focuses on how the concept of competition is incorporated into the legal framework. Distinguishing between antitrust regulations and competition-related legal rules in private law, such as unfair competition and contract laws, the book also differentiates between the utilitarian and deontological principles that underpin competition regulation. This historical and philosophical approach is used to compare two influential jurisdictions: England and Spain. These legal systems have had a significant impact on the development of legal rules in Common law and Civilian (Latin American) countries, respectively. Through this lens, the book further analyses the concept of "competition" and its value in each legal tradition. This understanding, in turn, helps clarify the scope of competition regulation within antitrust and private law and how the two fields coexist. Additionally, the book examines the role of property law theory in the context of competition regulation. The book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of competition law, tort law, and legal history.

This collection of more than two dozen papers delivered to a symposium on International Harmonization of Competition Laws examines the policies and practices of competition laws in major industrial jurisdictions and emerging industrialized economies such as the host country of the Symposium, the Republic of China on Taiwan. World class scholars and leading enforcement officials contributed to this volume, which examines the difficult issues of harmonizing competition laws. In addition to enhancing the scholarship on a topic of current interest after the Uruguay Round of GATT talks, the book also systematically examines topical issues in competition laws. It thus not only offers policy analysis, but also provides useful discussions of national and regional competition laws. A useful tool on comparative competition laws, this volume should be of interest to academics, practitioners and enforcement officials around the world.

Unoki addresses the significance of racism in international relations by focusing on its conception as a doctrine and its interrelationship with imperialism, its doctrinal role in the development of the discipline of International Relations (IR), and various episodes from Western and Asian history in which racism had affected state behavior and the practice of diplomacy. The creation of empires that oppressed indigenous peoples, the two World Wars and the campaigns of ethnic “cleansing” and genocide that accompanied these wars and other conflicts, and international movements calling for the elimination of racial discrimination, attest to the impact racial prejudice, or racism, has had on international relations. Despite this history, racism’s relevance is seldom mentioned in IR courses offered in universities or IR textbooks. Instead, IR scholars have often explained the behavior of states using the framework of theories that highlight variables and themes such as power, fear, and the search for security in an anarchic world. Unoki demonstrates that racism has not only substantially influenced the course of international relations but that it continues to do so in the 21st century, making it imperative that policymakers are aware of racism’s deleterious legacy. A vital resource for students, policymakers, and those who are interested in building a more tolerant and just world.

This important book systematically analyses the private international law issues regarding private antitrust damages claims which arise out of transnational competition law infringements. It identifies those problems that need to be considered by injured parties, defendants, judges and policy-makers when dealing with cross-border private antitrust damages claims in a global context. It considers the post-Brexit landscape and the implications in cross border private proceedings before the English courts and suggests how the legal landscape should be developed. It also sets out how private international law techniques could play an increasingly important role in private antitrust enforcement. Comprehensive and rigorous, this is required reading for scholars of both competition litigation and private international law.

This book compares the two golden ages of private international law (PIL): the first is the era of Story and Savigny in the nineteenth century, while the second comprises the last fifty years. The period between 1970 and 2020 has been one of rapid changes and dense legislative responses, exemplified by the adoption of over one hundred national PIL codifications and almost as many international or regional conventions and regulations. These instruments provide a rich source for this book’s incisive and instructive comparisons and a fertile ground for a reliable assessment of the progress of PIL as a discipline. This book skillfully uncovers and meticulously documents the gradual—and largely unnoticed—transition of PIL from the idealism of the nineteenth century to the pragmatic eclecticism and pluralism of the twenty-first century.

The Research Handbook on International Competition Law brings together leading academics, practitioners and competition officials to discuss the most recent developments in international competition law and policy. This comprehensive Handbook explores the dynamics of international cooperation and national enforcement. It identifies initiatives that led to the current state of collaboration and also highlights current and future challenges. The Handbook features twenty-two contributions on topical subjects including: competition in developed and developing economies, enforcement trends, advocacy and regional and multinational cooperation. In addition, selected areas of law are explored from a comparative perspective. These include intellectual property and competition law, the pharmaceutical industry, merger control worldwide and the application of competition law to agreements and dominant market position. Presenting an overview of the current state of cooperation and convergence as well as a comparative analysis of substance and procedure, this authoritative Handbook will prove an invaluable reference tool for academics, competition officials and practitioners who focus on international competition law.

This fascinating book offers up a window on one of today’s key areas relating to globalization. The matter in question is to what extent national competition policy has to be regarded as a factor of international competitiveness. Should national antitrust policy be given priority over international antitrust rules?