Reflecting on the UK Inaugural DaTA Conference: Top Five Trends to Watch as Global Regulators Step up Enforcement in Digital Markets
Last week, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) hosted its inaugural Data, Technology, and Analytics (DaTA) Conference.
The CMA DaTa Conference has been hailed as a milestone as it convened for the first time regulators, data scientists, engineers, tech companies, and academics to discuss evolving challenges in digital markets. The conference coincided with London Tech Week, during which Chris Philp, UK Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, unveiled a new UK Digital Strategy: the UK government’s vision for regulating digital markets, involving a monitoring framework and outcomes-focused regulation. The government has opened a public consultation, and stakeholders have until September 5, 2022, to offer their views on the proposed approach.
Against this background, here is our selection of the top five trends that stood out over the course of the CMA DaTa Conference. (more…)
UK Consults on Algorithmic Processing
Algorithms touch upon multiple aspects of digital life, and their use potentially falls within several separate – though converging – regulatory systems. More than ever, a ‘joined up’ approach is required to assess them, and the UK’s main regulators are working together to try to formulate a coherent policy, setting an interesting example that could be a template for global approaches to digital regulation. (more…)
Data Regulation Ramps Up in Europe: DMA, DSA, and the UK Online Safety Bill
Location
WEBINAR
REGISTER HERE
11:00 a.m. ET | 4:00 p.m. BST | 5:00 p.m. CET
Date
Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Since the EU announced its Digital and Data Strategy in February 2020, the European Commission has released several legislative proposals to regulate digital platforms and services, including with respect to access and the use of data. Included within the proposals are the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The Digital Markets Act Is Almost Here: 10 Things to Know About the EU’s New Rules for Big Tech
As regulators around the world fiercely debate new ways to oversee competition in the digital sector, the EU is on the brink of formally approving a landmark new law. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) will impose a stringent regulatory regime on large online platforms (so-called “gatekeepers”) and give the European Commission (Commission) new enforcement powers, including an ability to impose severe fines and remedies for noncompliance.
Once it comes into force, the DMA is set to revolutionize the way in which so-called Big Tech is regulated in the EU, shifting toward ex-ante rulemaking and away from traditional after-the-fact enforcement. Given the far-reaching nature of the DMA obligations, their effects will likely be felt globally.
There is a lot to digest, so below is our breakdown of the top 10 key points you should know about the EU’s new rules. (more…)
Convergence in Antitrust and Privacy Law: An Interview With Colleen Brown and New Partner Sean Royall
Sean Royall, new Sidley partner and co-leader of the firm’s global Antitrust and Consumer Protection practice, sits down with Colleen Brown to discuss the convergence in antitrust and consumer protection law. They cover the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) promotion of a more inter-disciplinary approach of looking at data issues, the practical effects that the closer coordination of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection branches would have on clients, and what law firms can be doing in response to the increasingly interrelated areas of antitrust and privacy.
Antitrust and Consumer Protection at Last Converge
Antitrust and consumer protection law—long separate provinces, even within a dual-mission government enforcement agency like the FTC that covers both fields—at last seem to be converging, as reflected in recent government enforcement activity, statements by the FTC’s leadership, and novel private litigation theories. Sean Royall, who co-leads Sidley’s Antitrust and Consumer Protection practice and is a former Deputy Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, recently called attention to this trend in an article published in Corporate Counsel magazine. (more…)
EU Data Governance Act – Edging Closer to a European Single Market for Data
On 6 April 2022, the European Parliament formally approved the Data Governance Act (“DGA”), which establishes a legal framework to promote the availability of data and increase trust in data sharing across sectors in the EU. Some of the key objectives of the new legislation include enabling the re-use of certain categories of protected public sector data and making it easier and safer for citizens and businesses to share their data with relevant stakeholders. (more…)
Trying to Tackle Big Data: European Union Launches Draft Data Act
On 23 February 2022, the European Commission (Commission) proposed a draft of a regulation on harmonised rules on fair access to and use of data – also known as the Data Act. The Data Act is intended to “ensure fairness in the digital environment, stimulate a competitive data market, open opportunities for data-driven innovation and make data more accessible for all”.
If adopted in its current form, the new rules will impose far-reaching obligations on tech companies (such as manufacturers of connected products and cloud service providers) and give national authorities new enforcement powers to sanction infringements with fines of up to EUR 20 million or 4% of annual global revenue, whichever is higher. (more…)
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority’s Music Streaming Market Study
1. What has the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced?
On January 27, The UK’s competition regulator, the CMA, has formally launched a market study into music streaming; see its Market Study Notice.
The market study will look at whether competition in the music streaming value chain is working well for consumers. It will focus on three key areas: competition among music companies; competition among music streaming services; and the impact on competition of agreements between music companies and music streaming services. (more…)
European General Court Judgment in Google Shopping: Key Takeaways
On November 10, 2021, the European General Court (Court) issued its judgment in Case T-612/17 Google and Alphabet v Commission (Google Shopping).
The Court dismissed almost in its entirety the action brought by Google and Alphabet against the decision by the European Commission (Commission) of June 27, 2017, which found that Google had abused its dominant market position by favoring its own comparison shopping service (CSS) on its general results pages while demoting the results from competing CSSs. The Court also upheld the fine of €2.42 billion imposed on Google by the Commission. The judgment can be appealed to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). (more…)
