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Cross-border Anti-competitive Agreements
Tupá, Kristýna ; Růžička, Květoslav (referee)
1 ABSTRACT Cross-border Anti-competitive Agreements Functional market mechanism, as an essential element of a market economy, is a prerequisite for the economic prosperity of advanced democratic states. A completely crucial element of its functionality is free competition, the protection of which is regulated by competition law. However, competition does not apply consistently across all sectors. In this thesis I focuse on its application within the financial services area. This sector`s nature is very specific because we must always strive to maintain financial stability when implementing any measures. How should legislation respond to these aspects respond and how should the competition policy itself be shaped? Is regulation of this area necessary or does the competition intself represent a thread to the financial stability of the system? In order to fully understand the specifics of this area, it is firstly necessary to become familiar with the economic aspect of competition law and the nature of these white-collar crimes. Consequently, I will focus on the application of the competition law on financial services, taking into account new technologies and their influence on the structure of this market. The impact of competition on the banking sector is one of the core parts of this thesis. Based on an...
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Competition law aspects of technical standardization, use and protection of intellectual property rights
Pelcman, Lukáš ; Šmejkal, Václav (advisor) ; Vondráčková, Aneta (referee)
Competition law aspects of technical standardization, use and protection of intellectual property rights Abstract The thesis deals with mutual relationship between intellectual property law and competition law in the context of technical standardization - i.e. process which gives rise to a significant number of potential conflicts between the two legal areas. It is analysed, in the context of technical standardization, in what way are subjective rights of intellectual property right owners limited by competition law regulation. It falls within the ambit of this thesis to evaluate whether respective legal framework fulfils necessary requirements on legal certainty and whether it is applied in the same manner to each undertaking, or if there are any discrepancies as to the application of the legal framework dependent on the kind of the undertaking. This thesis particularly concerns with competition law aspects of standardization in information and communication technology sector and selected issues related to use or protection of intellectual property rights in connection to article 101 and 102 TFEU. First chapter explains what the term technical standard entails, introduces de facto and de jure standards, describes the process of their creation and analyses potential effects of this process on the...
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Cross-border Anti-competitive Agreements
Tupá, Kristýna ; Pauknerová, Monika (advisor) ; Rozehnal, Aleš (referee) ; Zahradníčková, Marie (referee)
1 ABSTRACT Cross-border Anti-competitive Agreements Functional market mechanism, as an essential element of a market economy, is a prerequisite for the economic prosperity of advanced democratic states. A completely crucial element of its functionality is free competition, the protection of which is regulated by competition law. However, competition does not apply consistently across all sectors. In this thesis I focuse on its application within the financial services area. This sector`s nature is very specific because we must always strive to maintain financial stability when implementing any measures. How should legislation respond to these aspects respond and how should the competition policy itself be shaped? Is regulation of this area necessary or does the competition intself represent a thread to the financial stability of the system? In order to fully understand the specifics of this area, it is firstly necessary to become familiar with the economic aspect of competition law and the nature of these white-collar crimes. Consequently, I will focus on the application of the competition law on financial services, taking into account new technologies and their influence on the structure of this market. The impact of competition on the banking sector is one of the core parts of this thesis. Based on an...
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Disclosure of evidence in relation to an action based on competition law infringements.
Růžek, Mikoláš ; Šmejkal, Václav (advisor) ; Kunertová, Tereza (referee)
Disclosure of evidence in relation to an action based on competition law infringements Abstract This thesis is about private competition law enforcement and its procedural aspects. The topic is analyzed in the context of transposition of the Directive on actions for damages for competition law infringements into Czech law. Specifically, the thesis analyzes disclosure of evidence in the context of information asymmetry between parties to a civil litigation. Information asymmetry is being understood in the thesis as a situation in which the information relevant for case of one party to a dispute is controlled by the other party, while latter does not have any incentive to introduce this information to the proceedings. Solution to this issue is analyzed by comparison with the solution utilized in the US system, which is unique in its reliance on private enforcement. The thesis firstly introduces possible solutions to information asymmetry in the civil procedure and notes advantages and disadvantages of each solution. It also discusses the way these different solutions affect cost effectiveness of the proceedings. The thesis then continues to discuss American discovery in more detail; it describes its evolution and its criticism. After this introduction of the American system, the thesis moves on to discuss the...
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Big data and EU merger control
Bosáková, Viktória ; Šmejkal, Václav (advisor) ; Svobodová, Magdaléna (referee)
BIG DATA AND EU MERGER CONTROL ABSTRACT The significance of "big data" as a factor in the competitive assessment of mergers in EU has attracted more and more attention in the past years. Today's digital economy revolves around the Internet and information technologies that together enabled collecting and processing previously unimaginable sets of data, high in volume, velocity, variety and value. Data started to present a valuable and important asset to various businesses, mainly active on online platforms. Consequently, companies may engage in strategic mergers in order to acquire profitable data from one another. The aim of this master thesis is to research and analyse whether big data could result in the increased market power of the newly merged company or could have detrimental effects on other competitors present on the market or the competition itself. The main research question therefore is whether big data in its essence could constitute a competitive concern when it comes to data-related mergers. This thesis initially clarifies the concept and characteristics of "big data" in general, whilst demonstrating the increasing significance of data used as assets for businesses in the present digital economy. The research then focuses on what role specific features of data could play in various stages of...
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Protection of competition in selected liberalized network industries: the case of rail and air transport in the EU
Mohylová, Aneta ; Šmejkal, Václav (advisor) ; Kunertová, Tereza (referee)
(EN) This thesis deals with the EU competition law enforcement in the transport sector towards private undertakings. Specifically, air and rail transport are focused at as they represent convenient examples on which it can be demonstrated how the EU manages to cope with the liberalization process and apply the competition rules to these sectors. The main research question of the thesis is what specific features can be observed in the decision making of the Commission and Court of Justice of the EU regarding the competition rules in the transport sector, specifically air and rail industry. This thesis is structured as follows. In total, it includes six chapters, introduction, four main chapters and the conclusion. The first main chapter is devoted to the EU transport policy as the goals of the transport policy, the liberalization process and its main characteristics are described. Specifically, the main milestones in the creation of single European transport policy in the transport sector are presented and the main obstacles in the liberalization process in the airline and rail sector are discussed. Moreover, the chapter also deals with the relationship of ex ante regulation and ex post competition rules. The second chapter focuses on the analysis of the competition rules enforcement in the air...
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Application of competition law on the markets with multisided platforms
Mikeš, Stanislav ; Černá, Stanislava (advisor) ; Horáček, Tomáš (referee)
1 Application of competition law on the markets with multisided platforms Abstract This rigorous thesis deals with a phenomenon of multisided platforms from the competition law perspective with a special focus on online multisided platforms. A notion of multisided platforms is explained in the thesis as well as its implications for the competition law. It is then examined how a market structure of a multisided platform influences a process of delimitation of a relevant market and assessment of a market power as two basic pillars of every competition law analysis. Theoretical findings are then confronted with a selected decision-making practice of EU and national competition authorities dealing with the phenomenon of multisided platforms. The thesis is structured into four main chapters. Chapter One contains a brief introduction into the subject-matter and sets out goals of this thesis which are to present the phenomenon of multisided platforms, explore its specifics and show how the methods of competition law analysis needs to be adapted in other to correctly assess all the specifics of the multisided platforms. Chapter Two presents various definitions of multisided platforms in academic literature. Potential categories of multisided platforms are presented in this chapter. The notion of multisided...
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Compensation for damage arising from breach of competition law from the perspective of private international law
Línek, David ; Černá, Stanislava (advisor) ; Brodec, Jan (referee)
1 Abstract The thesis deals with the topic of damages claims arising from breach of competition law. In particular, it focuses on the cases in which is involved a relevant international element. The thesis reflect the thought that even after adoption of Directive on certain rules governing actions for damages under national law for infringements of the competition law provisions of the Member States and of the European Union, there are still significant differences between the legal systems of the Member States, which to a large extent affect the compensation for damages. The thesis is divided into six chapters, the first and last of which are general introduction and conclusion. The second chapter deals with the definition of private enforcement of competition law and its relation to private international law. The third chapter can be divided into two relatively separate parts. The first one deals with the general construction of damages in the Czech Civil Code and performs a basic comparison with the Germany and England. The second part deals with selected specific areas of competition law. In particular, with the topics such as: who is eligible to bring an action; who can be considered as liable; or the basic procedural specificities (the distinction between stand alone and follow-on actions, the...
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Collective actions in private enforcement of competition law
Jahn, Martin ; Šmejkal, Václav (advisor) ; Kunertová, Tereza (referee)
in English This master's thesis is concerned with collective redress mechanisms in the area of competition law of the European Union. Taking into account the ongoing modernization of private enforcement of competition law, the European Commission had decided to create a complementary system of collective and representative actions. Implementation of such instruments was recommended by the European Commission in Commission Recommendation of 11 June 2013 on common principles for injunctive and compensatory collective redress mechanisms in the Member States concerning violations of rights granted under Union Law. The main research question of this thesis is whether the European Commission has taken a wise approach towards collective redress mechanisms by creating the complementary system of collective redress, using the opt-in mechanism. This master's thesis is divided into 5 main chapters. In the first chapter, the readers are introduced to the topic of enforcement of competition law in the European Union. Further, the main research question is laid down, followed by the sources and methodology used in this thesis. The second chapter shortly describes each way of enforcement of competition law in the European Union. It aims mainly at describing private enforcement of competition law, as it forms the...
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The specifics of interpretation and application of the European union competition law in relation to patents: limitation of patent rights by the "essential facility doctrine" in the U.S. antitrust and E.U. competition law
Přibil, Stanislav ; Šmejkal, Václav (advisor) ; Dobřichovský, Tomáš (referee)
The relationship between competition law and intellectual property (IP) rights is often viewed as adversarial. Competition law strives to maintain effective competition as a way of achieving effective allocation of resources and thereby contributing to consumer welfare. IP rights, on the other hand, provide the IP holder with a legal monopoly for a limited period of time, which shield the IP holder from competition. Although the ultimate goal of competition law and IP rights is to contribute to consumer welfare, the methods used to achieve this goal - creating a monopoly on the one hand and maintaining competition on the other hand - seem to be in conflict. This thesis examines the interaction between competition law and patent rights. In particular, it considers whether patent rights can be restricted by the "essential facility doctrine", both under US antitrust law and EU competition law. The essential facility doctrine (EFD) was developed in US jurisprudence as a type of monopolization claim under Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The doctrine has four elements: (1) control of an essential facility by a monopolist, (2) a competitor's inability to practically or economically duplicate the facility, (3) denial of use of the facility to the competitor, and (4) feasibility of providing access to the...
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