Some thoughts on the #DMA, while reading it.
"Weak contestability"??? Really? Leading to "less choice and innovation to the detriment of European consumers"? I am sorry, whut?!
Not so sure about that. The DSA is a truth-seeker (corresponding to the state of technical advances: impossible to prevent ALL illegal content > obligation to spot it after publication), while the DMA is a truth-teller (do's and don'ts). It's a much, much different philosophy.
When a (legal) category is THAT broad, it's not a category anymore, it's a tote bag. We need more granularity (more on that coming soon). #totebag
This is *not cool*. There has been no dialogue between the EC and the overall academic community. Organizing a conference/report with pre-designated experts, and asking for contributions while not responding to them is NOT a dialogue. What a missed opportunity.
This stems from the GDPR experience (benefiting big tech by putting a heavier burden â comparatively â on SMEs).
Curious: I thought the "platform economy" wasn't dynamic (page 1)? So... the EC says it is â for potentially imposing more obligations, but also that it is not â for justifying the first obligations.

Empirical study showing that it's way more complex as these "super-supra-invincible-platforms" also compete (very actively) against each other: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/big-tech-and-the-digital-economy-9780198837701?cc=nl&lang=en& (by @CompetitionProf).
Yeah, it's complex. And? Let's gather more expertise ( https://www.amazon.com/Complexity-Economy-W-Brian-Arthur/dp/0199334293), rather than creating some legal rules which do not match reality.
Good to know for business executives: you have been offering a great service for 3 years, over 3 member States: no need to worry anymore, you won the market.
Why not, but one question: the EC doesn't have the mean to be pro-active in cartel cases (90% of cases are reactive according to the OECD). So, how will this impact EC capacities? Does it mean even less proactivity in other fields? Does it mean a bigger budget is being discussed?
NEW: the EC is now considering technical aspects â and not only contractual ones. Yay: https://leconcurrentialiste.com/predatory-innovation-google-hearing/.
The EC says the DMA is complementing competition law, and then copy-paste the statement of objections against Amazon (article 102)?! Also, this is going after a business model!
I surely understand the logic, but in practice? Photos are portable, OK. But what about... everything that is *only* possible on one of these services?
Whut? So... having a great product is bad for competition? Learning effects are now barriers to entry, and should be preventing/distributed?
Andd.... the (soon to be famous) break-up part. So, if a gatekeeperâs size + the economic dependency of business users and end users increase = potential break-up.
Reading between the lines, the EC is saying: the Bundeskartellamt's decision against FB is NOT competition law (which I agree with, as the practice is secret = can't be an abuse OF a dominant position, unless the secrecy is permitted by the dominance).
So... wait: we protect competitors, and not competition? Well.. yeah. Too bad, I liked telling my American friends we were not doing that in Europe.
Overall:
1 â I've probably missed lots of important points. I'll get back to it first thing tomorrow morning.
2 â NOTHING on (1) new technologies, (2) management (what's happening inside the firm), (3) market dynamism. No empirical work quoted (at least, I havenât found any).
1 â I've probably missed lots of important points. I'll get back to it first thing tomorrow morning.
2 â NOTHING on (1) new technologies, (2) management (what's happening inside the firm), (3) market dynamism. No empirical work quoted (at least, I havenât found any).
3 â Welcome back ordo-liberalism, welcome back structuralism, welcome back the 60s. Ciao Darwin (I liked you). Now is time to listen to The Kinks again, I mean⊠The Who. I mean... not the Kinks.
@threadreaderapp unroll.