Schmidt, Hedvig K. --- "Taming the shrew: is there a need for a new market power definition for the digital economy?" [2019] ELECD 2760; in Lundqvist, Bjorn; Gal, S. Michal (eds), "Competition Law for the Digital Economy" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019) 29

Book Title: Competition Law for the Digital Economy

Editor(s): Lundqvist, Björn; Gal, S. Michal

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 2

Section Title: Taming the shrew: is there a need for a new market power definition for the digital economy?

Author(s): Schmidt, Hedvig K.

Number of pages: 42

Abstract/Description:

This chapter questions the use of the traditional competition law tools with respect to the digital economy. The digital economy appears to present new and different market characteristics that test our traditional understanding of competition within a market, as illustrated in Google Search (Shopping). The digital economy has been branded as having a ‘competition-to-dominance trait’, meaning that the market characteristics lend themselves to ‘automatically’ creating monopolies. Yet European businesses are lagging behind those from other regions in the world in their exploitation of the digital economy and the EU is therefore keen to have strong competition policy in place that can boost competition and innovation. Therefore at the heart of this chapter is the question whether market power in relation to unilateral conduct should be defined differently in the digital economy, under the notion that the digital economy is an untameable shrew within the current competition rules.