Focus Antitrust - 28 November 2018

In The News

Ping refused permission to appeal CMA decision on online sales ban

The Competition Appeal Tribunal has refused Ping’s application for permission to appeal against the Tribunal’s ruling, which upheld the CMA’s finding that Ping’s online sales ban was in breach of the prohibition on anti-competitive agreements. Click here.

CMA clears proposed merger of data company Nielsen and the advertising intelligence division of Ebiquity

The CMA has cleared the proposed media intelligence merger of data company Nielsen and the advertising intelligence division of Ebiquity. This confirms the CMA’s provisional findings, which found that, although Nielsen and Ebiquity sell advertising intelligence products to UK and international customers, the design of their products, how they are used, and the fact that very few customers switch between the companies means they do not closely compete. Click here.

European Commission opens investigation into airline ticket distribution services

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether agreements between airline booking system providers (Amadeus and Sabre) and airlines and travel agents may be contrary to Article 101. The Commission is investigating whether certain terms in the agreements may restrict the ability of airlines and travel agents to use alternative suppliers of ticket distribution services. Click here.

UK

CMA

• The CMA has provisionally found that Experian’s takeover of ClearScore could reduce competition in credit checking services.  Click here.
• The CMA is proposing to refer PayPal’s takeover of Swedish start-up iZettle for a detailed phase 2 merger investigation, unless the parties offer suitable undertakings in lieu of a reference.  The CMA is concerned that the merger could lead to higher prices or reduce the range of services for customers in relation to mobile point of sale devices in the UK.  Click here.

For more information please contact Paul Stone on +44 (0)20 7203 5110, or at paul.stone@crsblaw.com.