Category: Global Blogs

Germany/UK: Adidas cleared in one case, implicated in another (Competition Policy International)

Germany’s Federal Cartel Office announced Wednesday that it has closed its antitrust investigation into sportswear maker Adidas.

Reports say the company was under fire for refusing to sell its products on certain online marketplaces. German officials said Adidas has agreed to have its products sold on those sites now, leading to …read more

Brazil: Telecom Italia won’t rule out TIM dump (Competition Policy International)

Telecom Italia is reportedly looking to keep its wireless assets in Brazil through its controlling stake in operator TIM, but reports say the Italian telco is not ruling out a divestiture.

In an interview, Telecom Italia chairman Giuseppe Recchi said that selling TIM “is always an option; it depends on the …read more

Australia: ACCC knocked down by Federal Court ruling (Competition Policy International)

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission was dealt a blow this week after the nation’s Federal Court upheld an appeal by telco Telstra, which had fought the ACCC’s intervention in Telstra’s commercial arrangements.

In his judgment, Justice John Middleton found that the competition authority “has no power to hear and determine …read more

Germany: EU allows creation of new wireless giant (Competition Policy International)

The European Commission announced Wednesday that it has approved of Spain’s Telefonica to acquire rival E-Plus in Germany, a deal that creates the nation’s largest company.

But the approval was not without conditions. According to reports, the Commission requires Telefonica to divest up to 30 percent of the merged company’s network …read more