In an article in Competition Policy International's April edition, RBB’s Helder Vasconcelos
Helder VasconcelosPartner delves into the complexities surrounding mergers in digital markets, presenting three key challenges in evaluating the impact of large technology platform mergers on competition conditions.
The article firstly addresses the difficulties in market definition due to rapidly evolving business models and intrinsic characteristics of multilateral platforms in digital markets. Secondly, it explores the suitability of the 'killer acquisitions' theory of harm, asserting that not all start-up acquisitions by major digital platforms are inherently anti-competitive. Helder emphasises the importance of investigating the motives behind such mergers, distinguishing between attempts to neutralise competition and efforts to strengthen platform ecosystems for consumer benefit. Lastly, it advocates for a case-by-case approach in evaluating mergers in digital markets, considering market specificities and business model characteristics to avoid unwarranted presumptions.
Read the full article here.
