German Federal Cartel Office launches consumer protection sector inquiry into user reviews on the Internet (press release of 23.5.2019) (see here). Online user reviews can refer to products such as sewing machines brand XY or service providers such as retailers and...

On June 4, 2019, the Düsseldorf Court of Appeals lifted the Bundeskartellamt’s prohibition decision of Booking.com’s “narrow” best price (or most favored nations, MFN) clauses in Germany. The court found that these clauses were necessary to ensure a “fair and balanced...

The German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche has published its 2019 ranking for top law firms Germany in the areasof white collar crime and of compliance.  We are pleased that Heinz & Zagrosek is listed among the top compliance law firms, see here.

On February 8, 2019, the BKartA decided that Facebook’s practice to collect and combine user data from third-party websites/apps, including from Facebook-owned services What’sApp and Instagram, without requesting user consent is an abuse of dominance.  It ordered...

Based on media reports, the Bundeskartellamt sent a letter to the European Commission opposing the planned merger, including with respect to the commitments the parties have offered.  Silke Heinz is quoted on this in Global Competition Review, inter alia on the...

Juve, the renowned German handbook for commercial law firms, lists Silke Heinz and Dr. Roman Zagrosek in the category leading names in antitrust law in 2019. Heinz & Zagrosek ranks among Juve's top 50 law firms in the field of antitrust law in Germany. "We are...

We have already featured the release of this report of September 4, 2018, dealing with the digital economy in our news section, see here [Link zur früheren Meldung auf unserer Webseite).  In the meantime, Silke Heinz has summarized the 187 page report and analyzed...

On September 18, 2018, the European Commission has opened formal antitrust proceedings against German car manufacturers BMW, Daimler and VW, including VW, Porsche and Audi, for possible collusion to avoid competition on the development and roll-out of technology to...

The Ministry has published the study on September 4, 2018, see here. The study deals with the question whether there are gaps in the current antitrust rules on unilateral conduct of dominant companies or companies with market power in the digital industry, and if yes,...

On May 14, 2018, the competition authorities of Germany and Austria have published joint draft guidelines on the new transaction value merger thresholds for public consultation, see here. Comments can be submitted by June 8, 2018.  The draft concerns the new merger...