Competition

A total of 68 mergers were notified to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in 2022, a 16 per cent decrease from 81 in 2021, according to its annual merger report. All mergers and acquisitions which reach certain financial thresholds must be notified to the CCPC. The CCPC examin

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has rejected a proposed acquisition of pharmacy solutions business Navi Group by healthcare services provider Uniphar. The competition watchdog said the acquisition may not be put into effect on the grounds that the result of the proposed acq

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has extended the validity of its declaration in respect of vertical agreements and concerted practices until March 2023. The declaration, which originally came into effect on 1 December 2010, was due to expire on 1 December 2022, but has been

Google must pay a €4.125 billion fine after abusing its position to impose unlawful restrictions on smartphone manufacturers and mobile network operators, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled. The General Court today largely confirmed the European Commission's decision th

Kevin O'Brien, former chair of ComReg, has been appointed as a member of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). Mr O'Brien has more than two decades' experience in senior regulatory and public policy roles in Ireland and abroad. Before joining the CCPC, he was head of consumer po

A legal claim has been brought against Sony PlayStation seeking up to £5 billion in damages for consumers in the UK.

Forestry consultants have alleged that Ireland's free forestry advice service is in breach of EU competition rules. The Association of Irish Forestry Consultants (AIFC), which represents 190 forestry consultants, has written to the European Commission because it says its members cannot compete with

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has announced a full investigation into East Cork Oil's proposed acquisition of a Kerry-based fuel distributor. East Cork Oil, one of the largest fuel distributors in Ireland, is seeking to acquire sole control of Misty Lane Holdings, includi

Tech giant Apple is facing a lawsuit in the US over allegations that its monopoly on contactless payments made using iPhones constitutes anti-competitive conduct. iPhone users can only make contactless payments through Apple Pay, while users of Android-powered smartphones can choose between competin

Irish competition authorities will gain greater powers to fine companies for engaging in cartels, bid-rigging or abusive market practices under legislation welcomed as the beginning of a "new era in competition law enforcement". The Competition (Amendment) Act 2022, which has now been signed into la

Businesses with a UK turnover of less than £10 million will be removed from the scope of the UK's merger control regime, the government has announced. Under the "small merger safe harbour", mergers will be exempted from review by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) where each party's U

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has opened the second in a series of public consultations on how it will use new forthcoming enforcement powers. The competition law regulator will gain new powers through the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2022, which is currently before the D

The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into whether an agreement between Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) for online display advertising services may have breached EU competition rules. The investigation relates to the so-called "Jedi Blue" agreement struck in September 2018

Barry Doherty BL considers one aspect of the government's proposed changes to Irish competition law. The Competition (Amendment) Bill 2022, published on 31 January 2022, proposes detailed procedural changes to competition law.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) will gain more powers to enforce European and Irish competition law under a bill published by ministers. The Competition (Amendment) Bill 2022 will give effect to the implementation of Directive (EU) 2019/1 of the European Parliament and of t