Sommersemester 2016 “Competition Law of the Information Society” Prof. Dr. Sven B. Völcker LL.M. (Harvard) Voraussichtlicher Zeitplan:  bis 25.04.: Unverbindliche Interessenbekundung mit Themenpräferenz beim Referenten ([email protected])  nach Absprache: Telefonkonferenz zur Vorbesprechung und Themenvergabe (Terminierung nach Absprache)  nach Absprache: Abgabe der Kurzgutachten (für Vorbereitende Leistung)  27./28.05.: Erster Veranstaltungsblock  o Freitag 16:00-19:30 Uhr (Raum wird noch bekannt gegeben, s. UniVZ) o Samstag 9:30-13:00 Uhr (Juridicum, JUR 0.116) 17./18.6.: Zweiter Veranstaltungsblock o Freitag 16:00-19:30 Uhr (Raum wird noch bekannt gegeben, s. UniVZ) o Samstag 9:30-13:00 Uhr (Juridicum, JUR 0.116) Bemerkung Die Veranstaltung findet in englischer Sprache statt. Beschreibung der Veranstaltung This course will examine the application of competition law in the Information Society – a society in which thanks to technological advances, the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information has become the most significant economic and cultural activity. Using recent cases in the European Union and Germany as examples, we will examine the unique challenges that competition authorities and courts face in this dynamic sector. We will discuss how the emergence of content distribution platforms can involve both vertical and horizontal restrictions of competition (such as the Apple ebooks and HRS cases), and the challenges that online sales can raise for the distribution of physical goods (for instance the Asics case). We will examine how competition authorities reviewing mergers approach issues such as market definition for “free” services in two-sided markets and concerns about “Big Data” as an entry barrier (for instance Microsoft/Skype, Facebook/Whatsapp). And we will deal with the particularly difficult question of when and how competition authorities should intervene against unilateral conduct by dominant firms, exemplified by the EU’s ongoing investigation into whether Alphabet’s Google search engine is unduly favoring the group’s own offerings, and the Federal Cartel Office’s recent investigation of whether Facebook is extracting too much data from its users in breach of privacy and unfair terms laws. The course will be conducted entirely in English, but I am happy to explain specific English-language terminology as required. Some prior knowledge of EU and German competition law is desirable, even if we will quickly review some of the basic competition-law principles in the beginning to set the stage. Participants have the option of delivering a short paper (10 pages) and an oral presentation (in English) if they wish to obtain credit as “vorbereitende Leistung” (§ 9 I lit. c SchwPrO 2012 i.V. § 4a Abs.3 S.1 NJAG).