THE ESSENTIAL IN ESSENTIAL FACILITIES:

THE CASE OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11117/rdp.v20i107.7288

Abstract

The paper examines the applicability of the Essential Facilities Doctrine (EFD) in the context of competition policy in digital platform markets. It begins by comparing this doctrine with the traditional antitrust approach to anti-competitive practices such as tying and raising rivals' costs. It demonstrates that both approaches aim to address antitrust harm resulting from the extension of market power into additional competitive environments. However, the EFD also considers specific conditions that warrant non-discriminatory access obligations and potential regulatory intervention. This comparative analysis of similarities and differences is employed to address antitrust issues in digital platform markets, given the existence of bottlenecks and gatekeepers that can exploit market power. The paper uses the Buscapé v. Google (Google Shopping) case, which was examined by Brazilian antitrust authority in 2019, as an illustrative example to highlight the possible approaches to these antitrust concerns.

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Author Biographies

Camila Cabral Pires Alves, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Brasil.

Associate Professor of Economics, Institute of Economics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Acted as Chief Economist and Deputy Chief Economist at CADE. PhD and Master’s degree in Economics at UFRJ. Currently is coordinator of the GDEC Research Group (Research Group in Law, Economics, and Competition www.ie.ufrj.br/gdec) and Director of Graduate Studies at Institute of Economics (UFRJ).

Diandra Carolina da Rocha, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Brasil.

Ph.D. candidate in Economics at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and researcher at GDEC (Group of Law, Economics, and Competition) at UFRJ. Holds a Master's degree in Public Policy, Strategy, and Development from UFRJ. Graduated in Economics from UFRJ. Currently, pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics at the Institute of Economics, UFRJ, and conducting research at GDEC, UFRJ.

Eduardo Pontual Ribeiro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Brasil.

Ph.D. and Master's in Economics from the University of Illinois. Holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the Federal University of Pernambuco. Currently, a Full Professor at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and co-Coordinator of the Research Group in Law, Economics, and Competition (GDEC). Researcher at CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development). Previously worked at CADE (Administrative Council for Economic Defense) as Vice Chief Economist, Chief Economist, and Commissioner.

João Luiz Pondé, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Brasil.

Ph.D. and Master's in Economics from the State University of Campinas. Graduated in Economics from the Federal University of Bahia. Currently, an Associate Professor at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and a researcher at the Research Group in Law, Economics, and Competition (GDEC).

Luiz Carlos Delorme Prado, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Brasil.

Ph.D. in Economics from Queen Mary College, University of London, and Master's in Production Engineering from COPPE-UFRJ. Currently, an Associate Professor at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and a member of the Research Group in Law, Economics, and Competition (GDEC). Previously worked as a Commissioner at CADE (Administrative Council for Economic Defense) and served as the President of the Federal Council of Economics.

Marcos Puccioni de Oliveira Lyra, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). Niterói (RJ). Brasil

Ph.D. and Master's in Economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Graduated in Economics from UFRJ as well. Currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Economics of the Federal Fluminense University (UFF), researcher at the Research Group in Law, Economics, and Competition (GDEC) - UFRJ, and at the Center for Studies in Industrial Economics, Energy, Territory, and Innovation (NIETI) - UFF. Served as a Visiting Researcher at the University of East Anglia (United Kingdom) between February and October 2021.

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Published

2023-10-31

How to Cite

Cabral Pires Alves, C., da Rocha, D. C., Pontual Ribeiro, E., Pondé, J. L., Delorme Prado, L. C., & Puccioni de Oliveira Lyra, M. (2023). THE ESSENTIAL IN ESSENTIAL FACILITIES:: THE CASE OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS. Direito Público, 20(107). https://doi.org/10.11117/rdp.v20i107.7288

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 107 (2023): Dossiês Temáticos "Direito do Trabalho e Configurações Institucionais: normas, práticas e concepções em disputa" e "Concorrência e Plataformas Digitais"

Section

Dossiê Temático - Concorrência e Plataformas Digitais

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Copyright (c) 2023 Direito Público

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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