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Private Equity and Common Ownership in Professional Rugby: Applying the Delivery Hero Standard
Continue reading: Private Equity and Common Ownership in Professional Rugby: Applying the Delivery Hero StandardBy Dr Beverley Williamson From time to time, the Thicket blog invites guest bloggers to write about a topic that is close to their heart. Geradin Partners is pleased to give the floor to friend of the blog Dr Bev Williamson who is an expert in the application of competition law in the sports industry.…
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Nissan Iberia (C-21/24): The Clock for Damages Actions Only Starts Ticking Once the National Competition Authority’s Decision is Final
Continue reading: Nissan Iberia (C-21/24): The Clock for Damages Actions Only Starts Ticking Once the National Competition Authority’s Decision is FinalIntroduction Private damages actions are now firmly established as a key tool of EU competition law enforcement. As regularly asserted by the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU” or the “Court”), damages actions are not only about compensating victims of antitrust infringements, but also about deterring anticompetitive conduct to preserve effective competition in…
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Fast but fair? interim injunctions and the fast-track procedure in the Competition Appeal Tribunal
Continue reading: Fast but fair? interim injunctions and the fast-track procedure in the Competition Appeal TribunalFor claimants in competition cases, timing can be everything. Access to a key supplier, data feed, or distribution channel can make or break a business—especially for smaller players going up against incumbents. In the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), two mechanisms are particularly relevant when urgent intervention is needed: interim injunctions and the Fast-Track Procedure (FTP).…
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Applying Occam’s razor to the question of whether MIFs are by object infringements. Are we already starting to see UK diverge from Europe on what should go in the object box?
Continue reading: Applying Occam’s razor to the question of whether MIFs are by object infringements. Are we already starting to see UK diverge from Europe on what should go in the object box?The CAT’s liability judgment in the Umbrella Interchange Fee case is not for the faint of heart. The former CAT President’s reasoning spans to around 170 pages and, as is often the case, contains passages of lucidity, some withering attacks on arguments he dislikes and also the occasional digression. Perhaps the most interesting issue for…
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Strasbourg calling – ECHR majority CLEARS Competition Wiretap Case (But mind the dissenters)
Continue reading: Strasbourg calling – ECHR majority CLEARS Competition Wiretap Case (But mind the dissenters)Ships Waste Oil Collector B.V. and Others v The Netherlands, Joined cases 2799/16, 2800/16, 3124/16 and 3205/16, Judgment of the ECHR Grand Chamber of 01/04/2025 Just as fishing inevitably results in bycatch, law enforcement wiretaps often capture information unrelated to the original investigation. This incidental data can raise complex legal questions—especially when it reveals evidence…
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FIFA vs Agents: 1-0 at halftime – AG Emiliou Defends FIFA’s Football Agent Regulations
Continue reading: FIFA vs Agents: 1-0 at halftime – AG Emiliou Defends FIFA’s Football Agent RegulationsIntroduction In two significant cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), Advocate General Emiliou (the AG) delivered his eagerly awaited opinions in RCC Sports v FIFA (C-209/23) and ROGON v German Football Association (C-428/23) on 15 May 2025. The same day, the AG also published his opinion in the case Tondela…
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Merger Control and media plurality: fitting a Square peg into a round hole?
Continue reading: Merger Control and media plurality: fitting a Square peg into a round hole?On 14 May 2025, the Financieel Dagblad (FD) reported that the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) plans to conditionally approve the acquisition of RTL Media by DPG. Earlier reporting had suggested that the ACM planned to prohibit the transaction, so this apparent change of direction came as a surprise to many. Even more noteworthy…
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A recap of the Geradin Partners webinar on Dutch Competition Law: a year in review and what’s ahead
Continue reading: A recap of the Geradin Partners webinar on Dutch Competition Law: a year in review and what’s aheadOn 27 March 2025, the Amsterdam Office of Geradin Partners hosted a webinar on the developments within competition law in the Netherlands. During the webinar, Ruben Elkerbout, Mattijs Baneke and Philine Wassenaar discussed developments in public enforcement, merger control and private enforcement in the Netherlands in 2024, as well as the outlook and fresh predictions…
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The EP’s proposed amendments to the FDI Regulation: towards more centralised FDI screening?
Continue reading: The EP’s proposed amendments to the FDI Regulation: towards more centralised FDI screening?Amid rising geopolitical tensions, the International Trade Committee of European Parliament adopted a proposal to amend the EU FDI Regulation (the EP Proposal) on 8 April, aiming to bolster Europe’s economic security. If eventually adopted, this proposal would result in far-reaching changes to the EU FDI Regulation and to FDI screening regimes throughout Europe. The…
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Sumal three years on: a hint of Double Dutch and the Dutch courts lead the way…?
Continue reading: Sumal three years on: a hint of Double Dutch and the Dutch courts lead the way…?Introduction In 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) Sumal judgement promised clarification on the issue of downward liability in private enforcement cases. Three (and a half) years later, the question remains whether the promise of clarity has been fulfilled. As a matter of fact, Dutch courts (surprisingly) seem to have struggled…