Insights Competition

Teşebbüsler arasındaki bilgi değişimi, rekabet hukukunda önemli bir konudur. Bilgi paylaşımı, rekabeti bozabileceği gibi bazı durumlarda rekabeti artırıcı etkilere de sahip olabilir. Rekabet Kurulu, bilgi değişiminin rekabet kurallarından muaf tutulduğu pek çok karara sahiptir. Son dönemde Kurul, sektörel dernekler tarafından yapılan bazı muafiyet başvurularını reddetmiştir. Kurul, pazar araştırmaları ve bilgi değişimine daha katı bir tutum sergilemektedir. Kurul, teşebbüs birliklerinin pazar araştırmalarına yönelik uygulamalarını incelemektedir. Kurul, bazı başvuruları reddederken, bazı başvurulara da bireysel muafiyet tanımaktadır. Kararlarda verilerin toplulaştırılması ve eskitilmesi önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu kararlar, Kurul'un bilgi değişimi konusundaki hassasiyetini ortaya koymaktadır.

The Turkish Constitutional Court (TCC) has made a significant decision regarding the amendments to the Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition through the Law No. 7246. The decision provides insights into the balance between the constitutional rights granted to undertakings and the obligations imposed on the Turkish Competition Authority. The TCC evaluated the annulment request filed by deputies under three categories: amendment of Article 9 regarding structural remedies, amendment of Article 15 concerning on-site inspections, and amendments regarding the status and appointment of Authority personnel. The TCC ruled that the amendments related to structural remedies and on-site inspections were in line with the principles of legality, legitimate purpose, and proportionality. However, the amendments regarding personnel status and appointment were annulled for being incompatible with the Constitution. This decision establishes a balance between regulatory powers and fundamental rights, leaving room for potential scrutiny of future laws and amendments.

Rekabet Kurumu, Hızlı Tüketim Malları Perakendeciliği sektöründe yapılan incelemeyi içeren Nihai Rapor'u yayınladı. Raporda, sektördeki yoğunlaşma ve artan pazar payı sorunu belirtildi. Tedarikçi-perakendeci ilişkilerindeki haksız ticari uygulamalar ve çevrim içi satışlardaki artış da ele alındı. Çevrimiçi reklamcılık sektörü ve mobil ekosistemler de incelendi. BSH ve Miele şirketleriyle ilgili soruşturmalar sonuçlandı ve taahhütlerle uzlaşma sağlandı. Öneriler arasında sıkı incelemeler, alıcı pazar payı eşiği ve koruma önlemleri yer alıyor.

The Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) has published its Final Report on the Sector Inquiry on Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Retailing. The report highlights the increased concentration levels and market share of top undertakings in the FMCG retailing sector. The TCA suggests taking effective measures to address these concerns, including strict examination of sectoral concentrations, establishment of an independent authority to supervise buyer power, and restrictions on new store openings and acquisitions. The TCA also initiated sector inquiries on online advertisements and mobile ecosystems, addressing competition concerns in these sectors. Investigations against BSH and Miele have been concluded with commitments and settlements, respectively, to address competitive issues.

In April 2023, the Turkish Competition Board made several decisions related to competition law, particularly in digital industries. The Board published two analyses related to online advertising and digitalization and launched a sector inquiry into mobile ecosystems. The Authority's preliminary sector enquiry report noted concerns about data privacy and the impact of practices involving self-preferencing and data aggregation on the online advertising industry's competitiveness. The Board analyzed the online sales restrictions for the household appliances distributor BSH and approved criteria for resellers, such as offering the same delivery types and protecting the brand image, while also allowing resellers to operate brick-and-mortar stores.

Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been blocked by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) due to concerns over market power. Microsoft already owns Xbox, Windows, Azure, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, which account for an estimated 60%–70% of global cloud gaming services. The CMA found Microsoft's proposed remedies inadequate, stating that "there are significant risks of disagreement and conflict between Microsoft and cloud gaming service providers." Lukoil has been fined again by Bulgaria's Commission for the Protection of Competition for abusing its dominant position, while the CMA in the UK is investigating sports broadcasters for allegedly fixing the pay for freelance workers.

Rekabet Kurulu, 6 Mart 2023 tarihinde internet sitesinde, Elon Musk’ın Twitter Inc.’in tek kontrolünü devralması üzerine başlattığı incelemenin sonuçlandığını duyurdu.

On 6 March 2023, the Competition Board published a decision on its official website regarding the Board’s examination of Elon Musk’s acquisition of sole control of Twitter Inc.

On 12 April 2023, the Turkish Competition Authority announced that it initiated a sector inquiry into mobile ecosystems.

On 7 April 2023, the Turkish Competition Authority published its Preliminary Report prepared within the scope of the “Online Advertising Sector Inquiry” that it initiated on 21 January 2021.

In March 2023, the Turkish Competition Board published no reasoned decisions and approved twelve merger and acquisition transactions. The highlight of Turkish competition law in March was that the Board initiated a new sector inquiry regarding the possible competition effects on cities affected by the devastating earthquake that occurred in February.

In July 2021, the Paris Court of Appeal asked the ECJ for clarification on whether national competition authorities are only entitled to review transactions under EU and national merger control rules, or if they can also apply an abuse of dominance assessment and block transactions retrospectively.

Rekabet Kurulu, geçtiğimiz Aralık ve Kasım ayı bültenlerinde yer verdiğimiz Garanti BBVA, Citibank ve JP Morgan kararlarına konu önaraştırma kapsamında bir yeni kararını yayımladı.

The Turkish Competition Board published a new decision within the scope of the preliminary investigation[1] on the decision of Garanti BBVA, Citibank, and JP Morgan, which was included in our December and November bulletins.

In a preliminary investigation involving 12 undertakings operating in the car rental sector, the Turkish Competition Board scrutinised allegations that the car rental undertakings violated Article 4 of Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition by exchanging information pertaining to stocks, competitors’ price offers and market shares, and vehicle purchase data.

Hatırlarsınız Elon Musk, 2022 yılında Twitter'ı satın almak için yaptığı teklifle, her zaman olduğu gibi, bir kez daha dünya çapında haber olmuştu. Aylar süren görüşmelerin ve yüzlerce haber ve eleştirinin ardından, Ekim 2022'nin sonlarında da 44 milyar ABD doları karşılığında Twitter’ı satın aldı.

Elon Musk made news globally when he made an offer to buy the social networking platform Twitter in 2022. After months of back and forth and an overwhelming amount of news and critical analysis, Musk’s acquisition of Twitter was completed in late October 2022 for a reported USD 44 billion.

During January and February, the Turkish Competition Board published eighty-one reasoned decisions and approved seventeen merger and acquisition transactions in total.

In 2018, the European Commission fined French telecoms operator Altice a sum of EUR 124.5 million for breaching the notification and standstill requirements in its acquisition of PT Portugal.

Germany’s Bundeskartellamt has opened an investigation to decide whether PayPal has taken advantage of its dominant position by using most-favored-nation clauses that limit competition in the online payments market.