Microsoft/LinkedIn: What the European Commission Said on the Competition Review of Digital Market Mergers

The European Commission has approved the Microsoft acquisition of LinkedIn under the condition of the implementation of two sets of behavioral remedies. By its decision in Microsoft/LinkedIn the Commission dealt with many issues concerning the competition review of merger operations in digital markets. It defined for the first time the relevant market for professional social networking services. It clarified in which circumstances the concentration of datasets in the hands of the merging parties may conduce to the finding that a notified merger ma significantly impede competition. It acknowledged that when privacy protection is an important competition parameter it should be taken into account in the competition assessment of mergers. It also found that the merger might cause anti-competitive conglomerate effects which were addressed by the remedies offered by the merging parties tabled suitable remedies. Lastly, the article compares Microsoft/LinkedIn with the previous decisions made by the Commission for the appraisal of digital market mergers.

 The article is available here.

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