The General Court upholds the fine of EUR 59 million imposed on Elf Aquitaine and Arkema France for their participation in a cartel on the sodium chlorate market

Press release, Judgment (in French)

MLibrary Launches Project to Identify Orphan Works

Press release, here.

European Parliament in Action!

New website dedicated to the work of the European Parliament, here.

Hargreaves Report calls for overhaul of UK copyright law

The Guardian, here.

REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY BY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL CHRISTINE VARNEY REGARDING NASDAQ OMX GROUP INC. AND INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE INC. ABANDONING THEIR BID FOR NYSE EURONEXT

Here.

House bill would let U.S. sue OPEC for price fixing

Thomson Reuters, here. 

ENTRY DECISIONS AFTER DEREGULATION: THE ROLE OF INCUMBENTS' MARKET POWER

L.Ciari, R. De Bonis, here.

Consumer Privacy and Protection in the Mobile Marketplace

Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance Subcommittee hearing,
May 19 2011, here. 

Enseignement en ligne et droit d’auteur : empilement et quelques ouvertures

Paralipomènes, ici. 

WIPO patent committee discusses Exception and Limitations to Patent Rights

KEI, here. 

3rd Annual Conference on Innovation and Communications Law

Conference, May 29-31.2011, Melbourne Business School, Program here.

LIBRARY COPYRIGHT ALLIANCE STATEMENT ON COPYRIGHT REFORM

Library Copyright Alliance, here.

Ratiopharm/Pfizer commitments published

A431 - RATIOPHARM/PFIZER, here (in Italian)

Lithuania: Amendment to Law on Competition Introduces Restriction of Professional Activities for Head of Undertaking infringing Antitrust Rules

ECN Brief, here. 

Questions to the ECJ on exhaustion and "used" software licences

C-128/11 - Oracle International Corporation, Redwood Shores, CA, USA v UsedSoft GmbH, Munich, here.

Achats et ventes de droits de livres numériques: panorama de pratiques internationales

Bureau international de l’édition française, ici.

EU Commission market tests Standard & Poor's commitments on international securities identification numbers

Press release, here. 

Competition Policy Issues in Financial Markets

J.Almunia, here. 

CONFIDENTIALITY OF COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN CLIENTS AND THEIR PATENT ADVISORS

WIPO Secretariat, here. 

ICN Curriculum Project: the first four modules

Here.

A nightmare copyright scenario for higher education

K.Smith, here. 

Copyright Protection and the Right to Read of Visually Impaired Persons

Conference, Trento University, Wed May 25, 2.30pm. Program in pdf here (in Italian), audio file of the program here, video streaming here (conference language: Italian)

Books for the blind in the EU Parliament: Win!

C. Engström, here.

Some Observations on Oracle v. Google

M. Webbink, here.

Why Are Magazine App Subscriptions Priced So Weird?

Techland, here.

India finalises combination regulations

Here. 

iFlow calls Apple's in-app purchase rule 'an eviction notice' for e-bookseller

Futurebook.net, here.

Rethinking Music

Compiled and Presented By The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, here.

Barnett v. Barnett on Antitrust

J.Wright, here. 

Google's filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission and DOJ investigation

From the filing:

Publishers must change "radically' in digital age - Johnson

The Bookseller, here.

Three French publishers file new lawsuit against Google

The Bookseller, here. 

Enforcing Competition with Multiple Agencies and Private Enforcers

D. Crane, here.

The AT&T/T-Mobile Merger: Is Humpty Dumpty Being Put Back Together Again?”

Hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee
Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, here

Why buy Skype?

The Economist, here. 

Google: Our music service is legal

CNet, here. 

Just Google it! - The Google Book Search Settlement: A Law and Economics Analysis

F.Müller-Langer, M.Scheufen, here. 

Towards a New Instrument of Protection for Software in the EU? Learning the Lessons from the Harmonization Failure of Software Patentability

R.Hilty, C.Geiger, here. 

Civil rights groups alarmed at Copiepresse ruling against Google

Cio.de, here. 

Belgique : vers une loi Hadopi... ou une licence globale ?

PCInpact, ici

Google on Protecting Mobile Privacy

A. Davidson, Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, here.Other testimonies here. 

Antitrust Issues Associated with the Sale of e-Books and Other Digital Content

A.Stoeppelwerth, here. 

An Economic Argument for Electronic Privacy

J.Spratt, here. 

Comparative List of Proposals Related to Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for the Visually Impaired Persons and Other Persons with Print Disabilities

WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, Twenty-Second Session
Geneva, June 15 to 24, 2011, here. 

In a World Without Tracking & Cookies, Can Online Commerce Succeed?

Mashable, here. 

Reader Privacy Act Unanimously Approved by Californian Senate

Here.

Reasons Against Californian "Do Not Track" Proposal: Google, Facebook et al.

Letter to Senator Lowenthal, here. 

Audiovisuelles Erbe im Internet sichtbar machen

Netzwerk Mediatheken, hier. 

Changes to the rules on using cookies and similar technologies for storing information

UK Information Commissioner's Office, here. 

COMPETITIVE NEUTRALITY AND STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES: Challenges and policy options

A.Capobianco, H.Christiansen, here. 

Legal changes give Romanian Competition Council teeth

Here

FTC v. DOJ: In this antitrust slugfest, consumers always lose

S.Pearlstein, here. 

Ireland moving towards a US-style “fair use” doctrine?

siliconrepublic.com, here. 

Considerations on the EU competition enforcement system

C. MADERO VILLAREJO, here

Arrêt Google c. Copiepresse

Cour d'appel de Bruxelles, 9ème chambre, 5 mai 2011, ici. 

Trading’s End: Is ACTA The Leading Edge Of A Protectionist Wave?

F.Abbott, here. 

WIPO DIRECTOR GENERAL’S REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Here.

SCOPING STUDY ON COPYRIGHT AND RELATED RIGHTS AND THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

S.Dusollier, here. 

TRIPS Amendments Needed To Restore Balance In IP, Researchers Say

C.Saez, here. 

Copyright, Consumers and Fairness: IP Watchlist 2011

Consumers International, here.

Google loses Copiepresse appeal

ACC, here. 

Suggestion de "torrent", "megaupload", "rapidshare" ne constitue pas en elle même une atteinte au droit d'auteur

SNEP c. Google, Cour d’Appel de Paris, Arrêt du 3 mai 2011, - RG n° 10/53985, ici.

Memorandum of Understanding on the sale of Counterfeit Goods over the Internet

Here.

The Competition and Consumer Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2011 (Exposure Draft): A Problematic Attempt to Prohibit Information Disclosure

B.Fisse, C. Beaton-Wells, here. 

Monopolies in Mexico: Compete—or else

The Economist, here. 

FTC v DOJ

H.Morse, here.

India’s New Privacy Regulations

M. Wugmeister, C. Rich, here

And the private copy war continues: news from the Dutch front!

L.Guibault, here. 

Facebook, Google und Yahoo gegen Browser-Datenschutzfunktion

Heise Online, hier

UK LOCAL BUS MARKET INVESTIGATION

Competition Commission, Provisional findings and Notice of possible remedies

Google courts professors about antitrust

Politico, here. 

Ensuring Competition on the Internet: Net Neutrality and Antitrust: Part II, FCC Panel

House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet, Statement of Chairman Julius Genachowski, Federal Communications Commission, here.

“Paquet Télécom” : Simulacre de consultation et déni de démocratie

Quadrature du Net, ici. 

Evaluating Leniency and Modeling Cartel Durations: Time-Varying Policy Impacts and Sample Selection

J.Zhou, here.

Websites should notify EU users about privacy breaches, says justice commissioner

OUT-LAW, here. 

Christine Varney poses a few questions to NCAA

Here.

JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH GREG MEDCRAFT APPOINTED ACCC CHAIRMAN AND ROD SIMS NOMINATED ACCC CHAIRMAN

Trascript, here.

FTC's testimony on data security

Here.

User Perceptions of Do Not Track

A.McDonald, here.

Big Drugmakers Merge as EU Launches Probe

S.Diehn, here.

No Damages For Bogus DMCA Notices If Service Provider Doesn't Take Down The Content

Techdirt, here

CPTN: GPL-Lizenzierung als Voraussetzung für kartellrechtliche Freigabe

T.Jaeger, hier.

Google adds Flash cookie protection to Chrome

www.h-online.com, here.

Datenlecks bei Sony und Co: Verstöße gegen Datensicherheit und Datenschutz müssen weh tun!

Digitale Gesellschaft, hier. 

Readers' Copyright

J.Litman, here. 

Leistungsschutzrecht für Presseverleger? Ein katholischer Priester/Blogger möglicherweise dagegen

Catholic News service, hier.
Aus dem Bericht:

The EU Commission alone is empowered to make a finding that there has been no breach of Article 102 TFEU

Judgment in Case C-375/09 - Prezes Urzędu Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów v
Tele 2 Polska sp. z o.o., now Netia SA

Working together to ensure Europe plays key role in Internet of the Future

N.Kroes, here.
From the speech:

Trying To Limit Net Access, Dutch Telcos Accidentally Force Government To Speak Out On Net Neutrality

Techdirt.com, here. 

Handbook(s): Rules Applicable to EU Antitrust/Competition Enforcement

Volume 1: General Rules, 425 pp. Volume 2: Sector Specific Rules (Agriculture, Insurance, Motor Vehicles, Postal Services, Transport), 188 pp.

La lucha contra los cárteles en España se americaniza

Expansión.com, aquí

How four major US wireless carriers collect, use and store personal location data

Responses provided to US Reps. Markey and Barton, co-Chairmen of the House Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, here.

LG Berlin: Urheberrechtliche Haftung für eingebundene RSS-Feeds

LG Berlin, Beschluss v. 15.03.2011, Az. 15 O 103/11, here (Telemedicus)

Flash Cookie Lawsuit Against Specific Media Dismissed

Mediapost, here. 

Plans for Data Retention and Privacy Laws in Egypt

iapp, here

AT&T Broadband Caps Begin

PCWorld, here. 

Copyright Enforcement in the Cloud

M.Melzer, here. 

FSFE on collective redress

Contribution to the EC public consultation, here. 

SENADO MEXICANO APROBÓ REFORMAS A LA LEY FEDERAL DE COMPETENCIA ECONÓMICA

Comunicado de la COMISIÓN FEDERAL DE COMPETENCIA, Dictamen Gaceta del Senado. 

Oakland County women sue Google over Android's tracking software

Here. 

Fair use analysis of the republishing of an entire newspaper article

RightHaven, LCC, v. Center for Intercultural Organizing, 2:10-CV-1322 JCM (LRL) (DC Nev., 2011), here. 

EU Commission probes Credit Default Swaps market

Here.

BEST PRACTICES ON COOPERATION BETWEEN EU NATIONAL COMPETITION AUTHORITIES IN MERGER REVIEW

Draft, here. 

Das Recht auf Vernetzung

S. Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, hier (FAZ.NET).

EU Commission responding to ACTA's criticism from academia

Here

Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag zum Leistungsschutzrecht für Presseverleger: Wir machen uns den Vorschlag der Verleger nicht zu eigen

Interview mit Stephan Wermicke, hier. 

EU Commission opens investigation on Cephalon/Teva patent settlement agreement

Here. 

Bundeskartellamt gibt Gemeinschaftsunternehmen CPTN für den Kauf von Novell-Patenten frei

Hier. Gleichzeitig DoJ, hier. S. auch FSFE Pressemitteilung. 

Live Aid? Assessing the Ability of the Ticketmaster-Live Nation Consent Decree to Restore Competition Levels in the Primary Ticketing Market

A.Silvenis, here. 

ISPs Challenge to the UK Digital Economy Act Rejected

BT v. Secretary of State for Business, innovation and Skills, here.

Justice Breyer on the patent/monopoly dilemma

Transcript of the Oral Argument in Microsoft Corporation v. i4i Limited Partnership, p. 34 f.

Patent Litigation, Personal Jurisdiction, and the Public Good

M. La Belle, here. 

Article 29 Working Party on the legal framework applicable to smart metering

Here. 

Law and Economics versus Economic Analysis of Law

G.Miller, here. 

Neutralité du Net: La Commission européenne lâche utilisateurs et innovateurs

La Quadrature du Net, ici. A lire aussi ETNO's press release. 

EU Net Neutrality Communication

Here and Neelie Kroes' speech here. 

Antitrust Class Actions in Canada

C.Naudie, here. 

European Union proposal: 3 to 5 year delay in negotiations on a copyright treaty for blind persons

KEI, here. 

Implementing the revised EU Electronic Communications Framework

UK Government, here. 

Search Engine Competition with Network Externalities

C.Argenton and J.Prüfer, here. 

Upgrading the "More Economic Approach": Appropriate Standards of Forensic Economics

One of the topics discussed at this year's International Conference of the Bundeskartellamt was "Requirements of proof in court - the economic approach".

WHY THE GOOGLE BOOK SETTLEMENT FAILED – AND WHAT COMES NEXT?

P.Samuelson, here. 

The Future of Software Patents

J.Bessen, here. 

The New Hungarian Rules on Damages Caused by Horizontal Hardcore Cartels: Presumed Price Increase and Limited Protection for Whistleblowers – An Analytical Introduction

C.Nagy, here.

Code Is Law, Does Anyone Get It Yet?

L.Lessig, here.

Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection

Here.

European Self-regulation for Online Behavioural Advertising

IAB Europe, here. Read also Which?' analysis.

AAI SEES MORE UNCERTAINTY AFTER DOJ IMPOSES CONSENT DECREE IN GOOGLE/ITA

Here. 

Cartels: the priority in competition enforcement

J.Almunia, here. More about IKK-2011 in a coming post.

The Failure of Online Social Network Privacy Settings

M. Madejski, M.Johnson, S. Bellovin, here.

Request to the DOJ for Investigation of the Bowl Championship Series

Here.

Rapport d'information sur la neutralité de l’ internet et des réseaux

L. De la Raudière, ici. 

bpost (anciennement La Poste) abuse de sa position dominante sur le marché de l’intermédiation postale (le marché du routage).

Conseil de la concurrence/Raad voor de Mededinging, ici.

Expediente sancionador contra el Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Valdepeñas

Aquì.

The Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2011

Here. 

Google Book Search in the Gridlock Economy

D.Lichtman, here

Deutsche Content Allianz ins Leben gerufen

Aus der ARD Pressemeldung:

Google/ITA might have come out differently at the FTC?

Spontaneous question raised reading this front page story on WSJ.

The Librarian of Congress on Judge Chin's opinion

Here.

If Search Neutrality is the Answer, What’s the Question?

G.Manne, J.Wright, here.

European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee approves a report favouring the elaboration of an optional European Contract Law

Here. Diana Wallis' report here. Read also the EU Comm's press release. 

Die schlauen, datenfressenden Maschinen

Kap. I und II aus dem Buch von K.Kurz und F.Rieger, Die Datenfresser, S.Fischer Verlag, 2011. 

Urheberrecht im Lichte der EU-Grundrechtecharta: Hyperlinks auf urheberrechtswidrige Angebote zulässig

BGH 14.10.2010 - I ZR 191/08, hier. Aus den Entscheidungsgründen:

Rediscovering the Spirit of Competition: On the Normative Value of the Competitive Process

O.Andriychuk, here. 

Possible reforms to improve stability and competition in UK banking

Independent Commission on Banking, Interim Report - Consultation on Reform Options

UK Government will not force publishers to hand content from behind paywalls to libraries

Here (OutLaw).

THE NEXT DIGITAL DECADE

B.Szoka, A.Marcus, here. 

Google/ITA: Settlement Proposed

DoJ's press release and settlement terms.

How Worried Are Consumers about Privacy?

Techcrunch, here. 

Kartellrechtliche Grenzen eines Markennießbrauchs- und Merchandising-Vertrags mit einem Fußballverein.

LG Hamburg, Urteil v. 06.01.2011, Az. 315 0 451/09, hier. 

OSI Board reponds to FCO Questionaire concerning CPTN Transaction

Here.

Bundesgerichtshof zum Zitat im Geschmacksmusterrecht

 Urteil des I. Zivilsenats vom 7.4.2011 - I ZR 56/09, Pressemitteilung hier. 

News now and in the future

K.Bahrat, Hearst New Media Lecture, here (from 23:18).

Google on How It Protects Copyright and Helps Combat Counterfeiting

K.Walker, before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet, Hearing on “Promoting Investment and Protecting Commerce Online, here.

How to Restructure Natural Monopolies. Especially Railways

R.Pittman, presentation and video (English/Russian voiceover).

The Cloud-Understanding the Security, Privacy and Trust Challenges

N.Robinson, L.Valeri, J. Cave, T. Starkey, H. Graux, S. Creese, P. Hopkins, here.

Overview of Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms for Web Tracking

A.Cooper, H.Tschofenig, here. 

Background and update on negotiations for a WIPO copyright treaty for persons who are blind or have other disabilities

KEI, here.

European Data Protection Commissioners: need for a comprehensive data protection framework

Resolution. 

The Problem of 'Personal Data' in Cloud Computing - What Information is Regulated? The Cloud of Unknowing

W.Hon, C.Millard, I. Walden, Part 1 and Part 2. 

The dream of a virtual library of out-of-print books is dead, for now

S.Turow, letter to the Editor of the NYT.

Location-based services on mobile phones: getting crowded

The Economist, here.

Deal or No Deal? Politik- oder Wettbewerbsorientierung in der Europäischen Wirtschaftsordnung?

O.Budzinski, B.Kuchinke, hier.

Protection of competition in the online marketplace and search neutrality debated at Westminster

Here. 

Who pays for Data Protection?

V.Reding, here. 

Analysis of the consultation launched by the Green Paper on "Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries"

EU COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT, here.

Playtime over in Android Land?

Bloomberg Businessweek, here; Google's reaction, here. 

Unraveling the Rejection: The Google Book Settlement

Copyright Clearance Center, Online Seminar: transcript and audio. 

Digital Agenda: new guidelines to address privacy concerns over use of smart tags

"Privacy and Data Protection Impact Assessment (PIA) Framework for RFID Applications", N.Kroes' speech and EU Comm's press release. From Kroes' speech: "This PIA Framework for RFID Applications constitutes an interesting model that could be used for other similar situations or areas, such as smart metering and online behavioural advertising." Annex III provides a list of possible privacy risks related to the use of the RFID.

Das Schweizerische Bundesverwaltungsgericht über Google Street View

A-7040/2009, 30. März 2011, Pressemitteilung und Entscheid.
Aus der Pressemitteilung:

Mozilla's "Do Not Track" header gaining support

Here.

IEEE launches its new Cloud Computing Initiative

Here.

BGH "Hartplatzhelden.de" veröffentlicht

Urteil des I. Zivilsenats vom 28.10.2010 - I ZR 60/09, hier (Telemedicus). 

Le Groupement des Cartes bancaires s'engage à réviser à la baisse la plupart des commissions

Communiqué de presse de l'Autorité de la Concurrence; engagements proposés.

OFT and CC publish practice principles for the design and presentation of consumer survey research in merger inquiries

Here.

German copyright policy 2011: Introduction of a new neighbouring right for press publishers?

T.Kreutzer, here. 

Milan Tribunal on Google's liability for libelous "autocompletion"

Order. 

Google Said to Be Possible Target of Antitrust Probe After ITA Acquisition

Bloomberg, here.

The international regulation of transnational mergers

J.Clarke, here. 

On Google Books settlement and congressional intervention

Interview with J.Grimmelmann, here. 

IPRED Versus The Sharing of Culture: Moving Away From Enforcement

La Quadrature du Net, here. 

DOJ Antitrust Division and FTC on International Cooperation and the ICN in 2010

DOJ: here. FTC: here, p.54-55; 58.

Competition and Choice in Retail Banking.

UK Treasury Committee, here. 

Against Notice Skepticism

M.Calo, here. 

“Lex Facebook” – Hessen will Online-Datenschutz verschärfen

K.Ewald, hier.

The State of 'Do Not Track' on the Internet

D.Daw (PCWorld), here.

Was darf Bildung und Forschung an Hochschulen den Staat kosten? Wie setzt das Gemeinwohl dem Recht am geistigen Eigentum und kommerziellen Interessen Grenzen?

OLG München, 24.03.2011, Az. 6 WG 12/09, Pressemitteilung hier.

Resale price maintenance complaint in the Chinese automobile industry

Here (Mondaq).

MEPs Marietje Schaake and Christian Engstrom submit formal questions on appointment of Maria Martin-Prat to EU copyright post

Questions here.

A Guide For the Perplexed Part IV: The Rejection of the Google Books Settlement

J.Band, here. 

OFT statement on Competition Appeal Tribunal’s judgment in construction recruitment forum case

Here. 

Section 2 in a Web 2.0 World: An Expanded Vision of Relevant Product Markets

P.Jones Harbour, T.Koslov, here. 

YouTube's Reply In Viacom Appeal Case

Here. 

Der beste IP 1. Aprilscherz

EuGH kippt deutsche Privatkopie, Telemedicus

Disentangling Industrial Policy and Competition Policy in China

N.Bush, Y.Bo, here

Some Speculation About Mirror Neurons and Copyright

S.McJohn, here.
From the abstract:

Comment on the Draft Recommendation on the protection of human rights with regard to search engines

EFF, here. Council of Europe Draft Recommendation here. 

Patent system reform as seen from the FTC

IPColloquium's guests are S.Michel and W.Cohen, here.

EU Commission confirms it is investigating Deutsche Bahn for abuse of dominant position (also not an April fool)

"It has been alleged that Deutsche Bahn group, and in particular Deutsche Bahn Energie, the de facto sole supplier of electricity for traction trains in Germany, would be giving preferential treatment to the group's rail freight arm. The Commission officials were accompanied by their counterparts from the German competition authority", here.

The Pope has a new copyright law (not an April fool)

Here.