Govt to ensure digital competition law doesn't over-regulate
2 years, 2 months ago

Govt to ensure digital competition law doesn't over-regulate

Live Mint  

The ministry of corporate affairs will consult other ministries on the stringency of emerging regulations on digital economy before it gives a final shape to a proposed Digital Competition Bill so that over-regulation does not stall a fast-growing segment of the economy, a person informed about discussions in the government said. The idea is to assess whether another layer of legislation would put undue burden on businesses when a host of legislative and regulatory changes are in the works under the Digital India Bill, Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, Indian Telecommunication Bill and various rules on e-commerce and online gaming, in addition to the Competition Amendment Bill that is pending before Parliament. The report said India’s digital economy grew 2.4 times faster than the economy during the period, with strong forward linkages to non-digital sectors. In an interview published in Mint on 2 January, parliamentary standing committee chairman Jayant Sinha had said that by having an ‘ex-ante’ or forward-looking regulatory framework in addition to existing competition law which is in the process of getting amended, India will have a world-leading competition framework.

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History of this topic

The challenge of policing digital giants
1 week, 5 days ago

The challenge of policing digital giants

The Hindu  

On November 18, 2024, the Competition Commission of India issued a landmark order imposing a fine of ₹213.14 crore and forcing several behavioural remedies on Meta. This update required users to mandatorily consent to expanded data-sharing, allowing Meta to provide access to such data to all of its other platforms; forcing users to accept a data-sharing agreement on a “take-it-or-leave-it” …

Digital competition law needed but discussion are necessary on best practices, says minister Malhotra
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Digital competition law needed but discussion are necessary on best practices, says minister Malhotra

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The government is keen to bring in a new law to ensure fair competition in digital markets but further discussions are needed to ensure that global best practices are adapted to Indian market requirements, minister of state for corporate affairs Harsh Malhotra said on Sunday. Speaking at the national conference on economics and competition law organised by the …

Centre In No Hurry To Introduce Digital Competition Bill, Says Harsh Malhotra
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Centre In No Hurry To Introduce Digital Competition Bill, Says Harsh Malhotra

ABP News  

Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, Harsh Malhotra, said that the Indian government is not in a rush to bring the Digital Competition Bill as the authorities want to follow due process and conduct elaborate discussions on the proposed legislation before taking it forward. Looking Into Global Practices Malhotra further stressed the importance of analysing digital competition laws in other …

UK competition watchdog prepares to investigate tech giants under new rulebook
2 months, 3 weeks ago

UK competition watchdog prepares to investigate tech giants under new rulebook

Live Mint  

The U.K. competition regulator said it would open investigations into at least three types of tech platforms at the start of this year to work out which tech giants need to obey a new law governing the digital economy. The DMCC gives the U.K. regulator new powers to rein in Big Tech companies and level the playing field for companies …

CCI will focus on boosting enforcement, leveraging tech for fair competition: Chairperson Kaur
2 months, 3 weeks ago

CCI will focus on boosting enforcement, leveraging tech for fair competition: Chairperson Kaur

The Hindu  

CCI will focus on strengthening enforcement, enhancing collaborations and leveraging technology to ensure fair competition in the country, its chief Ravneet Kaur has said. Competition Commission of India, which has the mandate to foster fair competition as well as curb anti-competitive practices, has been working on understanding the dynamic interplay between traditional market practices and the rapidly evolving digital economy. …

Govt has no timeline for regulatory guidelines for Virtual Digital Assets
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Govt has no timeline for regulatory guidelines for Virtual Digital Assets

Live Mint  

New Delhi, December 16 : The government on Monday informed Lok Sabha that there is no anticipated timeline for the introduction of comprehensive regulatory guidelines for the Virtual Digital Assets industry in India. The government was asked by two members of Parliament whether it was taking steps to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for the Virtual Digital Assets industry. The …

EU digital competition norms offer guidance, but local norms essential: CCI
3 months, 3 weeks ago

EU digital competition norms offer guidance, but local norms essential: CCI

Live Mint  

New Delhi: European Union's framework for regulating digital market giants offers guidance, but India needs local norms, given the differences in the make-up of the two economies and the regulatory perspectives adopted, Competition Commission of India chairperson Ravneet Kaur said on Wednesday. The regulator’s comments about the need for local solutions assume significance because unlike the EU, which implemented a …

Suggestions from over 100 entities on Digital Competition Bill under consideration: FM
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Suggestions from over 100 entities on Digital Competition Bill under consideration: FM

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The government consulted over 100 entities including some of the businesses likely to be impacted by the proposed digital competition law, such as Amazon, Apple India Pvt. The minister told the House in a written reply that pre-legislative consultations on the Draft Digital Competition Bill were held as per the ministry of corporate affairs’ policy. Closed-door consultations were …

Tricky realms of fair market in tech space
4 months, 1 week ago

Tricky realms of fair market in tech space

New Indian Express  

India’s anti-trust regulator has once again cracked the whip on another big tech player this time Meta, the owner of Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram. The action comes at a time when the US and European regulators are also tightening screws on these companies, which the authorities feel are a threat to data privacy, competition, and fair play in business. Big …

Tech industry groups oppose plans for digital competition law
9 months, 1 week ago

Tech industry groups oppose plans for digital competition law

Hindustan Times  

Key industry associations representing technology companies, including Google and Meta, were almost unanimous in voicing their opposition to the ex ante competition regulation for digital markets in general, and the draft Digital Competition Bill in particular, in the third meeting convened by the government on the issue on Thursday, four people aware of the matter told HT. Chaired by IT …

Stakeholders continue to oppose Digital Competition Bill at meet
9 months, 1 week ago

Stakeholders continue to oppose Digital Competition Bill at meet

Hindustan Times  

Thinktanks and other stakeholders continued their opposition to the draft Digital Competition Bill in the second meeting convened by the Union ministry of electronics and information technology on Wednesday. Stakeholders continue to oppose Digital Competition Bill at meet They argued that prescribing certain anticompetitive practices of Big Tech as illegal was unnecessary and would negatively impact medium, small and micro …

India Inc raises concerns over draft Digital Competition Bill
9 months, 1 week ago

India Inc raises concerns over draft Digital Competition Bill

The Hindu  

India Inc on Tuesday raised its concerns over the draft Digital Competition Bill 2024 in a meeting chaired by MeitY Secretary S Krishnan. Internet and Mobile Association of India proposed recommendations for the Dual Legislation, saying the current Competition Act and the new bill for digital markets are unfair and untenable. The proposed Digital Competition Bill, which seeks to impose …

MeitY discusses draft Digital Competition Bill with stakeholders
9 months, 2 weeks ago

MeitY discusses draft Digital Competition Bill with stakeholders

Hindustan Times  

The ministry of electronics and IT on Tuesday held a meeting with industry lobby groups to discuss issues related to the impact of the draft digital competition bill that seeks to prescribe certain anticompetitive practices of Big Tech firms as illegal through ex ante regulation. The meeting was attended by officials from the IT and corporate affairs ministries and Competition …

Inter-ministerial meeting on revenue sharing by I&B ministry stays inconclusive
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Inter-ministerial meeting on revenue sharing by I&B ministry stays inconclusive

Hindustan Times  

The first inter-ministerial meeting, convened by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday to discuss the imbalance in bargaining power between Big Tech companies and digital news publishers, and the dominance of the former in digital advertising, was inconclusive on whether a legal framework is required to address the issues, three people aware of the matter said. The officials …

India's EU-like antitrust law worrying technology firms
9 months, 3 weeks ago

India's EU-like antitrust law worrying technology firms

Hindustan Times  

By Arpan Chaturvedi India's EU-like antitrust law worrying technology firms NEW DELHI, - India's proposed EU-like antitrust law will pose a fresh regulatory challenge for tech firms including Apple, Google and Meta, laying out strict compliance obligations that could affect their business models. The Indian government is currently examining a panel's February report that proposed a new "Digital Competition Bill" …

Is the Draft Digital Competition Bill too restrictive?
10 months ago

Is the Draft Digital Competition Bill too restrictive?

The Hindu  

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has put out a draft Digital Competition Bill to regulate anti-competitive practices in the digital space. The Bill has provisions for identifying Systemically Significant Digital Enterprises – basically large digital platforms. While the Bill seems well-intentioned, various stakeholders have expressed concerns that it is far too invasive and could stifle innovation, undermine the interests of …

Why Are Big Tech Companies Jittery About Digital Competition Bill? How Different It Is From The EU Law
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Why Are Big Tech Companies Jittery About Digital Competition Bill? How Different It Is From The EU Law

News 18  

Big tech companies, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon will come under scrutiny as the Digital Competition Bill takes shape, which would stop them from self-preferencing their own services. The draft law, called the Digital Competition Bill, 2024, has provisions to set presumptive norms to curb anti-competitive practices before they actually take place, and promises to impose heavy penalties for …

MSMEs Want Govt to Relook Digital Competition Bill
11 months, 3 weeks ago

MSMEs Want Govt to Relook Digital Competition Bill

Deccan Chronicle  

The adverse effects of the proposed Digital Competition Bill on MSMEs' ability to access and compete in emerging markets, India SME Forum said in its letter to the government. As the provisions are focused on digital services, it limits the ability of SMEs to extract value from digital platforms and deter from adopting digital trade. This approach could hamper investments …

A needed reform for digital competition
1 year ago

A needed reform for digital competition

Hindustan Times  

With the rising digitalisation of markets, the proposed Digital Competition Act can provide a much-needed reform. PREMIUM The 2002 Competition Act’s ex-post approach—the regulator acts when abuse of dominance occurs—was adequate for the earlier, almost exclusively physical markets. The 2002 Competition Act’s ex-post approach—the regulator acts when abuse of dominance occurs—was adequate for the earlier, almost exclusively physical markets. Also, …

Govt-appointed panel proposes bill to curb anti-competitive practices by tech giants
1 year ago

Govt-appointed panel proposes bill to curb anti-competitive practices by tech giants

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: The Committee on Digital Competition Law, constituted by the Union ministry of corporate affairs, has proposed a legislation to curb anti-competitive business practices used by tech giants such as Amazon, Google and Facebook. In the draft bill, the committee proposed that for certain “core digital services” such as search engines, web browsers and social networking sites, the Competition …

Setting the rules in disputes over apps
1 year ago

Setting the rules in disputes over apps

Hindustan Times  

Last week, Google delisted the apps of 10 Indian businesses from its proprietary app store. This incident, which saw some apps relisted after mediated discussions, highlights the need for a thoughtful resolution of business disputes in the digital economy, increasingly contested on the notion of “fairness”. The margins-led fight between apps and their distributors has many analogues, such as telecom …

Harmonizing Horizons: Unravelling Digital Lending Regulations in a Global Context
1 year, 2 months ago

Harmonizing Horizons: Unravelling Digital Lending Regulations in a Global Context

Live Law  

Driven by technical improvements and improved internet access, digital lending is on the rise in India with the goal of improving financial inclusion. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plays a pivotal role in enforcing federal consumer protection laws, recently issuing guidelines tailored for digital lending platforms. United Kingdom Within the United Kingdom, oversight of digital lending platforms falls under the …

Classifying intermediaries in the upcoming DIA
1 year, 5 months ago

Classifying intermediaries in the upcoming DIA

Hindustan Times  

The enactment of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023 reflects a concerted effort to establish an Open, Safe, Trusted, and Accountable internet ecosystem. With the data protection regime nearly finalised all eyes are on the Digital India Bill to achieve the objectives of Open, Safe, Trusted and Accountable online space. As the Government works towards this transition from …

Competition watchdogs vital to economies’ digital, green transitions: CCI chair
1 year, 5 months ago

Competition watchdogs vital to economies’ digital, green transitions: CCI chair

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Competition regulators have a critical role to play as economies undergo digital transformations and shift to sustainable ways of growth, and must ensure that competition and the interests of consumers are protected, according to Competition Commission of India chairperson Ravneet Kaur. Kaur said at the opening ceremony of the BRICS international competition conference that two major imperatives facing …

How the Digital India Act will shape the future of the country’s cyber landscape
1 year, 5 months ago

How the Digital India Act will shape the future of the country’s cyber landscape

The Hindu  

October 09, 2023 08:30 am | Updated 08:30 am IST Nations worldwide are grappling with the need to update their legal frameworks to adapt to the evolving digital landscape. The recent announcement of the Digital India Act 2023 represents a significant step towards establishing a future-ready legal framework for the country’s burgeoning digital ecosystem. The primary motivation behind the DIA …

HNLU Discussion On ‘Competition Law In Digital Economy - A Future Roadmap For India’
1 year, 5 months ago

HNLU Discussion On ‘Competition Law In Digital Economy - A Future Roadmap For India’

Live Law  

The Research Centre for Consumer and Competition Laws of Hidayatullah National Law University hosted an online discussion on 30th of September, 2023 at 6.00 P.M. Mr. Toshit Shandilya, Partner, AZB & Partners delivered the address on the topic ‘Competition Law in Digital Economy - A Future Roadmap for India’. As technology continues to reshape various industries, questions arise about the …

CCI Can Scrutinise PSUs: A Stepping Stone Towards Competitive Neutrality
1 year, 6 months ago

CCI Can Scrutinise PSUs: A Stepping Stone Towards Competitive Neutrality

Live Law  

Recent decision in the case Coal India Limited v. Competition Commission of India by the Supreme Court of India has revived the discussion around the principle of Competitive Neutrality in the Indian market. In an appeal filed by the Railways before the Delhi High Court, assailing the order passed by CCI, Delhi High Court upheld that the Competition Act states …

Virtual digital assets regulation in G20 countries: Towards a global governance framework
1 year, 6 months ago

Virtual digital assets regulation in G20 countries: Towards a global governance framework

Hindustan Times  

Statements made by public officials in certain G20 member-States as well commentaries by financial analysts suggest that emerging market economies stand on a different footing from developed counterparts in their regulation of virtual digital assets. This paper examines this notion by presenting a quantitative analysis of the positions taken by G20 member-countries on different facets of virtual digital assets regulation. …

Panel urges govt to finalize digital competition bill
1 year, 8 months ago

Panel urges govt to finalize digital competition bill

Live Mint  

NEW DELHI : The parliamentary standing committee on finance, led by Jayant Sinha, on Thursday urged the Union government to finalise the digital competition bill at the earliest to check a slew of anti-competitive practices plaguing the digital markets. In December, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance recommended formation of Digital Competition Law, and defining Big Tech companies as Systemically Important …

How Much is India’s ‘Digital Economy’ Worth? In a First, Modi Govt to Measure in Next 9 Months
1 year, 8 months ago

How Much is India’s ‘Digital Economy’ Worth? In a First, Modi Govt to Measure in Next 9 Months

News 18  

The Narendra Modi-led central government, for the first time, will measure the size of India’s ‘digital economy’. The government has put prime focus on ‘digitalisation’ but the measurement of the ‘digital economy’ has not been institutionalised in India. According to senior officials, an exercise will be conducted over the next nine months involving “estimation and measurement of India’s digital economy”, …

Technology was a major focus of PM Modi’s U.S. visit, yet why are U.S tech firms sceptical about digital trade with India?
1 year, 9 months ago

Technology was a major focus of PM Modi’s U.S. visit, yet why are U.S tech firms sceptical about digital trade with India?

The Hindu  

The story so far: During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s U.S. state visit, cooperation on technology emerged as a prominent talking point and yielded some of the most substantive outcomes, according to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra. However, digital trade is also the area where some of the biggest U.S. tech companies have recently flagged multiple policy hurdles, including “India’s patently protectionist …

Regulatory force: Tech titans bow to CCI whip
1 year, 9 months ago

Regulatory force: Tech titans bow to CCI whip

Live Mint  

New Delhi: India’s technology majors are rectifying their anti-trust practices following the crackdown by Competition Commission of India. Market participants said these tech firms are exercising greater caution for arrangements that could be perceived as preferential treatment for specific entities, and addressing concerns related to self-referencing and search biases on their platforms. “The CCI orders against tech firms have sent …

CCI’s Power Is To Regulate Markets, Not To Review Decisions Of Statutory Regulators: Delhi High Court
1 year, 9 months ago

CCI’s Power Is To Regulate Markets, Not To Review Decisions Of Statutory Regulators: Delhi High Court

Live Law  

The Delhi High Court on Friday held that power of the Competition Commission of India is limited to regulating markets and does not extend to reviewing the decisions taken by statutory regulators in exercise of their statutory powers. Emphasizing that the power does not extend to “addressing any grievance” regarding arbitrary action by any statutory authority, Justice Vibhu Bakhru said: …

Britain to take on Big Tech antitrust issues with new legal powers
1 year, 11 months ago

Britain to take on Big Tech antitrust issues with new legal powers

The Hindu  

Britain said on Tuesday it would introduce a new law to rein in the power that big tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon are able to wield to stifle competition in digital markets. Britain's antitrust watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, set up a dedicated Digital Markets Unit two years ago, armed with the expertise to regulate new …

Britain to take on Google, Amazon and Facebook with new legal powers
1 year, 11 months ago

Britain to take on Google, Amazon and Facebook with new legal powers

Live Mint  

Britain said on Tuesday it would introduce a new law to rein in the power that big tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon are able to wield to stifle competition in digital markets. Britain's antitrust watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, set up a dedicated Digital Markets Unit two years ago, armed with the expertise to regulate new …

CCI to get more enforcement powers on Big Tech following amendment to Competition law
1 year, 11 months ago

CCI to get more enforcement powers on Big Tech following amendment to Competition law

The Hindu  

The proposed amendments, cleared by Parliament, to the Competition Act gives more powers to the Competition Commission of India in pursuing what it sees as anti-competitive behaviour. Recently, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal upheld a ₹1,337 crore fine imposed by the CCI on Google for the firm’s contracts with mobile manufacturers. The Bill, which amends the Competition Act, 2002 …

How to hold Big Tech to account
2 years ago

How to hold Big Tech to account

Hindustan Times  

In what has been a slow session of Parliament in terms of legislative work, the Lok Sabha cleared a much-needed change to India’s competition law. The Competition Amendment Bill, 2022 seeks to tweak the 2002 competition law, which lays down important guardrails for the market in India to be fair, preventing participants from cartelising or abusing positions of dominance. The …

MeitY mystery: Consultation process for Digital India Bill still opaque
2 years ago

MeitY mystery: Consultation process for Digital India Bill still opaque

The Hindu  

Published : Mar 23, 2023 10:45 IST - 7 MINS READ The Union government’s ambitious vision of Digital India and its goals of “Catalysing New India’s Techade” are well known. The Bill will also touch upon the idea of “discretionary moderation of fake news” by social media platforms as well as “content monetisation rules for platform-generated and user-generated content”. “The …

It’s unclear if exceptional markets call for special rules
2 years, 2 months ago

It’s unclear if exceptional markets call for special rules

Live Mint  

India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance recently released a report on anti-competitive practices by Big Tech companies. It also favours more regulation of “systemically important digital intermediaries”, a move conceptually similar to the enhanced oversight of ‘gatekeepers’ or large platforms under the EU’s Digital Markets Act. It relies on two central arguments in favour of ex-ante regulation: the exceptional nature …

Finance panel will firm up regulators: Jayant Sinha
2 years, 3 months ago

Finance panel will firm up regulators: Jayant Sinha

Live Mint  

After recommending sweeping changes to India’s bankruptcy framework and competition regulation, the Parliament’s influential standing committee on finance may examine the issue of state finances, the working of market and banking regulators, and the menace of cybercrimes, the panel’s chairperson, Jayant Sinha, said. In an interview, Sinha said dominant digital market players, to be identified as digital gatekeepers, will have …

Mint Explainer: How to prevent the birth of digital monopolies
2 years, 3 months ago

Mint Explainer: How to prevent the birth of digital monopolies

Live Mint  

A parliamentary panel has recommended ex-ante regulations for the Indian digital markets to prevent a few companies turning into large monopolies. In fact, regulations can be far broader in scope than competition laws, pushing the development of the digital ecosystem in a direction that may be seen to be socially desirable, for example, pushing companies to share data that may …

Gear up wisely to clamp down on important digital intermediaries
2 years, 3 months ago

Gear up wisely to clamp down on important digital intermediaries

Live Mint  

Hard on the heels of its recommendations on the Competition Bill, 2022, India’s Standing Committee on Finance tabled its report on “anti-competitive practices by big tech companies” in the Lok Sabha on 22 December 2022. To address the unique needs of digital markets, the committee has recommended the introduction of a ‘Digital Competition Act’, which would ensure a fair, transparent …

India panel recommends digital competition act to rein in Big Tech
2 years, 3 months ago

India panel recommends digital competition act to rein in Big Tech

The Hindu  

An Indian parliamentary panel on Thursday recommended the government enact a digital competition act to regulate anti-competitive business practices by Big Tech companies on its platforms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has had strained relations with many large technology companies, and New Delhi has been tightening the regulation of firms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. "The Committee recommend that …

Big Tech and the need in India for ex-ante regulation
2 years, 3 months ago

Big Tech and the need in India for ex-ante regulation

The Hindu  

The Indian anti-trust body, the Competition Commission of India ’s move, in October, to impose a penalty of ₹1,337.76 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position in the android mobile device ecosystem, has forced us, once again, to rethink the market power of Big Tech companies. The EU’s Digital Market Act and “gatekeepers” who will enforce rules and regulations …

Govt panel recommends regulatory body, new law for online gaming: Report
2 years, 6 months ago

Govt panel recommends regulatory body, new law for online gaming: Report

Hindustan Times  

A recent draft report from a government panel has recommended Centre to tighten the regulatory framework governing online games. The draft report proposes Centre to consider enacting a separate law to regulate online gaming. The report says the Centre should consider enacting a separate law to regulate online gaming as a “long-term measure". The draft report proposes that rules should …

Why CCI matters for protecting customers from digital players
2 years, 6 months ago

Why CCI matters for protecting customers from digital players

Live Mint  

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, headed by Jayant Sinha, is only the latest to voice its concerns about potential risks from the rapid growth of the digital economy. In particular, the risks arising from the inherently anti-competitive nature of players in the digital world due to what are known as network effects, the peculiar feature that makes the value …

Technology companies wary of law on digital competition
2 years, 7 months ago

Technology companies wary of law on digital competition

The Hindu  

To tackle unfair and predatory practices in the digital market space, the Standing Committee on Finance will be submitting a report in the first week of September on how the competition law needs to evolve for the digital market. “In the first week of September, the Standing Committee on Finance will be submitting a report on the evolution of competition …

Anti-competitive practices: Apple, Google, Netflix, Amazon India executives to depose before Parliamentary panel on Tuesday
2 years, 7 months ago

Anti-competitive practices: Apple, Google, Netflix, Amazon India executives to depose before Parliamentary panel on Tuesday

The Hindu  

Top executives of the Indian arms of Apple, Google, Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft will on August 23 depose before a parliamentary panel looking into anti-competitive practices in the digital space, the committee’s chairman Jayant Sinha said. According to a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the agenda of the meeting is “Oral evidence of the representatives of big tech …

Anti-competitive practices: Apple, Google, Netflix, Amazon India execs to depose before Parliamentary panel
2 years, 7 months ago

Anti-competitive practices: Apple, Google, Netflix, Amazon India execs to depose before Parliamentary panel

India TV News  

Top executives of the Indian arms of Apple, Google, Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft will on Tuesday depose before a parliamentary panel looking into anti-competitive practices in the digital space, the committee's chairman Jayant Sinha said. "Representatives of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Netflix, from their Indian arms and a few others will appear before the parliamentary panel on the issue of …

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