The Impact of Consumer Protection on Competition and Competition Law: The Case of Deregulated Markets

Author(s):  
Kati Cseres
Yuridika ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 235
Author(s):  
Stefan Koos

The Article describes the impact of artificial intelligence in different areas of the civil law, namely tort law, contract law, antitrust law and consumer protection law. It shows that the use of artificial intelligence already leads to legal constellations, which cannot longer easily subsumized under elementary terms of the civil law and therefore cause a real disruption in the civil law. Terms, which are based on a freedom concept of the subjective rights of the actors, such as private autonomy and contractual will not fit anymore to the activity of artificial intelligence systems the more those systems are able to act independant of human actors. Similar applies to terms which are referring to the freedom of decision like the market behaviour in the competition law. The article discusses several solution approaches, such as personification approches, agent-principal approaches and the definition of new categories of market and contractual acting. In the consumer protection the special focus in the future legal development will be on the problem how to achieve adequate, though not overflowing, transparency for consumers, especially regarding the combination of big data and algorithms.


Author(s):  
Pablo Ibáñez Colomo

Abstract This article examines the meaning and scope of the notion of anticompetitive effects in EU competition law. It does so by bringing together several strands of the case law (and this across all provisions, namely Articles 101 and 102 TFEU and merger control). The analysis is structured around a framework that considers the main variables that shape the notion in practice: the time variable (actual or potential effects); the dimensions of competition and the counterfactual; the meaning of effects and the probability threshold (plausibility, likelihood, certainty). The exercise shows that it is possible to discern a concrete meaning to the notion of anticompetitive effects. Some central questions, including the role and operation of the counterfactual and the threshold of effects, have already been answered by the Court of Justice. In particular, it has long been clear that anticompetitive effects amount to more than a mere competitive disadvantage and/or a limitation of a firm’s freedom of action. The impact on equally efficient firms’ ability and/or incentive to compete would need to be established. At the same time, some open questions and some potential areas of friction (relating, inter alia, to stakeholders’ tendency to conflate appreciability and effects) remain. These are also discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hlako Choma ◽  
Thifulufhelwi Cedric Tshidada ◽  
Tshegofatso Kgarabjang

The purpose of this paper is to examine two South Africa legislations dealing with over indebtedness of a consumer. It is clear that in terms of the South African law, section 129 (1) and 130 (3) of the National Credit Act provide that a creditor provider who wishes to enforce a debt under a credit agreement must first issue a section 129 (1) (a) notice to the consumer (the purpose of the notice is to notify the consumer of his/her arrears). On the other hand, the South African National Credit Act encourages the consumers to fulfil the financial obligations for which they are responsible. The second legislation to be examined which serve or appear to serve same purpose as the National Credit Act is the Insolvency Act. It therefore, postulated that the compulsory sequestration of a consumer in terms of the Insolvency Act would stand as an alternative remedy for a credit provider before she/he can have recourse mechanisms, such as debt review that are focused on satisfaction of the consumer’s financial obligation , in terms of the provisions of the National Credit Act. The paper determines to what extend these measures comply with the constitutional consumer protection demands. The legislature had been pertinently cognizant of the Insolvency Act when it lately enacted the National Credit Act. This is much apparent from the express amendment of section 84 of the Insolvency Act to the extent set out in schedule 2 of the National Credit Act


Author(s):  
Stuart Aveyard ◽  
Paul Corthorn ◽  
Sean O’Connell

Chapter 3 examines debates about controls on consumer credit from late 1957 to 1964. As in Chapter 2, this chapter provides a fresh appraisal of Labour’s response to the affluent society. The party attempted to outflank the Conservatives on the issue of consumer protection. It embarrassed the Conservatives over their sluggish response to the Molony Committee’s recommendations on hire purchase legislation. The chapter also supports previous analyses that have identified the strong impact of new consumerist groups, particularly the Consumers’ Association and the weakening role of the Cooperative Movement. The issue of credit controls became more contentious. The Radcliffe Committee on monetary policy (1958) highlighted the weaknesses of the system. Of particular concern was the impact of controls on consumer durable industries. They were removed in 1958, but reintroduced, in 1960, following a dangerous rise in consumer indebtedness.


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