European Union Committee
Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market
10th Report of Session 2015-16 - published 20 April 2016 - HL Paper 129
Contents
Chapter 2: The importance of online platforms
The benefits of online platforms
Chapter 3: Defining ‘online platforms’
The Commission’s definition and description of online platforms
Box 1: The Commission’s definition of online platforms
Table 1: The taxonomy of online platforms used in the
Commission’s consultation
Strengths of the Commission’s definition and description
Economics of two- or multi-sided businesses
Support for the theory of multi-sided platforms
Limitations of the Commission’s definition
Breadth of the Commission’s definition
Chapter 4: Market power and online platforms
How network effects may lead to market power
Network effects and the Internet
Switching costs for businesses
Regulating the market power of online platforms
Chapter 5: Competition law and online platforms
Box 3: Competition law in the EU and UK
Price Parity Clauses and online travel agents
Box 4: Wide and narrow price parity clauses used by OTAs
Competition enforcement against parity clauses in the hotel
industry
Regulating price parity clauses
Discrepancy in bargaining power between hotels and OTAs
Other practices adopted by OTAs
Asymmetries in bargaining power in other industries
Business-to-business dispute resolution mechanism
Vertical integration and leveraging
Box 6: Mergers and Acquisitions under EU and UK Law
Degrading privacy standards as an abuse of dominance
The adequacy of competition law
Length of competition proceedings
Chapter 6: Data protection law and online platforms
Consumer concerns about personal data and online businesses
The collection of personal data
Competition on the basis of privacy
General Data Protection Regulation
Box 8: Comparing the Data Protection Act 1998 and General
Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Extending the scope of the types of data covered by the
Regulation
Improving control over personal data
Experiments using personal data on social networks
Implementing the General Data Protection Regulation
Engagement between industry and regulators
Chapter 7: Consumer protection and online platforms
Consumer-to-consumer transactions
Box 9: Consumers and Traders in Consumer Protection Law
Transparency in how online platforms present information
Box 10: Unfair Commercial Practices Directive
Transparency in search results
Chapter 8: How to grow European platforms
Why is there no European Google?
Europe: an exporter of unicorns
Create a Digital Single Market of 500 million consumers
Facilitate increased investment
Embrace the strategic role of innovation
Chapter 9: Regulating online platforms
Responding to regulatory disruption
Ensure that regulators are properly resourced and willing to act
Review existing law and develop guidance
Coherence across the single market
Work across regulatory regimes
An outlet for political pressure
Summary of Conclusions and Recommendations
Appendix 1: List of Members and Declarations of Interest