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Competition & Markets

Competition law and market regulation can act both as driving forces and as restraints on creative production.

Within a free market system, production happens within the ‘rules of the game’ – with foundational principles governing competitive markets developed within competition law and market regulation. Competition law and market regulation can act both as driving forces and as restraints on creative production. They remove barriers to entry and impediments to a well-functioning market, by curtailing the exercise of (unilateral or collective) power by existing market players. The digitisation of the economy has drastically changed the way markets operate, and may affect the balance of powers between producers, creators and users or consumers. This makes it even more crucial to understand the avenues for innovation and creativity the law unleashes, while identifying the limits it may place on commercial activities.

PROJECTS

Project: Competition & Markets
18 June 2023

Cloud Gaming and the Changing Landscape of the Video Game Industry

The video games sector is currently the largest entertainment sector, both in the UK and globally. This exceeds both music…
Project: Competition & Markets
14 October 2022

The Law and Economics of e-lending in Europe

Libraries are vital providers of access to information, ideas and works for individual citizens, communities and organisations. As such, intellectual…
Project: Competition & Markets
11 July 2022

An Empirical Approach to Trade Dress Protection and Competition (AHRC PEC)

In the UK, EU, and the US, firms can claim an exclusive trademark right in relation to features of the…
Project: Competition & Markets
22 April 2021

Platform regulation I (AHRC PEC)

Objectives: To map global trends, develop an analytical frame that allows assessment of implications for creative industries, and engage UK…
Project: Competition & Markets
22 April 2021

Platform regulation II (competition, contestability and innovation)

Giants of the tech sector have been at the heart of competition law enforcement in recent years.  A considerable part…
pieces of puzzleProject: Competition & Markets
22 April 2021

Trade marks as functioning brands

Trade marks are expected to function as source identifiers enabling consumers to differentiate between goods and services in the marketplace…
Project: Competition & Markets
22 April 2021

The gatekeeping of art

This study proposes a historical perspective on gatekeeper power to restrict competition, with consequences for innovation, consumer welfare and the…
Project: Competition & Markets
19 February 2021

Video-sharing Platform Creativity (AHRC PEC)

Video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, and TikTok advertise themselves as a creative paradise. Some scholars also believe these platforms…