Clifford Chance

Do not pass go: a new card in US antitrust enforcement of the tech titans

14 February 2020

US antitrust enforcers have held off on rigorous enforcement actions of some of the largest US technology companies for years, but now the tide is turning. In 2019, the FTC launched the Technology Task Force and the Division opened investigations into online platforms. Areas of likely increased antitrust scrutiny, and potentially enforcement, include the collection and use of big data and the review of acquisitions of nascent competitors. Although some are pushing for new legislation to specifically address tech titans, antitrust agencies stress that the current enforcement laws are sufficient to address any potential antitrust issues in the technology industry.

This article by Clifford Chance partner, Timothy Cornell and Clifford Chance associate, Abigail Cessna, was first published in Competition Law International, Vol 15 No 2, December 2019, and is reproduced by kind permission of the International Bar Association, London, UK. © International Bar Association.

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