Mária T. Patakyová – Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law, Institute of European Law. Šafárikovo nám. č. 6, 810
00 Bratislava, Slovakia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31410/EMAN.2020.171
4th International Scientific Conference – EMAN 2020 – Economics and Management: How to Cope With Disrupted Times, Online/Virtual, September 3, 2020, CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS published by: Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans, Belgrade, Serbia; ISBN 978-86-80194-30-1, ISSN 2683-4510
Abstract:
Competition law serves as an important tool for regulation of undertakings. In order to
conduct a competition law analysis, one must first define the relevant market. However, this task is
becoming more intricate in today’s digital era, especially in relation to so-called zero-price markets.
These markets are characterised as markets where users of products or services do not pay for the
use, at least they do not pay by money. This paper asks how to define relevant market in such case.
Three methods of relevant market definition are presented, namely qualitative analysis, SSNIP test and
SSNDQ test. The paper briefly explores positive and negative elements of these tests and compares the
findings with the European Commission’s 2019 report. It leads to the answer that qualitative method
might have certain advantages in this regard.
Keywords:
Zero-Price markets, United Brands, Qualitative Method, Characteristics Bases Method,
SSNIP Test, SSNDQ Test, Digital Era Competition Policy.
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