Issues of application of anti-monopoly legislation provisions to the activities of digital platforms

The article is devoted to the study of topical problems of improving antimonopoly legislation in order to regulate public relations arising in the activities of digital platforms. The article analyzes the provisions of the latest regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation and foreign states, dedicated to the determination of the legal status of digital platforms. Analysis of foreign legislation made it possible to identify existing approaches to the legal regulation of digital platforms, which can act as a guideline in the development of regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation, as well as contribute to the prevention, identification and suppression of commercial practices of digital platforms that harm legal relations in the field of protection of competition and prevention of illegal monopolistic activity. The normative and doctrinal definitions of the concepts of «digital platform», «big data», «network effects» are considered. The author’s assessment of the correspondence of these concepts to the real economic activity of digital platforms is given. It is concluded that it is advisable to consolidate the definitions of the concepts of «digital platform», «big data», «network effects», «ecosystem» in the antimonopoly legislation of the Russian Federation. The need to amend the antimonopoly legislation of the Russian Federation is substantiated in order to take into account the influence of «big data» and «network effects» on the state of real or potential competition in the markets in which digital platforms operate. The problems of analyzing the commodity market in the digital economy and the activities of digital platforms have been identified. The conclusion is made about the discrepancy between the established methods of analyzing the commodity market to determine the dominant position and the state of competition in the event that the subjects of economic activity are digital platforms. New effective approaches to analyzing the state of the market when considering cases of violation of antimonopoly legislation committed by digital platforms are proposed.

1. Antimonopol’noe regulirovanie v cifrovuju jepohu. Kak zashhishhat’ konkurenciju v uslovijah globalizacii i chetvertoj promyshlennoj revoljucii: monografija (Antitrust regulation in the digital age. How to Protect Competition in the Context of Globalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Monograph) / A. Ju. Carikovskij, N. F. Galimhanova, A. P. Tenishev [i dr.]; pod red. A. Ju. Carikovskogo, A. Ju. Ivanova, E. A. Vojnikanis. Moscow: High school of economy publ., 2020. 394 p. (In Russian).

2. Zakon Rossijskoj Federacii ot 7 fevralja 1992 g. № 2300-1 «O zashhite prav potrebitelej» (red. ot 22 dekabrja 2020 g.) (Law of the Russian Federation of February 7, 1992 No. 2300-1 «On Protection of Consumer Rights» (as amended on December 22, 2020) // Vedomosti S#ezda narodnyh deputatov Rossijskoj Federacii i Verhovnogo Soveta Rossijskoj Federacii. 1992. No. 15, Art. 766; Sobranie zakonodatel’stva Rossijskoj Federacii. 2020. No. 50, Part. 3, Art. 8074. (In Russian).

3. Postanovlenie Plenuma Verhovnogo Suda Rossijskoj Federacii ot 4 marta 2021 goda «O nekotoryh voprosah, voznikajushhih v svjazi s primeneniem sudami antimonopol’nogo zakonodatel’stva» (Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of March 4, 2021 «On some issues arising in connection with the application of antimonopoly legislation by courts») // Bjulleten’ Verhovnogo Suda Rossijskoj Federacii. 2021. No. 5. (In Russian).

4. Prikaz FAS Rossii ot 15 fevralja 2021 g. № 108/21 «Ob utverzhdenii Plana zakonoproektnoj dejatel’nosti FAS Rossii na 2021 god» (Order of the FAS Russia dated February 15, 2021 No. 108/21 «On approval of the Plan of legislative activities of the FAS Russia for 2021») // Dokument opublikovan ne byl. Dostup iz sprav.-pravovoj sistemy «Konsul’tantPljus». (In Russian).

5. Proekt Federal’nogo zakona «O vnesenii izmenenij v Federal’nyj zakon «O zashhite konkurencii» (Draft Federal Law «On Amendments to the Federal Law «On Protection of Competition») URL: https://regulation.gov.ru/projects#npa=79428 (Accessed: 20.06.2021). (In Russian).

6. Reshenie FAS Rossii ot 10 avgusta 2020 g. po delu № 11/01/10-24/2019 (The decision of the FAS Russia of August 10, 2020 in the case № 11/01/10-24/2019) URL: https://br.fas.gov.ru/ca/upravlenie-regulirovaniya-svyazi-i-informatsionnyhtehnologiy/b70e9d96-8d39-46f5-9d7d-342da95b354b/?query=11/01/10-24/2019 (Accessed: 20.06.2020). (In Russian).

7. Savel’ev A. I. Napravlenija regulirovanija bol’shih dannyh i zashhita neprikosnovennosti chastnoj zhizni v novyh jekonomicheskih realijah (Big Data Regulations and Privacy in New Economic Realities) // Zakon. 2018. No. 5. P. 122–144. (In Russian).

8. Strategija razvitija konkurencii i antimonopol’nogo regulirovanija v Rossijskoj Federacii na period do 2030 goda (utv. protokolom Prezidiuma FAS Rossii ot 3 ijulja 2019 g. № 6) (Strategy for the development of competition and antimonopoly regulation in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 (approved by the protocol of the Presidium of the FAS Russia dated July 3, 2019 No. 6) // Dokument opublikovan ne byl. Dostup iz sprav.-pravovoj sistemy «Konsul’tantPljus». (In Russian).

9. Ukaz Prezidenta Rossijskoj Federacii ot 7 maja 2018 g. № 204 «O nacional’nyh celjah i strategicheskih zadachah razvitija Rossijskoj Federacii na period do 2024 goda» (red. ot 21 ijulja 2020 g.) (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 7, 2018 No. 204 «On national goals and strategic objectives of the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024» (as amended on July 21, 2020) // SZ RF. 2018. No. 20. Art. 2817; 2020. No.30, Art. 4884. (In Russian).

10. Jekosistemy: podhody k regulirovaniju. Doklad dlja obshhestvennyh konsul’tacij. Bank Rossii, aprel’ 2021 g. (Ecosystems: Approaches to Regulation. Public Consultation Report. Bank of Russia, April 2021) URL: https://www.cbr.ru/Content/Document/File/119960/Consultation_Paper_02042021.pdf (Accessed: 20.06.2021). (In Russian).

11. Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen. Bundesgesetzblatt. Teil I. 1998. Nr. 59 vom 02.09.1998. (Act against Restraints of Competition. Federal Law Gazette. Part I. 1998. No. 59 from 02.09.1998) URL: http://www.gesetze-iminternet.de/gwb/index.html (Accessed: 20.06.2020). (In Russian).

12. Loi n° 2016-1321 du 7 octobre 2016 pour une République numérique (Law №. 2016-1321 of October 7, 2016 for a Digital Republic) URL: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000033202746/ (Accessed: 20.06.2021). (In Russian).

13. Neuntes Gesetz zur Änderung des Gesetzes gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen (9. GWB-Novelle) vom. 1 Juni 2017 (Ninth law amending the law against restraints of competition (9th GWB amendment) of. 1 June 2017) URL: https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Downloads/Gesetz/neuntes-gesetz-zur-aenderung-des-gesetzes-gegenwettbewerbsbeschraenkungen.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4 (Accessed: 20.06.2021).

14. Newman J.M. Antitrust in Zero-Price Markets: Foundations // University of Pennsylvania Law Review. 2015. Vol. 164. P. 149.

15. Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market. Select Committee on European Union. 10th Report of Session 2015–16 URL: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201516/ldselect/ldeucom/129/129.pdf (Accessed: 20.06.2021).

16. Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector (Digital Markets Act). Brussels, 15.12.2020 URL: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?qid=1608116887159&uri=COM%3A2020%3A842%3AFIN (Accessed: 20.06.2021).

17. Shelanski H.A. Information, Innovation, and Competition Policy for the Internet // University of Pennsylvania Law Review. 2013. Vol. 161. P. 1665.