Author: rwallace

FCC Chief Economist Glenn Woroch Rejoins Compass Lexecon

Compass Lexecon is delighted to welcome back Dr. Glenn Woroch, an internationally recognized expert in the economics of the telecommunications industry, following his appointment in September 2020 as Chief Economist of the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”). For nearly 30 years, Dr. Woroch has served as an expert witness on matters involving monopolization claims, mergers, intellectual … Continued

Vertically Integrated Platforms

In September 2021, Compass Lexecon co-hosted a virtual workshop with the Mannheim Centre for Competition and Innovation (MaCCI) on recent research related to vertically integrated platforms from leading economists. In these non-technical presentations, leading economists Andrei Hagiu (Boston University), Prof. Feng Zhu (Harvard Business School), Prof. Salvatore Piccolo (University of Bergamo & Compass Lexecon) and … Continued

Optimal Exit Policy with Uncertain Demand

Entrants often need to make considerable sunk investments with highly uncertain returns. The option to exit if returns are low reduces investment risks and stimulates innovation. In this paper, Michele Bisceglia (University of Toulouse) and Jorge Padilla, Joe Perkins, and Salvatore Piccolo of Compass Lexecon[1] examine the interaction between exit policy and up-front investment by … Continued

Ciara Kalmus Rejoins Compass Lexecon as Senior Vice President from Ofcom

Compass Lexecon is delighted to welcome back economist Ciara Kalmus to the London office as a Senior Vice President, following 10 years at the UK communications regulator Ofcom. Ciara has more than 20 years’ experience as an applied economist working in competition policy and regulation. Her extensive experience in the media and telecoms sectors will … Continued

Merger Control Z

In this paper, Jorge Padilla, Joe Perkins, and Paul Reynolds[1] focus on industries that require intensive investment to compete and innovate well before demand materializes (or fails to do so). In these industries, the existence of exit barriers may cause firms to become “zombies” ex-post and result in significant underinvestment ex-ante. They first discuss the link between the investment decisions of firms and the existence and significance of exit barriers. Then, they consider the role of mergers as an exit mechanism that promotes efficient investment and fosters competition. They conclude with a discussion about optimal merger policy.

Q&A: Competition and antitrust issues in digital markets

Expert economists Salvatore Piccolo, Patricia Lorenzo, Guillaume Duquesne, Kadambari Prasad, and Paul Reynolds discuss competition and antitrust issues in digital markets with Financier Worldwide. Could you provide an overview of how the digital marketplace has developed in recent years? Piccolo: Recent years have witnessed the emergence of an increasing number of online marketplaces with new … Continued

Expert Q&A on Vertical Merger Enforcement

Expert Economist Andy Parkinson participated in a Q&A with Financier Worldwide, joining lawyers from Baker Botts, Hogan Lovells, and Latham & Watkins LLP, providing a UK and EU perspective on recent developments in vertical merger enforcement. Could you provide an overview of how vertical mergers are generally treated for antitrust enforcement purposes? Parkinson: Most vertical … Continued

Competition Law Analysis of Price and Non-price Discrimination – International Report

David Sevy, Executive Vice President at Compass Lexecon in Paris co-authored a chapter with Christophe Lemaire, Partner at Ashurst LLP in the eighth edition of the LIDC Contributions on Antitrust Law, Intellectual Property and Unfair Competition, which captures the reports prepared by the international and national reporters at the League’s Annual Congress held in November 2019 in Paris, France.