Rethinking Antitrust Tools for Multi-Sided Platforms 2018

Publication date: 6 April 2018

This report investigates how competition agencies can respond to the challenges posed by the multi-sided nature of platform markets, which are particularly common in the digital economy. It asks whether the antitrust tools that are traditionally used to define markets, to assess market power and efficiencies, and to assess the effects of exclusionary conduct and vertical restraints, remain sufficient to address those questions in the context of multi-sided platform markets. It then proposes how these tools might be re-designed or re-interpreted in order to equip competition agencies with the tools they require when analysing these markets. 

Background

In June 2017 the OECD invited a range of expert economists from agencies, academia, and private practice to make practical methodological proposals on how current tools might need to be re-designed or re-interpreted in order to equip competition agencies with the analytical tools they require when analysing multi-sided platform markets.

This features each of the contributions made by those experts (and their co-authors) along with an opening synthesis chapter by the OECD. Access more related materials at the .

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DOCUMENTS AND LINKS

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Market Definition, 2012

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