The biggest shakeup of merger regulation in Australia in 50 years is coming into view. Partners Elizabeth Avery and Louise Klamka take us through the major changes and the devilish details that still need to be settled, with additional commentary from partner Simon Muys and winning visualisations from Treasury. Is this faster, stronger and simpler, or just harder? More transparent or less accountable? Plus grocery inquiries and divestiture powers, Soviet industrial policy, irrebuttable presumptions and the ACCC looks for a meeting of the minds with the High Court on the nature of threats and understandings. All this and Rebel Wilson with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein of The Competitive Edge podcast.  Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition, Consumer + Market Regulation team  Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Anne Catherine Faye, Economist and Counsel to the Chair of the American Bar Association's Antitrust Section, takes us through the complicated landscape of antitrust, economics and sustainability in the US and beyond. Plus the Department of Justice goes bobbing for Apple, the Epic case gets underway in Australia, the Full Federal Court overturns the ACCC's win against the CFM(M)EU, and the Productivity Commission gets back in the game with the new National Competition Policy. All this and the Franklin's Tale with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein and senior correspondent Anna Belgiorno-Nettis.  US v Apple press release, press conference and complaint MLex reporting on the Epic v everyone hearing ACCC v CFM(M)EU Round 1, Round 2 and the ACCC's application for special leave to appeal to Round 3 The Marx Brothers on the secondary boycott provisions C&C (music f) Act (ory) megamix Productivity Commission's assessment of proposed National Competition Policy reforms Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition, Consumer + Market Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Change is the only constant, but even change is changing as partner Andrew Low joins us to talk about digital regulation, digital ecosystems and digital payments, and the fight over access to a tiny part of your phone. Plus more constant than change in the ACCC's 2024–25 compliance and enforcement priorities, Epic's battle royale against Google and Apple lands on our island, gatekeepers land their European beachheads on DMA-day, ex-ante regulation proves to be easier said than done, and surf'n'turf at the Qteq cartel hearing. All this and our politicians' favourite films with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein.  Our update on the ACCC's 2024-25 compliance and enforcement priorities Our update on the ACCC's focus on consumer guarantees Our annual Competition + Consumer Law Insights publication for 2023-24    Dr Andrew Leigh in the Australian Book Review The Barbie edition of Monopoly Results of the RBA's 2022 Consumer Payments Survey MLex's coverage of the ACCC v Qteq and Epic v Apple and Google hearings   RIP Kingsleys Brisbane Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition, Consumer + Market Regulation team  Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

G+T partner Ilona Millar and Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association Co-Chair Rae Lindsay on global ESG trends, corporate sustainability in Europe, and the unfolding impacts on Australian companies in the first part of a double-header on the emerging field of business and human rights.   Plus the Tribunal overturns the ref's call on the ANZ/Suncorp merger authorisation, but it's not all bad news for the ACCC; ex-post reviews of mergers; near-record criminal fines for a cartel; and even more Wonka and antitrust in pop culture.   All this and more next week with co-hosts  Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein.   G+T on the Tribunal's authorisation of the ANZ/Suncorp merger The ACCC's second ex-post review of past merger decisions  Mumbrella on Take 5's all-time classic headlines ACCC on the criminal penalties in the waste cartel Autorité de la Chalomet on the French chocolate cartel Wikipedia on the incredible AI-assisted Willy's Chocolate Experience (archived)  Spencer Weber Waller's "A Pop Culture Guide to Antitrust" and sequel Ben Stein on the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act and the Laffer Curve ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb's AFR op-ed on digital platform regulation Shop Talk: G+T's latest consumer law update Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition, Consumer + Market Regulation team  Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Partners Elizabeth Avery and Simon Muys take us through the latest on the merger reform debate, how the ACCC's position has evolved and how its package deal might be unbundled.   Plus time is a flat circle with supermarket inquiries and the cozzie livs, disrupting the Chocolate Cartel with Willy Dubs, expensive typos from Mariner I to the latest real estate scams, and dance hall revivals from West Ham to "No Whyalla Wipeout".   All this and more AI fingers with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein of The Competitive Edge Podcast.  The great dance hall merger of 1926 via Trove  Macquarie Dictionary's word of the year for 2023  Cost of living and supermarket price inquiries from Prof Allan Fels, the Senate Select Committee, and Dr Craig Emerson Skyhooks, "Horror Movie" for no particular reason  Justus Haucap & Christina Heldman, "On the sociology of cartels", European Journal of Law and Economics (2023) 56:289-323  The most expensive hyphen in history and a fairly expensive "s" Elizabeth and Simon on merger reform in the AFR  Submissions to Treasury on merger reform from the ACCC (123) and the Law Council of Australia (12)  The Tech team on deepfakes and Peter Waters on AI in the law Nadia Buttendorf's FINGERring vs Sam Kerr in the AFR.   Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition, Consumer + Market Regulation team  Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Special Counsel Amelia McKellar guides us through the multiverse of multijurisdictional ("MJ") mergers, and how to navigate the conjunction of thresholds, deadlines, agencies and advisers and arrive at the singularity of success. Plus submissions at 20 paces in the merger reform debate, Apple tells the regulators they've been holding it wrong, lessons in Wonkanomics, and a busy year ahead for the ACCC … All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein.  Submissions from the ACCC and the Law Council on the merger reform proposals Apple's changes in response to the European Digital Markets Act The Maine milk-truck drivers and the Oxford comma Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Cartel Illumina lets go of Grail The ACCC's new Supermarkets Inquiry 2024-25 The inaugural 2nd Anniversary End of Year Holiday Season Speak Now Podcast Survey Try the new competition law-themed cryptic crossword at crossword.info/edge Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition, Consumer + Market Regulation team  Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

OECD Competition Committee Chair Professor Frédéric Jenny joins us to talk about the long arc of the competition law universe, from the Chicago School through COVID to climate change, digital platforms and artificial intelligence. Plus motorways and Rebel Wilson, the inaugural GCR Live conference in Sydney, greenwashing ocean-bound plastics, both kinds of RPM, the Government response to Reppo No. 5 and the ACCC's call for ex ante regulation, and Epic's saga against Google. All this and a new competition law cryptic crossword with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein The inaugural 2nd Anniversary End of Year Holiday Season Speak Now Podcast Survey Try the new competition law-themed cryptic crossword at crossword.info/edge OECD Roundtable on Competition and Professional Sports ft. Moya Dodd  GCR reporting on the merger proposals, cartel enforcement and keynote address All the options on the Android search engine choice pages  ACCC on ocean plastic* yoghurt tubs and ACC on avocado injuries Techtronic RPM vs Technotronic RPM Government response to DPSI5 recommendations Donald Knuth's Potrzebie System of Weights and Measures Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team  Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Even as maximum corporate penalties go through the roof, there may be more deterrence in pursuing a business's officers and employees. Partner Liana Witt talks us through individual liability for competition law contraventions and how not to end up as the anti-hero. Plus Treasury consults on changes to the merger process; new leadership and new expectations for the Productivity Commission; the High Court hits the ground running; and when's the ACCC going to drop another competition court case? All this and evermore with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein. The inaugural 2nd Anniversary End of Year Holiday Season Speak Now Podcast Survey G+T on the Treasury consultation on merger review process proposals MLex on the ACCC's Marcus Bezzi and the merger reform proposals Two A.I. "covers" of Taylor Swift singing Radiohead's"Creep" More on Alex Morgan and Taylor Swift New Productivity Commission Chair Danielle Wood on the ABC's 7.30 High Court Ceremonial Sittings for Gageler CJ and Beech-Jones J "Listening to Taylor Swift in Prison" by Joe Garcia in The New Yorker MLex, "Has the will to win chilled the Australian watchdog's antitrust-enforcement campaign?" Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Partner Geoff Petersen gives us the buzz on the new National Energy Objectives, which now include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the ACCC's authorisation of Brookfield’s acquisition of Origin Energy on green grounds, and what they mean for competition as the energy transition accelerates. Plus A.I. from the Beatles to Bletchley Park; the full line-up of the Competition Review Expert Advisory Panel; turning up the volume on the merger process debate; and what really is a Ticket to Ride? … All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein.

Partner Louise Klamka reads the contrails on the airline sector, including the ACCC's case against Qantas and its rejection of Qantas's acquisition of Alliance, the Government's Aviation White Paper, the Senate Inquiry into Bilateral Air Service Agreements and the need to look closely at the role airports play in aviation competition. Plus competition vs climate in the Brookfield/MidOcean acquisition of Origin Energy, taxes and treason in the High Court's electric vehicle ruling, A.I. fought the law and nobody won, and quixotic projects with the International Competition Network in Barcelona. All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein. G+T on the ACCC's authorisation of the Origin acquisition The High Court takes on electric vehicle charging in Vanderstock v Victoria "Heart on my Sleeve" by Drake A.I. The NO FAKES Act, smh Pras Michel's motion for a new trial The Select Committee on Commonwealth Bilateral Air Service Agreements The role of courts in antitrust law at the ICN Conference in Barcelona Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

NYU antitrust legend Eleanor Fox joins us to discuss the evolving nature of antitrust; the tensions between agencies, lawmakers and courts; and convergence and divergence between competition law jurisdictions. Plus negotiating AI in Brussels and Hollywood, a clearer picture of the FTC's case against Amazon's "Project Nessie", and late changes to the High Court's starting seven. All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein. Summary of the WGA agreement with studios and EU Parliament's version of the A.I. Act The Simpsons imagines a world without lawyers Peter Waters on A.I. in Europe, in Big Tech, in Domestic Work, in the Supply Chain and in Pricing Algorithms The Verge on additional details about Project Nessie Prof Eleanor M. Fox on just about everything Appointments to the High Court of Australia Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Partners Elizabeth Avery and Louisa Klamka return from the International Antitrust Forum in the home counties with all the latest on competition practice and enforcement around the world. Regulators are embracing novel theories of harm, but what do the courts think? All will be revealed – to the extent permitted by the Chatham House Rule. Plus the Matildas make the anti-siphoning list, the ACCC tells Transurban to take the rat run, Microsoft nears the end credits in its quest for Activision, and the FTC takes another stab at its white whale, or lake monster.  All this and economic dynamism with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein. Harry and Sally on the singing machine Matildas on the anti-siphoning list release and notice G+T on the ACCC's decision to oppose Transurban/EastLink A timeline of the Microsoft/Activision merger from The Verge FTC v Amazon release and complaint Productivity Commission and Grattan Institute reports on concentration New Productivity Commission Chair Danielle Wood on MLex and Economics Explored Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Partner Jeremy Jose brings us up to date on the rolling boil that is gas market regulation in Australia. What's the latest on the gas trigger, the price cap and the mandatory code of conduct, and how is this helping us towards net-zero? Plus consumer protection and the Women's World Cup, record penalties for the ACCC with more on the runway, more to the Triple Threat than meets the eye, a new kind of competition policy review and all the news on unfair trading practices and contract terms. All this and one or two Simpsons references with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein. Robert B. Reich and Hugh Jackman on The Simpsons The National Anti-Scam Centre and Moya on the Matildas The Hons Drs Jim Chalmers and Andrew Leigh on the new Competition Taskforce All the Matildas' goals in the World Cup, because why not G+T on the record consumer law penalties against Phoenix ACCC on its action against Qantas Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb's speech on the ACCC's role in gas markets Treasury's consultation on unfair trading practices Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Former Human Rights Commissioner Prof Ed Santow of the UTS Human Technology Institute joins G+T's Simon Burns, Andrew Hii and Jen Bradley to discuss A.I. governance and ethics, sexy powerpoints and The Simpsons. Plus the Microsoft/Activision merger levels up, the ACCC grapples with greenwashing, the Tower of Babel is looking kind of shaky, and what's the deal with Secure-a-Spot not securing a spot? All this and Go The Matildas! with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein of The Competitive Edge podcast. Links in the shownotes: The Verge has the latest on Microsoft/Activision, except for these sketches from the District Court ACCC interim authorisation for collaboration in the transition to renewable electricity G+T on the ACCC's draft greenwashing guidelines G+T on A.I. and the Tower of Babel ACCC v Secure Parking alleging misleading claims about "Secure-a-Spot" service Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Collaboration or Collusion? Partner Elizabeth Avery and lawyer Radha Rathi run the ruler over agreements between rivals for sustainability goals, as authorities around the world weigh the competitive landscape against the actual one. Plus traffic lights for toll roads, the sound of mergers, dark patterns in the FTC's case against Amazon, a Marxist critique of artificial intelligence, and fusion cells or hit squads take down investment scams … All this and a looming World Cup with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein ACCC on Transurban's acquisitions of WestConnex and EastLink Get your NSW toll road data at nswtollroaddata.com Cece Bell on her graphic novel El Deafo, now a series on Apple TV+ Read the FTC's dark patterns complaint against Amazon New York Magazine/The Verge, Inside the AI Factory/AI is a Lot of Work Aleks Wansbrough, What would Marx make of ChatGPT? Elizabeth Avery and Radha Rathi on Competitor Collaborations for Environmental Goals Greek and Dutch competition authorities on competition law and sustainability agreements ACCC and ASIC on the National Anti-Scam Centre's first fusion cell Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Climate change and sustainability partner Ilona Millar takes us through the new obligations and imperatives facing many businesses to address their environmental impacts -- individually or through industry collaborations. Plus the ACCC solves a cashflow problem in the Prosegur/Armaguard authorisation, the global golf merger gets into the rough, fresh legs on the field of competition and regulation field. All this and more sports references with with co-hosts Moya Dodd AO and Matt Rubinstein NST. ACCC authorises the Prosegur/Armaguard merger Is that a Goulburn Valley canned deciduous fruit snack? Vox's interview with Tim Wu on the LIV Golf/PGA situation The OAIC's FOI disclosure log Ceremonial Sitting of the Full Federal Court to welcome Chief Justice Mortimer Ilona Millar and the team on the Safeguard Mechanism ACCC response to FOI Request 100067/2022-2023 on documents relating to the proposed changes to Australia's merger laws Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

US DOJ economist Dr Brian Clark joins us to talk about equity and antitrust, labor and monopsony markets, and what Stephen King has in common with poultry processors. Plus the latest on Microsoft's Activision acquisition from the CMA, DG COMP, the FTC and the ACCC, Woolworths' Karabar carry-on, Justice French's arsonist bounces into life, and lawyers learn the limits of large language models. Tim Lapetino's The Art of Atari EVP Margrethe Vestager on behavioural remedies and Microsoft ACCC v Woolworths and Karabar I and II ABC News on jumping castle arson attacks Katharine Kemp, "The Case Against French J's Arsonist" (2015) 43 ABLR 228 DC District Court opinion re Penguin Random House/Simon & Schuster CNBC on name, image and likeness rights and women's college sports ChatGPT on whether a lawyer should use ChatGPT for legal citations Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Springtime in Washington: G+T lawyer Anna Belgiorno-Nettis spoke at the world's largest antitrust meeting and now reports back on equity and fairness in competition law, how the major antitrust jurisdictions are getting things done, and how Australia stacks up. Plus the world's friendliest conference and the Chatham House rule, the latest on digital platforms, including the UK's DMU and DMCC and the EU's DMA and DSA, and the godfathers of artificial intelligence and stupidity … All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein "Springtime in Washington" (1971) by Alma Woodsey Thomas ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb and Commissioner Liza Carver at the Hodgekiss Competition Law Conference The Chatham House Rule (official) and the Cider House Rules (wrongly reported by ChatGPT) Writers Guild of America demands and counters ACCC DPSI Interim Report No. 6 on social media services The UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill MLex on designations under the European Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act G+T on Artificial Intelligence and misinformation Vox on chatbots from Eliza to ChatGPT Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Special Counsel Sarah Lynch brings us all sorts of reports on ports, as NSW Ports scores a win against the ACCC and critical infrastructure and privatisation remain in the crosshairs for regulators and enforcers. Plus the ACCC's plans to overhaul merger approvals and turn back the Qantas acquisition of Alliance; the new Stanford AI Index and our own index of Als and Alis; severed Viking heads and Norse poetry. All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein G+T on the ACCC's proposed reforms to Australia's merger control regime ACCC on its opposition to Qantas's acquisition of Alliance Aviation Services Arsenal ft Steph Catley forced to alight from burning plane An actual first draft of Yellowjackets Macquarie Dictionary's words of the year for 2022 G+T's Peter Waters on the Stanford Al Index Report Part 1 and Part 2 ACCC v NSW Ports First Instance and Appeal G+T on the new NSW Government's Infrastructure Red Book Women's World Cup ticketing kerfuffles then and now The Skaldic Project's big list of kennings and list of big kennings Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

It's been a busy first year for the new Australian government, with big changes in competition and consumer law and regulation and plenty more to come. Dr Leigh MP tells us what brought him to his portfolio, what keeps him going and how he sees concentration in Australian markets. Plus the Productivity Inquiry meets the Economic Dynamism Inquiry, a virtual ecosystem of digital ecosystem news from dating to default dance moves, and a High Court victory for Botox alternatives and comparative advertising. All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein of The Competitive Edge podcast. The Final Report of the Productivity Commission's Productivity Inquiry, Advancing Prosperity The House Economics Committee's Inquiry Into Promoting Economic Dynamism, Competition and Business Formation G+T on the Digital Platform Services Inquiry's Interim Report No. 7 on expanding digital ecosystems FTC press release on its final order against Fortnite for dark patterns MLex on Dutch dating apps swiping left on Apple's App store commitments G+T on the High Court decision on Botox v Protox All the latest from Dr Andrew Leigh MP The longest West Wing walk-and-talk Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Partner Simon Muys returns from the International Bar Association Competition Conference in Italy with the latest developments in European competition law, digging into the Jarndyce-scale Intel litigation and the Illumina/Grail blood offering. What do these trends reveal and what do they mean for Australia in a time of global antitrust coordination and domestic change? We ask the Machine. Plus we look at the ACCC's new enforcement and compliance priorities and its recent green sweep, short thoughts on the ports in the courts, what's next for the Digital Platform Services Inquiry, the release of our annual analysis of competition enforcement, and smurf-smurfing at the Smurfic Games (or the Olympic Smurfs) … All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein of The Competitive Edge with Gilbert + Tobin. G+T's summary of the ACCC's 2023-24 compliance and enforcement priorities G+T's competition and consumer law year in review Australian Financial Review interviewwith ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe G+T's summary of ASIC's greenwashing action against Mercer The Guardianon price-fixing at the Tokyo Olympics The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority on detecting collusion with computational methods The Battler's Prince The Competitive Edge Cryptic Crossword #3 Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb, consumer advocate Gerard Brody and G+T partner Elizabeth Avery discuss the role of fairness in competition and consumer law and the proposed prohibition on unfair trading practices . With a special introduction from Assistant Minister for Competition Dr Andrew Leigh. Plus a course change for privacy protections with the Attorney-General's Report, cartels and creature comforts in the Pilbara, ambition and distraction at the Federal Trade Commission, and word-checking the Treasurer's essay on markets Links: Highlights and hot takes on the Privacy Act Review from G+T's Technology + Digital team ACCC on alleged bid-rigging in mining camp IT and entertainment services Laurel Henning's interview with ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb in Mlex FTC policy statement on expansion of unfair methods of competition and Commissioner Wilson's dissent "Hold On" (1990) by Wilson Phillips Background and summary of the recent unfairness panel at G+T Capitalism After the Crisis by The Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP, Treasurer Senate Economics Committee discusses the Treasurer's essay (skip to 16:14:30) GCR's Q&A with Chair Olha Pishchanska of Ukraine's Anti-Monopoly Committee Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Dr Philip Marsden is a Professor of Law and Economics, an ultra-marathon runner, an antitrust rapper and a co-author of the Furman report into digital competition, and he joins us to talk about all these things and more. Plus everything that's happened since the last episode: regulations, consultations, user locations, triangulations, revised variations, and artificial intelligence gets fast and furious. All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein of The Competitive Edge with Gilbert + Tobin. Treasury consultation on Digital Platform Regulatory Reform Jeremy Jose on the gas price cap in the Australian Financial Review ACCC consultation on the NBN Revised Variation to the Special Access Undertaking All 25 of Claude's absurd Fast & Furious movie titles Digital Competition Expert Panel, Unlocking Digital Competition ft. Dr Philip Marsden Dr Philip Marsden's original antitrust rap. Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Half-time at the ACCC's five-year Digital Platform Services Inquiry sees the agency reflecting on changes in the high-tech sector and recommending a new approach to regulation, with up-front or ex-ante rulemaking in additional to traditional enforcement. Digital Platforms Branch General Manager Kate Reader discusses the ACCC's proposals and what they would mean for big tech, small business and consumers. Plus turf wars and concerted practices, government action on privacy and buy-now-pay-later arrangements, and Swift justice for Ticketmaster. All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein on The Competitive Edge with Gilbert + Tobin. G+T on the ACCC's first concerted practices enforcement outcome against Lawn Solutions Australia MLex reporting on Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Information and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk at the IAPP Summit 2022 The Privacy Legislation Amendment (Enforcement and Other Measures) Bill 2022 has finally passed both houses G+T on Treasury's consultation on the regulation of buy now, pay later services G+T's deep dive into the ACCC's Digital Platform Services Inquiry Interim Report No. 5 Senator Amy Klobuchar's letter to Ticketmaster following Taylor Swift ticketing issues Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Group leader Elizabeth Avery reports from a world tour of competition law conferences with an update on the new progressive antitrust which is quickly occupying the mainstream in the US, Europe and beyond. Plus ex ante or up-front regulation on the horizon with latest Interim Report in the Digital Platform Services Inquiry, an update on merger reform proposals, a lamentable rise in poetry scams, and class actions for cyber incidents. All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein of The Competitive Edge with Gilbert + Tobin. Links: The ACCC's Digital Platform Services Inquiry Interim Report, September 2022  (Reppo No. 5) G+T's take on the Interim Report The Northern Ireland Assembly commissioned a briefing paper on the etymology of "ombudsman" Scams Awareness Week 2022 at Scamwatch. IP + Tech partner Michael Williams talks to the Law Society Journal about privacy and data breaches. Speeches from the 49th Fordham Antitrust Conference: FTC Chair Lina Khan, DOJ AAG Jonathan Kanter, EC EVP Margrethe Vestager, and ACCCCGCG. FTC Chair Lina Khan's address to Utah Law conference: "The New Roaring Twenties: the Progressive Agenda for Antitrust and Consumer Protection". MLex, "Big Tech could still face tailor-made merger thresholds in Australia, antitrust chief says" [$] Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au and follow us @gtcompedge

Our illustrious alum the Hon Michelle Rowland, Minister for Communications, joins us to talk about the broadband repair job, sports broadcasting in the age of streaming, cyber security and the road from G+T to the Ministry. Plus new penalties for privacy breaches after Optus and Medibank; antitrust tackles the gender pay gap in Mexican football; and we're going a bit crazy waiting for DPSI Interim Report No 5.  All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein of The Competitive Edge with Gilbert + Tobin. Links: The new Privacy Bill and the old Privacy Act Review MLex's reporting on ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb and Cofece's Heidi Sada at the Antitrust in Developing & Emerging Economies conference The proposed US (of course) Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically For Engagement or COVFEFE Act of 2017 How to really pronounce "GIF" at howtoreallypronouncegif.com The Minister wants YOU for the Anti-Siphoning Review Peter Waters on the US Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights Ladies and Gentlemen, the original Mambo #5 Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au and follow us at @gtcompedge

Are regulators ready for AI? Or do they need AI to help them? Peter Waters decodes the multiple challenges regulators face, and reprograms us for an innovation mindset as AI reaches from human brains to horses' feet, from detecting cartels to creating questionable art. Plus a new sequel to the Hilmer and Harper reforms, new merger process proposals on the horizon, and small duchesses and scant batchelors in the slate roofing cartel. All this and more on the latest episode, with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein. Dr Andrew Leigh MP's speech on new competition policy reforms ACCC at the House Economics Committee on Parliament TV  Alan Turing Institute on Common Regulatory Capacity for AI Dr Allan McCay on Neurotechnology, Law and the Legal Profession Peter Waters and the team on A.I. art for the masses Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au, follow us on Twitter @gtcompedge

It's state vs state as national regulation lags behind environmental imperatives. Special Counsel Geoff Petersen takes us through how regulated industries are shaped by the turbulent history of federalism - including Mark Twain's train ride to Albury. Plus the real takeaway from the Optus hack, new maximum penalties, an overhaul of unfair contract terms provisions and we raise the curtain on Opera Australia under its new Chair. All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein. Simon Burns and Lesley Sutton on the Optus hack G+T on the new bill to increase penalties and prohibit unfair contract terms Justice Jagot's Bannerman lecture and Her Honour's paper on Matt's favourite competition law issue Mark Twain on "the most baffling and unaccountable marvel that Australasia can show" Hear the Pearl Fishers' Duet with Jussi Björling and Robert Merrill (1950) Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

USC Professor Danny Sokol  joins Partner Louise Klamka and Special Counsel Haidee Leung  to interrogate the need for digital specific regulation. Why the rush for ex ante rules?  What are the risks for Australia's transition to a more digital future? And what does all this have to do with soup? Plus two red lights from the ACCC for Qantas, what The Merge means for the future of Web3, no ports in a perfect storm for the Port of Geelong, and we creep up on small geographic markets in Woolworths' latest acquisition effort. ACCC on Karabar then and now, and Prof Julie Clarke on Creepy Acquisitions Discussions Papers and Bills Compare the ACCC's 2019 and 2022 Statements of Issues on Qantas/Alliance ACCC register and media release on the Port of Geelong Parliamentary Inquiry into the implications of common ownership and capital concentration The Verge on The Merge Mark Knopfler, Going Home (Theme of the Local Hero) on YouTube Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

Monopolies! Competition law hates them, intellectual property law creates them. It's not that simple, but the two areas of law often find themselves in conflict, and in Australia they've been unleashed on each other after the repeal of a key exemption. Competition partner Susan Jones and IP partner John Lee dissect the issues after pharma competitors Celgene and Juno failed to get their patent settlement agreement authorised by the ACCC. Plus punishing (or at least deterring) penalties proposed, good news and bad news for Google in location tracking and defamation cases, and myths and legends from Olympus to the Olympics while the AEMO fiddles with the national energy objectives. All this and more with co-hosts Moya Dodd and Matt Rubinstein on The Competitive Edge with Gilbert + Tobin. G+T's update on the proposed penalty increases Celgene/Juno on the ACCC's authorisation register More from John and Susan with special guests at the G+T/Legal 500 webinar in May Google pays in the Federal Court but wins in the High Court Check out the new National Energy Transformation Partnership Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Email us at edge@gtlaw.com.au

The telecommunications industry has been a crucible of competition and regulation for decades, and it's now on the frontline of debates ranging from digital platforms to AI and data. Industry veteran Richard Feasey connects the history and the future of technology and regulation. Plus antitrust in sport and horror, a new chapter for the National Broadband Network, and more… Jenny Dempsey on the evolution of telephone numbers "A Good Walk Spoiled" from Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast New York Times, "PGA Tour Can Bar LIV Golfers From Playoff, Judge Rules" Department of Justice vs Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster True History of the 2022 Variation of the Special Access Undertaking Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

When everything is changing, everywhere and all at once, how do competition law and regulation keep up? New partner Andrew Low talks us through the shift from absolutes to a more precise approach in technology markets and beyond. Plus a few hints from—and to—the new government, more fallout from the Country Care case, and another crossword! Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3SlIHZE Guardian interview with Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh ACCC incoming brief to the new Treasurer [redacted] MLex, "Australian judge says his decision to expunge lay meaning of 'competition' may have been wrong" ($) AAP, "$26m Uber fine excessive, judge believes" The ACCC/AER Regulatory Conference 2022 program—usually updated with slides when available Solve our new competition and regulatory-themed cryptic crossword! Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

Why should you start your legal career in Australia’s leading competition and regulation practice? Recent grads Asha Keaney and Amelia Douglass, partners Louise Klamka and Charles Coorey, and some old friends who’ve moved on to great things let us know in this special episode. Hear what they think about the people, the opportunities and the firm’s focus on innovation and social impact. Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3SmIXaJ Visit our website for details regarding the selection process for each office and to access the application form  https://www.gtlaw.com.au/careers/students/clerks Students can also get in touch with us via gtcareers@gtlaw.com.au Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team Try our competition law cryptic crossword like Justice Wigney would want you to

Energy markets are in turmoil, the road to net-zero is bumpy, and regulators have greenwashing in the crosshairs. New partner Jeremy Jose unpacks the power plays. Plus Australia's first jail sentences for cartel conduct, we're all royal-watchers now, and your cryptic crossword awaits. Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3zUV7B8 Sign up to receive the Gilbert + Tobin Australian Energy Regulatory Market Update ACCC Inquiry into the National Electricity Market - May 2022 with Addendum on the recent developments Judgment in the CDPP v Vina Money Transfer case, and an MLex roundup ($) with ACCC comments Pew Research poll on US attitudes towards tech regulation The crossword Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

Knock, knock. Now what? It’s no joke when the ACCC conducts a dawn raid. New partner Tanya Macdonald talks with Moya Dodd about how you and your staff can survive – or even avoid - the most confronting investigations. Plus Matt Rubinstein takes us around the grounds: Australia's new government looks to ramp up competition law enforcement, the NBN's new undertaking gets a WACC, the ACCC raises a dispute with Mastercard, and more. Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3zs7sw4 Check out our Smart Counsel guide on dealing with dawn raids and warrants Spot the difference: ACCC on Visa and Mastercard in the least-cost routing scrap, and the Labor party's competition platform in 2019 and 2022. ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb at the ICN2022 Unilateral Conduct Keynote & Plenary Try our competition law cryptic crossword like Justice Wigney would want you to Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

What happens when antitrust and privacy go head-to-head? UNSW Senior Lecturer Dr Katharine Kemp joins us to map the collision course between competitive markets and fundamental rights. Plus the algorithm is gonna get ya, smart cars and dumb movies, and an extremely niche timewaster.   Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3M2elqV  ACCC on Trivago's $44.7 million penalty ACCC on Uber's $26 million penalty G+T T+D on the regulation of in-vehicle data sharing in the EU and Australia Alyssa Bereznak on hacking cars in The Fate of the Furious and real life G+T chapter on GTDT: Dominance in Australia (SFW) The Competitive Edge Cryptic Crossword #1 (with thanks to Justice Wigney) David Astle on Cryptic Crosswords in the Sydney Morning Herald Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

What are the ACCC's priorities and what difference will new leadership make? Former ACCC Chair Rod Sims announced an ambitious policy agenda for 2022–23 just weeks before handing the keys to new Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb. Senior partner and Head of the Competition + Regulation practice group Elizabeth Avery helps us navigate the road ahead. Plus carmakers get pulled over, Australia and New Zealand move closer together, and more… Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/38vKDN9  Priorities on Parade. Directed by Albert S. Rogell, Paramount Pictures, 1942 The Marker. Directed by Jonathan Gilbert, Burning House for ACCC, 2012 Cartel Conduct–Price Fixing and Cartel Conduct–Market Sharing, Rainger & Rolfe for NZ Commerce Commission, 2020. van Erp, J. Anti-cartel thrillers as a new film genre: How regulator-produced films portray and problematize cartels and communicate deterrence. Crime, Media, Culture. 2018;14(2):229-246 CDPP v Citi & Ors [2021] FCA 1345 per Wigney J at [246] ACCC Chair: annual enforcement and compliance policy update, CEDA, 3 March 2022 Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

When the energy regulator publicly asks existential questions about its own legislated regulatory framework, we know the world is changing.  Hear energy expert and Special Counsel Geoff Petersen talk us through the buzz on energy regulation, as the world aspires to net zero while grappling with the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Plus, things that chill competition for ice-creams and a look at why some big mergers have been abandoned. Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/373KRul  The IPCC Working Group III Report on climate change mitigation Eddie White's illustrations of vintage Australian single serve ice cream products A brief history of the BBC Micro and ARM Concerns about Snowy Hydro 2.0 Electric vehicles as batteries on wheels Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

Air travel is taking off again but the world has changed for operators and passengers alike. Regulators insist that competition must be preserved, but what does that look like in a pandemic and an uncertain recovery? Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight as Partner Louise Klamka give us the 30,000-foot view. Plus competition law in Ukraine, legislative acronyms that make us LOL, and reading the tea leaves on the new ACCC Chair. Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3qHYx4I   The Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine's website is down but they're on Facebook and Twitter Read the AER's Transparency Review of AEMO's Draft 2022 Integrated System Plan, if you dare The Washington Post ranks laws by the quality of their acronyms Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

An exclusive 1:1 with incoming ACCC Chair -- and until recently G+T partner -- Gina Cass-Gottlieb.  From her family kitchen table to her formative school days to who she supports in the Premier League, we bring you a unique and up-close look at the woman who will shape our competition law landscape in the years to come. She'll be looking back on her experiences as a pioneering practitioner and the only woman in too many rooms, and forward to the cultural change we're seeing in law and business. Plus a quick roundup of other news from the season break. Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3iq3tGB  G+T update on ACCC's compliance and enforcement priorities ACCC's discussion paper on updating competition and consumer law for digital platforms Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

State and Commonwealth governments have agreed to toughen protections for consumers and smaller businesses against unfair terms in standard form contracts. Many businesses use these contracts and we've all signed or clicked on them, often without a clear idea of the risks involved. Partner Charles Coorey joins us to discuss the coming changes and what they mean for you. Plus the ACCC's review of Amazon's purchase of MGM, Tool Time with Techtronic and Tooltechnic, the consumer data right in the energy and telco sectors, new ACCC Commissioner Liza Carver and more! Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3lGSD0W  Links from the episode: Charles Coorey's client update on the Unfair Contract Terms proposal. ACCC v Techtronic announcement with real concise statement of facts. Official website of the Consumer Data Right. More than you need to know about the copyright history of James Bond, with 007-level product placement from HeinOnline. Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

Artificial intelligence and technology are accelerating, public expectations are shifting, and competition law and regulation are scrambling to keep up. Our AI guru Peter Waters is here to tell us what we can do to prepare. Plus an antitrust hipster update, a sequel to Dieselgate, and decarbonisation dilemmas in the pipeline for the gas sector post COP26.  Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3cG0E1j  Links from the episode: Prof Anina Rich of Macquarie University on the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon 2020 Paper on Competition Policy and Environmental Sustainability ft. Simon Holmes Stanford University's 2021 A.I. Index Report The Australian Energy Regulator's Regulating Gas Pipelines Under Uncertainty: Information Paper Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

The "hipster antitrust" movement emerged in 2017 as young lawyer Lina Khan and others argued that competition law should embrace a wider variety of harms and benefits than the price-focussed consumer welfare standard.  The pushback was firm - including from ACCC boss Rod Sims - and hipster antitrust was consigned by many to the recycling crate of history. Fast forward to 2021 - Lina Khan leads the FTC and antitrust hipsters are quickly becoming mainstream. Betty Mkatshwa joins us to discuss how we got here and where we're going. Plus: criminal cartels that make you sick, rigged roofing allegations, and what Don Bradman's batting average has in common with committal hearings for the Federal Court. Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3CZtndc  Links from the episode: "I am not an antitrust hipster, says Rod Sims", our report on the ACCC Chair's comments in 2018. Nod and a Wink newsletter on Hipster Antitrust. OECD project on Gender Inclusive Competition Policy ft. Betty Mkatshwa Justice Wigney's interlocutory decision in CDPP v Citigroup (No. 5) -- not the first time "shemozzle" has appeared in a Federal Court judgment but apparently the first time it has appeared as a catchword. Magic 8-Ball online Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

The ACCC has often warned against privatisations of major government infrastructure aimed at securing the highest sale price at the expense of competition in the longer term. When the New South Wales government sold its largest cargo ports with what looked like a hedge against future competition, the regulator thought it had a clear case. So far, the court hasn't agreed. Lawyer Sarah Lynch worked closely on the case and tells us what happened and what happens next. Plus more from the ACCC on merger reform and ex ante regulation,  Microsoft’s acquisition of Nuance, default search screens and things that get lost in transcription. Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3mUNFie  Links from the episode: Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team: https://www.gtlaw.com.au/expertise/competition-and-regulation

Last week, we turned to crime… and we're not done yet! This episode brings you more in our conversation with Kate Morgan, SC who successfully defended Country Care in Australia's first criminal cartel jury trial. Last week, we talked about the charges, the evidence, and the courtroom tactics. This week, we tackle the big questions. What happened when the verdicts came in? What does it mean for the ACCC's pipeline of investigations? And the really big one - why are jury trials like playing Germany at the World Cup? Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/2Yw3jHC  Links from the episode: Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team: https://www.gtlaw.com.au/expertise/competition-and-regulation

The first criminal cartel case to go before an Australian jury ended with a swift verdict of “not guilty” on all charges against health solutions provider Country Care. Jump behind the scenes with Senior Counsel for the accused, Kate Morgan, for a sideline scoop on the case and what it might mean for criminal prosecutions of cartel cases in the future. Plus the ACCC's adtech report, infrastructure privatisation, a crisis for carnivores and plenty more… Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3mR0GrM  Links from the episode: Our article on the ACCC's adtech report "ACCC v Google showdown: Ad Tech Inquiry Final Report": https://www.gtlaw.com.au/knowledge/accc-v-google-showdown-ad-tech-inquiry-final-report Priscilla Page "An Appreciation of Han Lue & Tokyo Drift" https://www.patreon.com/posts/54015099 Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition and Regulation team - https://www.gtlaw.com.au/expertise/competition-and-regulation 

Learn about the ACCC's proposed changes and what they might mean for you with Elizabeth Avery, who heads up our competition and regulation team. We do a deep dive into the future of the approval process, the test to be applied and the special focus on large digital platforms. Plus a new investigation into mobile payments, craft beer at the football, medieval rights in common and more … Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3n4laPv  Links from the episode: Our article on the ACCC's proposal to reform Australia's merger review regime: ACCC heralds its proposal to reform the Australian merger control regime Canberra's Asian Cup party capped off with terrific atmosphere between Iran and Iraq supporters (The Age, 2015) Kazuyoshi Miura (Wikipedia) Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition + Regulation team

Australia’s competition regulator the ACCC fought hard for a new law against misuse of market power, but it’s private companies who are using it more. Our Partner Simon Muys tells us why and what it means for businesses who might have market power or who deal with someone who does. Plus Rod Sims outlines one possible future for merger approvals in Australia, Treasury consults on major changes to unfair contract term laws, a decision in the Epic v Apple case in the US and more … Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3mTksV0  Show notes: Merger review proposals Our article on the Australian merger control regime- ACCC heralds its proposal to reform the Australian merger control regime   AFR articles with Elizabeth's quotes Ex-ACCC chief Samuel labels Sims’ merger reform proposal ‘a quagmire’ Sims’ plan for merger reform has the makings of a tough fight Unfair Contract Terms Our article on unfair contract terms - Unfair Contract Terms regime update: Government releases draft legislation Simon Muy's article Our article on section 46 of the CCA - Section 46 of the CCA rides again but on a different horse  Meet the Gilbert + Tobin Competition and Regulation team

What you need to know about the latest in competition law and policy from Australia’s leading Competition and Regulation practice at Gilbert + Tobin. Subscribe to the podcast mailing list - https://bit.ly/3bVDpAe