LAWS7930 Special Topic C - International & Comparative Competition Law
Competition/antitrust law plays a significant role in the economy of individual countries and their welfare. At the same time, it has an enormous impact on the ways in which companies and other entities, including multinational corporations, conduct their businesses. It also impacts consumers. For instance, anticompetitive behaviour leads to higher prices and less innovation and services for consumers.
This course analyses and compares competition/ antitrust law regimes in the United States of America, the European Union and Australia and explores, among other things, internationally significant cases, in particular, global cartels; and global current issues such as the role of platforms and algorithms in competition. It begins with an analysis of legal and economic concepts of competition law and continues with a comparative examination of specific issues and selected significant areas of competition/antitrust law.
The course seeks to develop students’ awareness and build their knowledge of competition (antitrust) law in three different and significant jurisdictions and develop their ability to compare and solve competition law problems at both the national and international levels. It also provides students with an understanding of current, global competition-law issues, such as the way firms have been conducting their businesses and competing in the digital age, and the limitations of international and bilateral cooperation in competition-law investigations.
International & Comparative Competition Law is designed for lawyers and other professionals interested in competition (antitrust) law. Successful completion of the course should provide students with the skills to critically evaluate and identify the positives and negatives of any competition law regime and the ability to compare and solve competition law problems at both national and international level.
Topics covered include:
- introduction to Australian competition law, EU competition law and US antitrust law
- legal and economic concepts of competition law
- objectives of competition law
- cartels
- monopolies and abuses of market power
- vertical restrictions
- enforcement
- international implications and impact
The course is delivered by Dr Jedlickova and a number of distinguished guest lecturers.
Dr Barbora Jedlickova
Dr Jedlickova is a Lecturer and researcher in comparative competition law. Her research and teaching experience involves Australian, EU and US jurisdictions. Previously, she worked as a Contract Officer in the UK, a lawyer in the Czech Republic and she was trained in competition law at the European Commission, at the Directorate General for Competition in Brussels. She has undertaken research in competition/antitrust law in the UK, US and Australia and taught in Australia and the UK. Barbora holds a PhD and Master of Laws from the University of Glasgow in the UK and a Master in Law and Legal Studies from Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. Dr Jedlickova's engagement and research are both nationally and internationally orientated. She has visited several European and US institutions as a visiting scholar; including the University of Iowa, Boston University and the Court of Justice of the European Union. She is a member of a number of national and international associations. She is interested in comparative competition law, competition-law theories and competition law in the digital economy. Her research has focused primarily on vertical restraints; bargaining power; and economic and jurisprudential theories and arguments in competition law. Her research also includes analysis of specific markets with distinctive issues such the grocery retail market, the pharmaceutical market and the telecommunications market.