Our Curious Amalgam American Bar Association

The UN General Assembly has entrusted UNCTAD (now rebranded as UN Trade and Development) to be the focal point within the UN on competition and consumer protection issues. How does UN Trade and Development implement this role? Teresa Moreira, Head of the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch (CCPB) at UN Trade and Development, joins Alicia Downey and Matthew Hall to discuss the work of the CCPB, including its focus on developing countries and its working groups and specific projects. Listen to this episode to learn more about UN Trade and Development's work promoting, reinforcing and advising on competition and consumer protection law and policies in support of its overall goal to help developing countries meet the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
With special guest:
Teresa Moreira, Head, Competition and Consumer Policies Branch, United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Related Links:
UNCTAD website
Competition and Consumer Protection Branch website
Global competition law and policy approaches to digital markets (March 2024)
Consumer dispute resolution in the world (March 2024)
UNCTAD model law on competition after 30 years: some reflections (Feb 2024)


Hosted by:
Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC and Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods London LLP

Many practitioners wonder what it would be like to be an academic, diving deeply into the leading international legal and policy issues at the forefront of antitrust and competition law. But what does an academic researcher do all day? Natalia Moreno Belloso, one of the ABA Antitrust Law Section's International Scholars-in-Residence, joins Jeny Maier and Anora Wang to discuss her research on conflicts between competition values and non-competition values in digital markets. Listen to this episode if you want to learn more about the life of an academic researcher and the latest trends in digital market regulation.
With special guest:
Natalia Moreno Belloso, European University Institute
Related Links:
The EU Digital Markets Act (DMA): A Competition Hand in a Regulatory Glove
Hosted by:
Jeny Maier, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

On March 21, 2024, the United States Department of Justice and sixteen Attorneys General sued Apple, alleging that “Apple undermines apps, products, and services that would otherwise make users less reliant on the iPhone, promote interoperability, and lower costs for consumers and developers.” In other words, many of the DOJ and AGs’ allegations boil down to lock in - that is that the features chosen by Apple lock in developers and users to stay in Apple’s ecosystem by making it harder to switch or jump between platforms. We discuss the case and the claims advanced, and what it might mean for antitrust enforcement, tech, and consumer experiences.
With special guest:
Stephen Calkins, Professor of Law, Wayne State University Law School
Related Links:
U.S. v. Apple Complaint
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter Remarks on Complaint
Steve Calkins' Guide to Classical Music Concerts
Hosted by:
Jana Seidl, Baker Botts LLP and Barry Nigro, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

The EU Digital Markets Act introduces a radical change to regulation of the digital sector in the EU. But what does it require and what have the designated "gatekeepers" been doing to ensure compliance? Aleksandra Zuchowska, Competition Policy Manager at CCIA in Brussels, appearing in her personal capacity, joins Matthew Reynolds and Matthew Hall to discuss the DMA and its impact. Listen to this episode to learn more about the principles underpinning the DMA, its requirements, the compliance steps being taken, the act's impact on choice, innovation and online safety, the compliance workshops in Brussels and next steps.






With special guest:
Aleksandra Zuchowska, Competition Policy Manager, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Brussels (personal capacity)






Related Links:
CCIA Europe blog post on DMA and innovation/user-experience issues
CCIA Europe blog post on DMA enforcement
European Commission DMA webpage
European Commission non-compliance investigation press release
European Commission compliance day press release






Hosted by:
Matthew Reynolds, Huth Reynolds LLP and Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods London LLP

Anyone with a phone number understands how annoying it is to receive unsolicited promotional voice calls and text messages. For that reason, telemarketing and telephone sales practices in the U.S. are regulated by decades-old federal and state consumer protection laws, which permit private rights of action by consumers for minimum statutory damages that can total hundreds of dollars per violation, such as when a call or text is made to a phone number listed on the National Do-Not-Call Registry. But are these laws too harsh on legitimate businesses communicating with their customers? How well do these 1990s-era laws address emerging communication technologies? In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and Derek Jackson speak with Kelley, Drye & Warren partner Becca Wahlquist about these issues and recent developments in the law governing telemarketing to consumers. Learn about the challenges that businesses face in complying with a complex and evolving scheme of federal and state legislation and rules restricting telephone communications with consumers.
With special guest:
Becca Wahlquist, Partner, Kelley, Drye & Warren LLP
Related Links:
Becca Wahlquist & Nathan Jamieson, Developments in Telephone Consumer Protection Act Law After Duguid v. Facebook, Antitrust Magazine (ABA Antitrust Law Section Summer 2022)
Hosted by:
Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC and Derek Jackson, Cohen & Gresser LLP

The antitrust law bubble, particularly in the U.S., has in recent years focussed on the mantra of promoting efficiency above all else. In the age of the global polycrisis and increasing corporate concentration and power in numerous sectors, should this bubble be popped? Dr Cristina Caffarra, leading competition economist, joins Barry Nigro and Matthew Hall to discuss the wider issues antitrust and competition law enforcement should be considering, which was the focus of a January 2024 Brussels conference described as the "Anti-Davos" and "Woodstock of Antitrust". Listen to this episode to learn more about the "Antitrust, Regulation, and the Next World Order" conference led by Dr Caffarra, why antitrust law should be taking a wider approach than efficiency and narrow consumer welfare and the links with trade and industrial policy.
With special guest:
Cristina Caffarra, University College London, CEPR Competition RPN
Related Links:
Cristina Caffarra article in CPI Columns Europe February 2024 (source: CPI)
Cristina Caffarra article part 1 in VoxEU (CEPR) January 2024 (source: VoxEU)
Cristina Caffarra article part 2 in VoxEU (CEPR) January 2024 (source: VoxEU)
Cristina Caffarra article in VoxEU (CEPR) March 2024 (source: VoxEU)
Angus Deaton article "Rethinking My Economics" March 2024 (source: IMF)
Politico article on Antitrust, Regulation, and the Next World Order conference February 2024 (source: Politico)
The Capitol Forum article on Antitrust, Regulation, and the Next World Order conference February 2024 (source: The Capitol Forum)
Cristina Caffarra speaking notes Antitrust, Regulation, and the Next World Order conference January 2024 (source: ofthewedge.com)


Hosted by:
Barry Nigro, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP and Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods London LLP