CMA
fines tech company for failure to cooperate with market study
The
Competition and Markets Authority has fined AppNexus £20,000 for late submission
and failure to respond to information requests during its online platforms and
digital advertising market study.
The
CMA maintains that the company’s conduct adversely affected the market study.
In
December 2019 the CMA released interim findings that Google and Facebook are
the biggest online platforms and it recommended regulation to increase
competition.
The
CMA found that AppNexus completed a survey three weeks after the deadline and
14 documents were sent 10 weeks late.
The
CMA can fine a company up to £30,000 for procedural infringements of this type
and it said that the £20,000 penalty was “appropriate” as a deterrent against
AppNexus and others, without being disproportionate.
Responding
to information requests in a market study may seem like an unwelcome task for
companies on the receiving end of such requests. Although this is the first time that the CMA
has used its fining powers in this context, it sends a strong message that a
market study should be treated as seriously as any investigation into the
company’s own business practices even though the company is not suspected of
having violated competition law.
The
CMA is due to issue its final report in the market study in July 2020.
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