Course 4: Comparative Media Ownership Regulation

Course 4 of our Comparative Competition Law Summer School will explore the market, legal and regulatory trends shaping the media and communications sector internationally.

Competition and diversity in media and communications are fundamental to a healthy economy and democracy. Internationally there is no consensus on the exact manner and scope of interventions that are appropriate to protect competition and pluralism in media markets.  

Many emerging economies are seeking to adopt their own regulation in this area taking their lead from the UK. The issues have been brought into sharp focus in India in recent years.  First, the enactment and implementation of modern – but sector neutral – competition law under the Competition Act 2002 has caused a step change in regulation towards an economics and effects-based approach. Second, the India telecoms regulator has launched controversial reform proposals to apply a media-specific approach to ownership regulation.

This course will explore:

• Guiding principles and fundamental concepts of competition law and regulation in the media
• Market definition in the media sector
• Competition law and the media:  EU and comparative law including US, South America, Australian and Asian perspectives
• Merger control and media plurality
• Vertical integration in the media sector and its effect on competition
• Media regulation and the cable sector: Case studies and international comparisons
• Impact of the Internet
• The regulatory reform agenda

Key benefits:

• Insights from the international experience in this fast-moving and high profile area
• Interactive case studies
• Experience and presentation from a leading practitioner and author in the field, Suzanne Rab who has advised on some of the largest competition law deals internationally and is author of leading texts on competition law and IPR.  Suzanne is the author of Media Ownership and Control: Law, Economics and Policy in an Indian and International Context, Hart Studies in Competition Law, 2014; Atkins Court Forms in Civil Proceedings, Competition Law, Volume 10, 2016; Cross-Border Copyright Licensing, Law and Practice, Elgar Intellectual Property Law and Practice series, 2018 (co-contributor); Indian Competition Law, an International Perspective (first published by Wolters Kluwer, May 2012; with a supplement of cartel regulation published in January 2013)
• Certificate of Satisfactory Completion on satisfactory completion of the course and Competition Law Certificate of Attendance upon achieving the required pass-mark
• Opportunity to combine the course with Course 2 (Practical Skills for Competition Dispute Resolution, Course 1 (EU and UK Competition Law), and Course 3 (International Competition Law)
• Certificate of Satisfactory Completion on satisfactory completion of the course and subject to course test

Duration:

10 structured seminars with course material available for private study in own time over the 2-week course. Supplemented with the bonus discussion forum on 28 July (see course 1 for details)

Schedule: