Syllabus LO 0806 Competition Law

  

LO 0806 Competition Law :

 

Objectives of the Course : There is aggressive competition in today’s market. New start-ups and entrepreneurs are emerging almost every day. With opening of Indian markets in almost all sectors, the study of Competition law becomes inevitable. It is a rapidly growing area of law, which reflects the free market economy and increasing world globalization. The course aims to give an overview on the basics of Competition Law in India through a comparison of the main jurisdictions (especially USA, UK and EU) and thus provide a solid background for further studies on this subject. The course will examine and compare the application of competition law to business agreements, the exercise of dominant position, the combinations between the firms and sellers and the enforcement mechanisms. 

 

Module 01

Introduction : 1.     Basic Concepts : Customer and Consumer, Market, Types of Market – Perfect Market, Monopoly, Oligopoly and Monopsony 2.     Rationale behind Competition Law 3.     Constitutional aspect of Competition Law with respect to Human Rights and Social Justice (Article 39 (b) and (c) of the Constitution of India) 4.     Relation between Competition Policy and Competition Law 5.     Objectives of Competition Law 6.     Economic analysis of Competition Law

Module 02

Historical Development of Competition Law : 1.     History and Development of Competition Law / Antitrust Law 2.     Development of Competition Laws in USA, UK and EU 3.     Sachar Committee Report, Raghavan Committee Report 4.     Salient Features of the MRTP Act, 1969

 

	5.     The Competition Act, 2002 vis a vis the MRTP Act, 1969 6.     The Competition Act, 2002 –  Objectives and Salient Features 7.     Important Definitions under the Competition Act, 2002 8.     Brief overview of Competition Law in USA, UK and EU
Module 03	Anti-Competitive Agreements : 1.     Anti- Competitive Agreements : Meaning and Scope 2.     Types of Anti-competitive agreements - Horizontal and Vertical agreement 3.     Per se Illegal Practices and Rule of Reason 4.     Exemption from anti-competitive agreements 5.     Prohibition of anti-competitive agreement / cartel / bid rigging 6.     Practices, decisions and agreements resulting into cartels 7.     Pro-competitive and anti-competitive effects of joint ventures 8.     Pro-competitive and anti-competitive effects of vertical agreements 9.     Prevention of anti-competitive agreements in USA, UK and EU
Module 04	Regulation of Abuse of Dominant Position : 1.     Economics of abuse of dominance 2.     Types of Abuse by a Dominant Player : Exploitative Abuses : Vertical restraints and Excessive pricing: Exclusionary Abuses - Price discrimination, discounts and predation Enterprise 3.     Relevant Market  4.     Dominance in Relevant Market  5.     Relevance of sector specific competitive dynamics on dominant position 6.     Predatory Pricing 7.     Defenses against abuse of dominance 8.     The remedies in case of abuse of dominance 9.     Prevention of Abuse of Dominant Position in UK and USA
Module 05	Regulation of Combinations : 1.     Combinations : Merger, Acquisition, Amalgamation and Takeover 2.     Jurisprudence of Horizontal, Vertical and Conglomerate Mergers 3.     Private Equity Investments 4.     Notification of combinations 5.     Jurisdictional test : Turn over, Asset, Domestic nexus, Exemptions 6.     Regulations and Penalties 7.     Position in USA, UK and EU
Module 06	Enforcement Mechanisms : 1.     Establishment and Constitution of Competition Commission of India, Powers and Functions 2.     Jurisdiction of the CCI 3.     Director General of Investigation (DGI) - Penalties and Enforcement 4.     Competition Appellate Tribunal 5.     Adjudication and appeals  6.     Competition Advocacy in India and International Perspective

    Module 07      Interface of Competition Law with other Laws :

1.     Intellectual Property Rights and Competition Law

2.     International Trade and Competition Law

3.     Consumer Law and Competition Law

 

Recommended Readings :

1.     Richard Whish and David Bailey, Competition Law, Oxford University Press, 9th ed, 2018.

2.     Avtar Singh, Competition Law, Eastern Book Company, 1st ed, 2012.

3.     Vinod Dhall, Competition Law Today, Oxford University Press. 2nd ed, 2019.

4.     Abir Roy, Competition Law in India: A Practical Guide, Kluwer Law International B. V., 2016.

5.     Srinivasan Parthasarathy, Competition Law in India, Kluwer Law International B.V., 2017.

6.     T. Ramappa, Competition Law in India: Policy, Issues, and Developments, Oxford University Press, 2014.

7.     Alison Jones, Brenda Sufrin, EU Competition Law: Text, Cases, and Materials, Oxford University Press, 6th ed, 2016.

8.     Barry Rodger, Angus MacCulloch, Competition Law and Policy in the EU and UK, Routledge, 5th ed, 2104.

9.     Kirsty Middleton, Barry Rodger, Angus MacCulloch, Cases and Materials on UK and EC Competition Law, Oxford University Press, 2nd ed, 2009.

10.  Maher M. Dabbah, International and Comparative Competition Law, Cambridge University Press, 2010.

11.  Cedric Ryngert, Jurisdiction Over Cross – Border Mergers : A US –EU perspective.  Competition Law – Emerging Trends, 94-124, P. Satyanarayana Prasad ed., The ICFAI University Press, Amicus Books, 1^ST ed. 2007.