Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the potential antitrust implications of certain e-commerce platforms imposing price constraints on merchants, particularly during the "Double Eleven" shopping festival in 2025, which may constitute a form of "soft choice" behavior that restricts competition and harms consumer interests [2][3][4]. Group 1: Market Dominance and Antitrust Concerns - Platforms are reportedly enforcing rules that prevent merchants from offering lower prices on competing platforms, with penalties reaching up to 5 million yuan for non-compliance, indicating a significant market power [2]. - The determination of whether a platform holds a dominant market position involves assessing its market share, consumer loyalty, and the high switching costs for merchants, which can lead to compliance with the platform's pricing demands despite objections [2][4]. - The behavior of platforms may be classified as "soft choice," which, while not traditional exclusive trading, effectively limits merchants' pricing autonomy on other channels [3][4]. Group 2: Impact on Competition and Consumer Rights - The imposition of pricing restrictions by platforms undermines fair competition among platforms, shifting the focus from service quality and user experience to mere price competition, which can stifle market vitality [5]. - Consumers are indirectly affected as they are deprived of the opportunity to enjoy lower prices on other platforms, limiting their choice and potentially leading to a failure of the market price mechanism [5]. - The use of "soft choice" tactics in a competitive environment can have significant repercussions for all merchants and consumers, ultimately disrupting the healthy ecosystem of the e-commerce industry [5].

Core Points - The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that Apple abused its market dominance from 2015 to 2020 by charging excessive commissions through the App Store, potentially facing up to £1.5 billion in damages [1][3] - The court found that Apple monopolized the iOS app distribution and in-app payment markets, forcing developers to use its payment system and pay commissions as high as 30% [3] - Apple's defense, claiming competition from the Android platform and that its fees were for user safety, was rejected by the court, which noted that these high fees ultimately increased prices for consumers [3] - Apple has announced plans to appeal the ruling, with a damages trial scheduled for November this year [3]

Core Viewpoint - The State Administration for Market Regulation has drafted the "Antitrust Guidelines for the Public Utilities Sector (Draft for Comments)" and is seeking public feedback on it [1]. Group 1: Overview of Public Utilities - Public utilities encompass a range of industries that provide essential goods or services to the public, including water supply, electricity, gas, heating, sewage treatment, waste disposal, broadcasting, and public transportation, most of which have natural monopoly characteristics [3]. Group 2: Antitrust Guidelines Purpose - The guidelines aim to address the unique characteristics and market competition rules of the public utilities sector, enhancing the scientific, targeted, and effective nature of antitrust enforcement [4]. Group 3: Identification of Antitrust Behaviors - The draft provides detailed specifications on potential monopolistic agreements in the public utilities sector, helping operators accurately identify legal risks [6]. - Horizontal monopolistic agreements are prevalent in the public utilities sector, particularly in the bottled gas industry, where operators may fix prices or divide market shares through informal agreements [8]. Group 4: Abuse of Market Dominance - The draft addresses the frequent occurrence of market dominance abuse in sectors like water, gas, electricity, and heating, detailing factors related to unfair pricing, refusal to deal, and other unreasonable trading conditions [9]. - It specifies common scenarios that may not be considered legitimate justifications for market dominance abuse, emphasizing that actions without legal basis or those claiming safety without proof are generally not justified [10][14].

Group 1 - The core issue involves a lawsuit filed by Hangzhou LeDu Technology Co., Ltd. and Hangzhou NetEase Cloud Music Technology Co., Ltd. against SM Entertainment Co. and Kasmong (Shanghai) Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. regarding the abuse of market dominance [1] - The court hearing is scheduled for August 6 at the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court in Zhejiang Province [1] - In January, NetEase Cloud Music informed fans of SM Entertainment that due to the copyright holder's unilateral decision not to renew the contract, all songs under SM Entertainment may be removed from the platform by January 31, 2025 [2]

Core Viewpoint - The Danish Maritime and Commercial High Court upheld the ruling that North Media's subsidiary FK Distribution abused its dominant position in the market by imposing tying conditions for the distribution of leaflets in contracts with customers [1] Group 1: Legal Ruling and Company Response - The ruling was based on the Competition and Consumer Authority and Competition Appeals Board's findings regarding FK Distribution's practices in 2018-2019 [1] - North Media Group's CEO expressed disagreement with the judgment, highlighting that the ruling overlooked the competitive challenges faced by Danish media and advertising distributors against global online giants [1] - The company plans to appeal the judgment to the High Court after reviewing the details closely [1] Group 2: Financial Implications - North Media has not estimated any potential financial liability related to the ruling during the pending case [1] - The ruling does not alter the Group's financial outlook for 2025 [1] Group 3: Company Overview - North Media operates platforms that connect businesses and consumers, focusing on various transaction types [3] - The company has two core business areas: Last Mile, which includes FK Distribution and SDR Svensk Direktreklam as leading distributors in Denmark and Sweden, and Digital Services, which encompasses growth-oriented businesses like BoligPortal, Dayli, and Bekey [3]