디지털 플랫폼 사업자 간의 기업결합 규제 -EU의 Facebook/WhatsApp 사건을 중심으로- = [Articles] : The Regulation of Digital Platform M&As: with a special emphasis on the Facebook/WhatsApp case in the EU

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

As the high-speed internet and smartphones rapidly proliferate around the world, the businesses of online digital platforms are exploding in various fields such as search engines, internet portals, social networking services(SNS) and open markets. Many of these platforms try to expand their businesses into adjunct markets by acquiring competitors and startups in those markets, rasing serious competition concerns. However, competition authorities are having difficulties in assessing anti-competitive effects of these M&As, as traditional assessment tools cannot simply be applied to these multi-sided, dynamic markets, often with zero-price products. Recent Facebook/WhatsApp case in the EU reveals some of the major competition concerns related to digital platform M&As. This article analyzes the decision of European Commission on the case, and thereby draws some implications for the regulation of digital platform M&As under Korean competition law.