The 2023 Annual Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section offered the Our Curious Amalgam team a chance to speak with international competition law enforcers from around the world. In this episode, we ask Natalie Harsdorf-Borsch, acting director of the Austrian Federal Competition Authority, Laura Melusine Baudenbacher, president of the Swiss Competition Commission, and Šarūnas Keserauskas, the then chairman of the Lithuanian Competition Council, about their respective agencies' enforcement priorities, what trends they see on the horizon, and what advocates with matters before their agencies should do to be most effective. As a bonus, listeners will also get to know our distinguished guests a little better on a personal level.

With special guests:

Natalie Harsdorf-Borsch, Acting Director, Austrian Federal Competition Authority, Dr. Laura Melusine Baudenbacher, President, Swiss Competition Commission, and Šarūnas Keserauskas, Chairman, Lithuanian Competition Council (2011-2023)

Related Links:

Austrian Federal Competition Authority (Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde) Swiss Competition Commission Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania (Konkurencijos taryba)

Hosted by:

Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC, Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, Sergei Zaslavsky, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, and Jeny Maier, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP

Section 230 generally shields online platforms from liability for third-party content. It has been widely credited with enabling the growth of the internet, but to what extent does it apply to the latest disruptive technology --- generative AI? Jess Miers, Legal Advocacy Counsel at the Chamber of Progress, discusses the applicability of Section 230 to generative AI with hosts Christina Ma and Sergei Zaslavsky. Listen to this episode to learn about arguments for and against applying Section 230 to generative AI, and what features of generative AI will likely be key to determining the scope of Section 230 protection.

With special guest:

Jess Miers, Legal Advocacy Counsel, Chamber of Progress

Related Links:

Matt Pereault, Section 230 Won’t Protect ChatGPT, Lawfare 

Jess Miers, Yes, Section 230 Should Protect ChatGPT And Other Generative AI Tools, Techdirt

Henderson v. The Source for Public Data Fourth Circuit Opinion

Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley v. Roommates.com Ninth Circuit Opinion

Hosted by:

Sergei Zaslavsky, O'Melveny & Myers and Christina Ma, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

There are many debates in the antitrust world today, but none is as fundamental as the discussion over the core purpose of antitrust. Should antitrust law be solely concerned with economic efficiency, or is it also a tool for upholding and promoting our democratic political values? Spencer Waller, law professor at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and Geoffrey Manne, founder of the International Center for Law and Economics, debate this important question with hosts Sergei Zaslavsky and Melissa Maxman. Listen to this episode to hear competing perspectives on such key issues as the connection between economic and political power, the proper role of different branches of government in shaping antitrust policy, and much more.

With special guests:

Spencer Waller, John Paul Stevens Chair in Competition Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Geoffrey Manne, Founder and President of International Center for Law and Economics

Related Links:

Harry First and Spencer Weber Waller, Antitrust’s Democracy Deficit, 81 Fordham L. Rev. 2543 (2013)

Antitrust and Democracy by Spencer Weber Waller :: SSRN

Geoffrey Manne & Alec Stapp, Does Political Power Follow Economic Power? (Dec. 30, 2019)

Hosted by:

Sergei Zaslavsky, O'Melveny & Myers and Melissa Maxman, Cohen & Gresser

The 2023 Annual Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section offered the Our Curious Amalgam team a chance to speak with international competition law enforcers from around the world, including Germany and Spain. In this episode, we ask Andreas Mundt, the president of the German Bundeskartellamt and Cani Fernández, the president of the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission, about their enforcement priorities, what trends they see on the horizon, and what advocates with matters before their agencies should do to be most effective. As a bonus, listeners will also get to know our distinguished guests a little better on a personal level.

With special guests:

Andreas Mundt, President, the Bundeskartellamt and Cani Fernández, President, Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia

Related Links:

Bundeskartellamt 

Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) 

Ep. #177 Who Is Cani Fernández? Meet the President of the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission 

Hosted by:

Sergei Zaslavsky, O'Melveny & Myers LLP and Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC

The 2023 Annual Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section offered the Our Curious Amalgam team a chance to speak with international competition law enforcers from around the world. In this episode--one in a series of episodes featuring interviews recorded live at the 2023 Spring Meeting--host Sergei Zaslavsky speaks with Willard Mwemba, the Director and CEO of the COMESA Competition Commission. Listen to this episode to hear about COMESA's enforcement priorities, what trends Director Mwemba sees on the horizon, and what advocates appearing before the Commission should do to be most effective. Listeners will also hear about COMESA's special challenges and opportunities as the agency enters its second decade.

With special guest:

Willard Mwemba, Director and Chief Executive Officer, COMESA

Related Links:

COMESA Competition Commission 

Hosted by:

Sergei Zaslavsky, O'Melveny & Myers LLP and Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC

The 2023 Annual Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section offered the Our Curious Amalgam team a chance to speak with international competition law enforcers from around the world. What are their enforcement priorities, what trends do they see on the horizon, and what should advocates with matters before their agencies do to be most effective? Discover the answers to these questions in this episode and other episodes in this special series of interviews recorded live at the Spring Meeting. And as a bonus, listeners will also get to know our distinguished guests a little better on a personal level.

With special guests:

• Kristina Nordby, Head of the Board, Greenlandic Consumer and Competition Authority
• Gegham Gevorgyan, Chairman, Armenian Commission for the Protection of Competition
• Kārlis Piģēns, Council Member, Competition Council of Latvia

Related Links:

Greenlandic Consumer and Competition Authority Armenian Competition Protection Commission Competition Council of the Republic of Latvia

Hosted by:

Matt Michaloski, Kayla Odom, and Alicia Downey

LIV Golf is the most serious threat the PGA has ever faced, and the fight between the two professional golf tours has grown increasingly personal and bitter. But is the PGA defending itself through illegal anticompetitive tactics? Michael McCann, one of the nation's foremost sports law experts and Kail Jethmalani join Anant Raut and Anora Wang to discuss the life of a professional golfer, what makes the LIV tour appealing, and the PGA's history against upstart rivals. Listen to this episode to learn more about the antitrust case between the two tours, and why it may end up in the Supreme Court.

With special guests:

Professor Michael McCann, Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute, Franklin Pierce School of Law and Kail Jethmalani, Counsel, Axinn

Related Links:

LIV Golf and PGA Tour Set for Long Term Courtroom War 

Hosted by:

Anant Raut and Anora Wang

It seems that metaverses will soon be ubiquitous. What are the competition law issues? Dr. Yusuke Takamiya, the antitrust/competition law partner at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, joins Matthew Hall and Anora Wang to discuss what metaverses are, how they are structured, the parallels with existing competition law analysis of technology markets and the specific issues raised by metaverses. Listen to this episode to learn more about this rapidly developing technology and area of competition law.

With special guest:

Yusuke Takamiya, Partner, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto

Related Links:

The Metaverse & Antitrust/Competition Law, presentation, Yusuke Takamiya, January 2023 European Parliament briefing, June 2022 European American Chamber of Commerce article, October 2022 Japan Fair Trade Commission event January 2023

Hosted by:

Matthew Hall, Partner, McGuireWoods London LLP and Anora Wang, Associate, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

For 30 years, companies in healthcare and other industries have relied on agency guidance immunizing certain kinds of information exchanges with competitors. How does DOJ's recent withdrawal of these safe harbors change the landscape? Leslie Overton, former DOJ official and currently a partner at Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider, joins Sergei Zaslavsky and Jaclyn Phillips to discuss DOJ's policy change. Listen to this episode to learn more about the antitrust agencies' approach to information exchanges and what the withdrawal of prior policy statements means for practitioners and in-house counsel.

With special guest:

Leslie Overton, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider

Related Links:

DOJ announcement of withdrawal of healthcare policy statements

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki's speech regarding withdrawal of policy statements

Hosted by:

Sergei Zaslavsky, O'Melveny & Myers and Jaclyn Phillips, White & Case

There are many ways to make a career engaging with competition law. Guest Mark Meador, Deputy Chief Counsel for Antitrust and Competition Policy to Senator Mike Lee, has forged a unique path working on and off the Hill. What exactly does antitrust counsel to a United States Senator do? Mark discusses the various functions of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights and his own work. Listen to this episode to hear his unique perspective on working with competition law and policy.

With special guest:

Mark Meador, Deputy Chief Counsel for Antitrust and Competition Policy to Senator Mike Lee

Related Links:

Senate Judiciary subcommittees landing page Senator Lee press

Hosted by:

Christina Ma and Matt Michaloski