A Theoretical Review of Competition and "Equity, Efficiency and Fairness in Transactions": Big Data and Antimonopoly Law

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K03414
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Social law
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University (2018-2019); Sugiyama Jogakuen University (2017)
• Principal Investigator: IBATA Yohei 長崎大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (80467406)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 独占禁止法 / 米国反トラスト法 / FTC法 / 取引の公正性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The accumulation of data to a specific company, such as platforms, strengthens the market power of that company. If access to the accumulated data is restricted, competition between companies on the premise of utilizing that data is restrained. This research revisited the concept of "fairness of transactions" over the handling of big data in terms of competition law.
In this research, the followings are revealed.The US antitrust regulators are relying on the functioning of the market to curb market power on the basis of price increases. However, because there is no price increase in practice, there is little regulation by US Antitrust Laws in these days.It has also become clear that EU competition authorities are actively trying to intervene in the market by incorporating not only economic efficiency, but also values such as economic freedom and diversity.

Free Research Field

競争法、独占禁止法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は比較法と法の経済分析等とを合わせて考察した。そして、本研究の成果の学術的・社会的意義は、第1に、消費者の利益を守る法的介入の正当化根拠としての「取引の公正」概念を再検討することで、競争の観点から規制を行う独禁法に依拠して対処可能な、消費者に対する不公正の内容が、理論とともに行為類型を含めて具体化した点、第2に、「公正性」という柔軟かつ可変的な概念をベースとして個別的問題に対する具体的な施策を示しうるものであることから、今後直面すると考えられる、別の新たな社会的課題の解決策を提示するにあたっても転用が可能な理論的バックボーンを形成するのに資するという点が考えられる。