Tech symbiosis: Determining the anti-competitive nature of tech platform mergers in the attention market

• Main Author: Juan, Paulo Angelo G.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Antitrust law > Philippines; Consolidation and merger of corporations; Online social networks > Mergers; Law
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_law/8; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=etdm_law
• Institution: De La Salle University

The year 2015 has been remarkable for the Philippines as it enacted its first formal and independent competition law. It was also that year that tech platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Zalora, Shopee, Lazada, have become ubiquitous that Filipinos become independent on it for their everyday lives. With the enactment of the Philippine Competition Act (PCA), mergers have undergone review by its watchdog, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC). However, the PCA when it was enacted did not anticipate the mergers of these platforms, or at least it was too general in order to accommodate all types of mergers. This thesis shows that the PCA lacks the specific standard when it comes to mergers of these tech platforms. Various jurisprudence and principles by international authorities have shown that stricter scrutiny should be done when it comes to mergers of this type considering that the year 2015 was a booming age especially to these platforms when people are transitioning from traditional newspapers and brick-and-mortar retail to online media and e-commerce. This paper suggests modifications to supporting evidence or tools used by the PCC which must be taken into account in order to help the PCA with the strict scrutiny of these mergers.