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The (unchanging) path ahead for UK merger control in 2023
02 March 2023
Office Managing PartnerBrussels
Email [email protected]hoganlovells.com
Phone +32 2 505 0929
Fax +32 2 505 0996
LanguagesEnglish, French
Practice groupGlobal Regulatory
Clients say that Christopher Thomas is "fantastic to work with" and is "very good at taking a legal concept and bringing it down to a hands-on, pragmatic level." He advises multinational clients on behavioural investigations carried out by the EC, as well as merger control procedures.
Chambers Global 2021
Christopher Thomas assists clients in investigations of alleged anti-competitive conduct, and in merger control procedures, in the European Union and around the world. This includes coordinating the defence of competition law investigations across Europe and globally. Christopher also appears regularly as an advocate before the General Court and the Court of Justice of the EU.
Christopher's work has involved a wide variety of industries, such as air cargo, beverage alcohol, consumer electronics, electronic components, fast-moving consumer goods, financial services, freight-forwarding, logistics, maritime transport, medical devices, metal production plants, metal trading, mobile devices, motor vehicles, paper, pharmaceuticals, railway services, software, thermal power generation, telecoms services, video games and wind turbines.
That said, Christopher has particular experience of the antitrust issues affecting industries in which technology, data and intellectual property are critical. He has been closely involved in many of the leading cases in this area, whether relating to interoperability, the enforcement of standard essential patents, patent ambush, geo-blocking, performing rights licensing, digital advertising, online search, privacy, platforms, anti-piracy TPMs or any number of other issues.
Competition: EU - Belgium
Chambers Global
Education
LL.M., College of Europe
M.A., University of Cambridge
Bar admissions and qualifications
Solicitor, England and Wales
Brussels
Acting for Google in the CMA's investigation of Google's Privacy Sandbox proposals to remove third-party cookies on Chrome and develop privacy-centric alternatives to support digital advertising.
Advising implementers of standards such as GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA, LTE, AMR-WB, H.264, HEVC, xDSL and WiFi on licence negotiations and litigation across Europe, as well as in arbitration claims.
Acting for Google in proceedings before the Court of Justice of the EU challenging the European Commission's Google Shopping decision.
Acting for Unilever Italia before the Court of Justice of the EU, challenging the failure by the Italian Competition Authority to consider an as-efficient competitor defence for exclusivity agreements
Acting for the complainant before the European Commission and the EU Courts in the Baltic Rail case on the exclusionary destruction of a railway track by Lietuvos geležinkeliai.
Securing merger approvals around the world for the creation of Primetals Technologies, integrating the metal production plant building businesses of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Siemens.
Defending a Japanese electronic component manufacturer in the European Commission's capacitors cartel investigation, as well as before the General Court of the EU.
Acting for Novell in the European Commission proceedings against Microsoft for abusing its dominance by restricting server interoperability, and intervening before the EU General Court.
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