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  3. Comparative EU and US Antitrust Law

Comparative EU and US Antitrust Law (LAWS90309)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Not available in 2026

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Overview

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This subject will provides students with an overview of the EU and US competition law provisions, their goals, interpretation, application, and enforcement. It examines how they are enforced, and how these laws govern certain types of business practices. 

We focus on cartels between competitors, distribution agreements, the conduct of dominant firms, and mergers. We will consider how social, legal, and economic factors, along with enforcement structures, have moulded the content of these laws. This has produced the legal rules that exist today and shows where and why the two systems diverge.  

In this subject, you will reflect on the problems that competition laws aim to solve. You will explore how relevant courts and enforcement agencies in each jurisdiction have sought to develop a coherent and workable body of rules to achieve that objective. We also consider lacunae gaps in the laws, especially how these laws have sought to keep pace with developments adapted to the digital economy. We also cover the challenges involved in applying the competition laws in this sphere. 

Indicative list of principal topics:

  • Why antitrust law? History and objectives 
  • The antitrust laws and their enforcement structures 
  • An introduction to key concepts 
  • Cartels and horizontal cooperation  
  • Vertical agreements  
  • Abuse of dominance and monopolisation 
  • Merger control 
  • Reform  
  • Problem questions 

 

 

 

Intended learning outcomes

A student who has successfully completed this subject should be able to: 

  • Explain and analyse how the EU and US competition laws have been interpreted on a dynamic basis.
  • Examine the history and context of the rules and the institutional arrangements in the EU and US and evaluate how these arrangements have impacted on competition law and the development of the system.
  • Critically assess issues and techniques in the dynamic area of EU and US competition law.
  • Engage in debates surrounding contemporary and controversial issues relating to competition law in the EU and US with a critical approach.

Generic skills

  • At the end of the subject students should be able to apply competition law to factual scenarios in the EU and US contexts, developing skills essential to a legal practitioner.
  • The subject should also help students to build communication skills to be able to discuss cases, approaches, and policy debates critically.

Last updated: 19 November 2025