I’ve just received a response from the European Commission (it’s weird because I did not send them an e-mail but a physical letter) and you guys are not gonna like it:
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Thank you for your e-mail regarding Valve corporation.
We note that, in substance, the concerns you have raised are to do with the availability of software products in the UK only.
Whereas we appreciate that it may be in the interest of consumers in the rest of the European Union to also have access to products of the Steam Store sold in the United Kingdom, how a product is marketed is at the discretion of the vendor. If a vendor decides to offer a product solely within the UK this does generally not amount to an infringement of EU competition rules, in particular of Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
Please be assured that market insight is a valuable input to our daily work that we appreciate.
…
Here is a link to the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union.
And here is the content of Articles 101 and 102 Mr Banasevic mentioned:
Article 101
1. The following shall be prohibited as incompatible with the internal market: all agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices which may affect trade between Member States and which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition within the internal market, and in particular those which:
(a) directly or indirectly fix purchase or selling prices or any other trading conditions;
(b) limit or control production, markets, technical development, or investment;
(c) share markets or sources of supply;
(d) apply dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions with other trading parties, thereby placing them at a competitive disadvantage;
(e) make the conclusion of contracts subject to acceptance by the other parties of supplementary obligations which, by their nature or according to commercial usage, have no connection with the subject of such contracts.
2. Any agreements or decisions prohibited pursuant to this Article shall be automatically void.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 may, however, be declared inapplicable in the case of:
— any agreement or category of agreements between undertakings,
— any decision or category of decisions by associations of undertakings,
C 83/88 Official Journal of the European Union 30.3.2010 EN— any concerted practice or category of concerted practices, which contributes to improving the production or distribution of goods or to promoting technical or economic progress, while allowing consumers a fair share of the resulting benefit, and which does not:
(a) impose on the undertakings concerned restrictions which are not indispensable to the attainment of these objectives;
(b) afford such undertakings the possibility of eliminating competition in respect of a substantial part of the products in question.
Article 102
Any abuse by one or more undertakings of a dominant position within the internal market or in a substantial part of it shall be prohibited as incompatible with the internal market in so far as it may affect trade between Member States.
Such abuse may, in particular, consist in:
(a) directly or indirectly imposing unfair purchase or selling prices or other unfair trading conditions;
(b) limiting production, markets or technical development to the prejudice of consumers;
(c) applying dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions with other trading parties, thereby placing them at a competitive disadvantage;
(d) making the conclusion of contracts subject to acceptance by the other parties of supplementary obligations which, by their nature or according to commercial usage, have no connection with the subject of such contracts.
Screenshot of the response:
That is all. Anyone has any ideas what I could ask Mr Banasevic? Thank you for your support guys.
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