Francesco Liberatore advises clients on all aspects of the application of competition law, in particular in technology driven and digital economy sectors. His experience also focusses on communications law and he coordinates the firm’s EMEA Communications Practice. He regularly represents clients in investigations before regulatory and competition authorities, as well as managing internal investigations, dawn raids and counseling on compliance issues and various commercial agreements. Francesco handles merger control due diligence and filings, as well as coordinating multijurisdictional merger control strategies. He also advises private equity investors, banks and other financial investors on arbitrage opportunities. Francesco’s litigation experience includes representing clients in matters before the Competition Appeal Tribunal, the High Court of Justice and the European Courts. Francesco is dual qualified in England/Wales and Italy, and coordinates the firm’s Italy Practice. He has authored several legal publications, including the International Telecommunications Law Handbook (Juris Publishing).
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A new supra-national African competition law regime, the COMESA Competition Commission ("CCC"), began operations in January 2013. This new regime includes new merger control regulations likely to have a significant impact on international businesses with local operations in the region. The CCC (...)
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The European Competition Network ("ECN") has published a new version of its Model Leniency Programme ("MLP"). The MLP makes it easier for companies that have uncovered evidence of participation by their employees in a cartel to "blow the whistle" in return for immunity from, or a reduction in, (...)
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The UK Office of Fair Trading ("OFT") has published updated guidelines on its decisionmaking processes, in preparation for a wider reform of the UK competition law regime. The goals of the OFT’s revised procedures are quicker and fairer decisions by the OFT in enforcing UK and EU antitrust (...)
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A recent appeal by the UK’s mobile telephone operator, Everything Everywhere, to the UK’s Court of Appeal may lead to a change to the Competition Commission’s (CC) investigation powers in deciding telecoms price control matters in the future. CC investigation powers in telecoms price control (...)
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The European Commission (EC) and the Swiss Competition Commission (SCC) have signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation between them and enable the exchange of information on antitrust matters. The agreement will enter into force once it has been approved by the European Parliament and the (...)
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A recent ruling from the EU General Court ("General Court") in EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG v Commission confirms that leniency documents produced under the European Commission’s ("Commission") leniency program are not exempt from disclosure in civil actions in the EU. Earlier this year, (...)
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On 15 March 2012, the UK Government announced its plans for reforming the UK competition regime. The Government has stopped short of radically redesigning the competition regime. Although one government body is replacing two, and there are significant changes expected for criminal (...)
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On 14 June 2011, the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") ruled that EU law does not exempt leniency documents lodged with national competition agencies ("NCAs") from requests for disclosure in private actions. In a reference for preliminary ruling from a German court, Pfleiderer v (...)
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The UK Competition Act prohibits agreements that have the object or effect of restricting competition within the UK. Currently, land agreements - such as freehold, leasehold and rental agreements - are exempt from the prohibition, but that is all about to change. With effect from 6 April 2011, (...)
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On 26 May 2010, the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal published an appeal by mobile operator O2 against the Office of Communications (OFCOM), the UK telecoms and media regulator, challenging OFCOM‘s refusal to allow deployment of 3G services in 900 Mhz frequencies. In a case likely to have (...)
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On 12 January 2010, the European Commission sent an information request to a number of pharmaceutical companies, seeking copies of their patent settlement agreements, to check their compliance with EU antitrust rules (Official Press Release IP/10/12), as a follow up to its pharmaceutical (...)
