This paper, based on my concluding remarks at the Colloquium on the Economic Aspects of Gambling Regulation: EU and US Perspectives held at Tilburg in November 2006, discusses the question why, in Europe, some service sectors (such as network industries) are liberalised, while others (like the...

Due to legislative and judicial developments, standard-setting has come to the forefront of public debates. Being for a long time considered as a 'no passing zone' for everyone but engineers and technical experts, standard-setting organizations (SSOs) have produced a rowing solid body of...

Over the past three decades, Member States have created a variety of regulatory authorities, generally in response to the adoption of liberalization directives by the European Union. Because of the substantial power they enjoy and the importance of their tasks, it is widely recognized that it is...

More than a decade has passed since the liberalization of telecommunications in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, the regulator is still mandating access to local access networks, and the incumbent and cable operators have been dragging their feet on upgrading their networks to fiber-based next...

This paper analyses and discusses the regulation of the DNS, i.e. the system of Internet unique identifiers. There is a widespread belief that this industry needs a regulator, be it a private one in which all stakeholders could be represented, or rather a public international one in which all...

Services of general interest (SGI) are a key component of the EU economy, accounting for 26% of GDP and 30% of employment within the EU. They cover economic and noneconomic activities alike. They are to be distinguished from services of general economic interest (SGEI), which are economic...

This contribution offers a comprehensive analysis of Art. XIX GATS, entitled “Negotiation of Specific Commitments”, which clarifies the manner in which negotiations under the GATS should proceed in order to progressively achieve higher levels of liberalization. This provision also identifies...

The negotiations relating to domestic regulations in services are entering their final phase. While the implementation of their results will depend on overcoming the current stalemate in the Doha negotiating round, it becomes increasingly clear that Members will want to capitalize on the...

We analyze a search engine market from a law and economics perspective and incorporate the choice of quality improving innovations by a search engine platform in a two-sided model of internet search engine. In the proposed framework we, first, discuss the legal issues the search engine market...