The European Lilliputians attacking IBM: Balancing innovation and competition in the European Commission’s first big antitrust case (1973–1984)

Arthe Van Laer

Business History, 2020, vol. 62, issue 5, 837-857

Abstract: The European Commission’s case against IBM for abuse of dominant position (1973–1984) was at the time by far the biggest in the short history of EEC antitrust policy, and would remain so long afterwards. It also set an important precedent for the use of interoperability as competition law remedy. Through extensive archival research, this article shows that the EEC Commission’s action in the IBM case was determined by broader industrial policy aims for the computer sector. The Commission opted for augmenting competition, at the potential detriment of innovation, because this was expected to enhance the competitiveness of European industry.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2018.1444754

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