A note on conglomerate mergers: The Google/Fitbit case

Akihiko Nakagawa and Noriaki Matsushima

Japan and the World Economy, 2023, vol. 67, issue C

Abstract: We consider conglomerate mergers using the Google/Fitbit case as an example. First, summarizing the importance of conglomerate merger control and the current enforcement standards for such mergers by competition laws, we briefly describe a review of the Google/Fitbit merger by the Japan Fair Trade Commission. Next, we explain the background of the merger and introduce Chen et al. (2022), who theoretically discuss a cross-market merger by considering the Google/Fitbit merger. Finally, we discuss the implications of Chen et al. (2022) for controlling conglomerate mergers. Specifically, personalized pricing based on data analytics can be a foreclosure device; in particular, merger-specific efficiencies can foster market foreclosure.

Keywords: Conglomerate mergers; Google-Fitbit; Personalized pricing; Competition law enforcement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: K40 L13 L44 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:japwor:v:67:y:2023:i:c:s0922142523000294

DOI: 10.1016/j.japwor.2023.101203

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