OECD/KPC Competition Law Seminar for Asia-Pacific Judges on the Legal and Economic Analysis of Vertical Agreements

The 11th OECD/KPC Competition Law Seminar for Asia-Pacific Judges, a significant event co-sponsored by CLIP in collaboration with the Federal Court of Malaysia and the Competition Appeal Tribunal of Malaysia, took place virtually on July 1, 2021. The seminar centered around the legal and economic examination of vertical agreements and marked the launch of the FCA/OECD Primer on Vertical Restraints for ASEAN Judges.

The agenda commenced with the opening of the Zoom waiting room at 13:30 Kuala Lumpur Time (7:30 am Paris Time), followed by welcoming remarks by Mr. Ruben Maximiano, Senior Competition Expert at OECD.

The event's highlights included the launch of the FCA/OECD Primer on Vertical Restraints for ASEAN Judges, introduced by The Hon Michael O’Bryan, Justice at the Federal Court of Australia, and Mr. Frédéric Jenny, Chairman of the Competition Committee at OECD.

Her Ladyship Dato’ Sri Hasnah binti Dato’ Mohammed Hashim, Federal Court Judge from Malaysia, delivered a keynote address, followed by opening remarks from His Lordship YA Dato' Dr. Choo Kah Sing, President of the Competition Appeal Tribunal of Malaysia and High Court Judge.

Insightful discussions on the economics of competition law and the role of courts were led by Mr. Frédéric Jenny, Mr. Ruben Maximiano, and Mr. Matteo Giangaspero from OECD. Dr. Jorge Padilla, Senior Managing Director and Head of EMEA at Compass Lexecon, provided a legal analysis of vertical restraints, especially in digital markets.

An open discussion and Q&A session ensued, moderated by Mr. Ruben Maximiano. The event concluded with closing remarks from Mr. Jungwon Song, Director General of OECD/KPC Competition Programme, emphasizing the seminar's significance in fostering understanding and collaboration in competition law amongst Asia-Pacific Judges.