By David S. Evans –
Between September 2014 and September 2016 high courts in multiple jurisdictions released five decisions that address applying competition law to matchmakers that operate virtual or physical platforms for connecting multiple groups of customers. The decisions rely, directly or indirectly, on the economic literature on multisided platforms that commenced around 2000. The high courts all recognize that it is necessary to consider the several distinct groups of customers and their interactions in evaluating whether business practices are anticompetitive.
