Abstract:
The development of the platform economy and advances in digital technology lead to frequent vertical abuses of dominant market positions within platform ecosystems, primarily controlled by platform operators and platform-based operators with comparative advantages. The separation of market dominance from specific abusive practices stems from the vertical economic relationship between these entities, while the combined market power of platform operators and the competitive advantages of platform-based operators generates anti-competitive effects through their causal link to such abuses. Current Antitrust Law addresses common abuses via market power presumption rules. However, vague regulatory frameworks and a bias toward horizontal regulation hinder efforts to tackle vertically linked abuses. Consequently, regulations targeting collective abusive conduct should prioritize scientific rigor and independence, strengthen vertical regulatory oversight, and align Antitrust Law with other competition laws by clarifying enforcement mechanisms and cohesive interoperability.