Forum shopping and the private enforcement of EU competition law: is forum shopping a dead letter?

Telfer, Robert Thomas Currie (2017) Forum shopping and the private enforcement of EU competition law: is forum shopping a dead letter? PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between the private enforcement of EU competition law and forum shopping with a particular focus on cross-border collective end-consumer redress. There is no coherent framework across the EU for these types of cases. This lack of uniformity has the potential to create recourse to different national courts. Lawyers may engage in forum shopping when filing lawsuits on behalf of the victims of mass torts. Such practices can provide Member States with incentives to amend their laws to attract collective proceedings and create competition between national judicial systems.

However, forum shopping is not the only concern. There appears to be a paucity of cross-border collective claims. This is coupled with an apparent lack of motivation for end-consumers to seek a remedy, particularly if the only choice is to litigate outside their own legal regime. Addressing this situation is vital given that end-consumers regularly suffer harm in the form of higher prices, lower output, reduced quality and limited innovation as a result of antitrust infringements but they are rarely compensated due to legal and practical obstacles. To each end-consumer the harm may indeed be de minimis. However, the aggregate harm can amount to a considerable sum. In the absence of effective redress procedures, infringing undertakings retain the spoils of their unlawful conduct.

Against this background, this thesis examines the extent to which the conflicts-of-laws rules encourage forum shopping and considers the appropriate forum and the appropriate procedural measures that need to be adopted in order to facilitate effective and equal access to justice for end-consumer victims of EU competition law violations.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Competition law, collective redress, consumers, arbitration, EU, US, forum shopping.
• Subjects: K Law > K Law (General); K Law > KD England and Wales; K Law > KD England and Wales > KDC Scotland; K Law > KF United States Federal Law; K Law > KZ Law of Nations
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Law
• Supervisor's Name: Greaves, Prof. R. and Furse, Prof. M.
• Date of Award: 2017
• Depositing User: Mr Robert TC Telfer
• Unique ID: glathesis:2017-8002
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 09 Mar 2017 14:00
• Last Modified: 21 Apr 2017 07:52
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/8002