Antitrust

Antitrust

Our expertise

Competition Law holds a major impact for companies and their activities as it raises unavoidable challenges:

  • Increased powers of Competition Authorities (investigating power, injunction, precautionary measures…);
  • Increasingly severe fine in case of violation;
  • The possibility to negotiate solutions or to find alternatives to the regular sanction procedure deal requiring a fine strategical analysis of the issues at stake;
  • Simplification and multiplication of private enforcement actions, under the impulse of EU law.

 

Competition rules, whether it involves cartels or abuse of a dominant position, especially how it articulates with other notions (regulatory, intellectual property…), make the estimation of the potentially anticompetitive nature of the behaviors or practices already used on the involved market by companies, very delicate. Likewise, contentious brought to Competition Authorities are strategical in that they are reputational and because of the financial stakes involved.

 

Magenta supports companies on the whole range of issues involving Competition Law and assures them a customized support through this list of services:

  • Analysis of the lawfulness of some commercial practices used or considered throughout the development of the client’s activities or observed in some rival companies;
  • Assistance with competition investigations and contentious, , brought to Competition Authorities and/or European and national jurisdictions;
  • Setting up compliance programs, training jurists and commercial teams, carrying out audits and dawn raid simulations.

Our work

Assistance to a group specialized in the dismantling of nuclear power plants as part of antitrust proceedings before the French Competition Authority.
Assistance to several companies for in competition investigations (notably in the household appliances and building and civil engineering sectors).
Assistance to a leading group in the premium teas sector in antitrust proceedings before the French Competition Authority.
Assistance to a leading group in the toy sector, in a commitment procedure before the French Competition Authority.
Assistance and representation of several companies in actions for abuse of dominant position in the electronic communications sector.
Assistance and representation of a shipping company in a commitment procedure before the French Competition Authority.
Obtaining partial annulment of a sanction pronounced by the French Competition Authority.

State Aid

Issues with State Aids can happen in diverse situations: sectoral emergency plan, implementation of measures to safeguard one or more specific businesses or to finance a service of general economic interest, financing R&D or infrastructure development projects involving public resources, or even through preferential tax arrangements that may be granted to them.

Companies must pay the utmost attention to mechanisms enabling them to benefit, directly or indirectly, from public funds, and to avoid having to return them if they were to constitute illegal state aid.

On the other hand, companies contributing to the funding of these measures, or which are harmed in terms of competition by the system put in place, may have an interest in contesting it (including to obtain reimbursement of the contributions they are obliged to pay).

Magenta’s lawyers possess a perfect knowledge of those rules and assist their clients whenever they wish to assure them the mechanisms they benefit from will not risk being qualified as State Aid, or on the contrary, if they wish to contest the lawfulness of a measure they consider illicit.

Our work

Assisted a company entrusted with a public service mission in developing new commercial activities and ensuring compliance with applicable state aid rules.
Assisted a central government body in assessing the compliance of various development projects with state aid law.
Assistance to a consortium in concluding a public-private partnership with a French public institution likely to include elements of state aid.
Actions before the administrative courts enabling several companies to obtain reimbursement of a tax qualified as State aid.
Assistance to a leading air transport operator in connection with a complaint lodged with the European Commission for breach of State aid law regarding the French airport tax rebate scheme provided for under article 1609 quatervicies of the French General Tax Code.

Private enforcement

Magenta is particularly active in the private enforcement field and works alongside its clients, both as plaintiffs as defendants, accompanied by economists, who are experts in this type of litigation.

Our work

Assistance and representation of several companies as plaintiffs or defendants in private enforcement actions in the telecoms, rail transport and pharmaceuticals sectors.
Assistance to an operator active in the telecoms sector in proceedings brought against a competitor for disparagement practices targeting its offerings and the quality of its network.

Our rankings

Excellent en Concurrence et Distribution – Antitrust

Décideurs 2023
Antitrust

Sylvain Justier is recognised for his expertise handling cartel investigations, follow-on damages litigation and merger control cases. He often leverages his skill for the benefit of companies in the telecoms sector.

Chambers & Partners 2023
Competition/European Law

Competition / Antitrust Law

Best Lawyers 2020
Competition/Antitrust Law

The “very bright” Sylvain Justier represents clients before the French Competition Authority and French courts in antitrust investigations and litigations, encompassing horizontal and vertical practices as well as distribution law. He has strong experience in the telecommunications sector.

Chambers & Partners 2020
Competition/European Law

Magenta est une boutique spécialisée en droit de la concurrence, en droit public et dans les secteurs régulés. L’équipe d’une dizaine d’avocats accorde une forte expertise en droit de la concurrence avec une connaissance réglementaire pointue du secteur des télécoms. Le cabinet se voit mandater dans des dossiers de premier plan en lien avec ces aspects. Il a ainsi la charge de plusieurs affaires importantes d’abus de position dominante et de pratiques anticoncurrentielles en Polynésie Française et dans d’autres territoires d’Outre-Mer. Il intervient également dans des dossiers de contrôle des concentrations de premier plan dans le secteur des télécoms. Enfin, le cabinet est également missionné pour traiter de nombreux dossiers en dehors du domaine des télécoms. Il gère notamment plusieurs sujets sensibles en matière de droit de la distribution pour son client Carrefour. La pratique est dirigée par Sylvain Justier, qui est entouré de Vincent Jaunet et de Gaël Hichri qui a été promu associé en 2019.

Legal 500 Paris 2020
Droit Européen, concurrence et distribution

Competition / Antitrust Law

Best Lawyers 2019
Competition / Antitrust Law

Magenta combines its expertise in the field of competition and antitrust with an in-depth knowledge of regulatory issues to advise an impressive list of clients in the heavily regulated industry sectors such as energy, transport and telecoms. Counsel Gaël Hichri supports joint practice heads Sylvain Justier and Vincent Jaunet, who recently acted for CCFA – the professional association covering all French car manufacturers – in a review of its practices to ensure regulatory compliance. Associates Lolita Berthol-Balladur and Morgane Silhol are part of the team currently representing Candy Hoover with regard to the FCA’s investigation into alleged vertical and horizontal malpractices in the white and brown goods sector. Also notable is Justier’s work for Deutsche Bahn pertaining to two proceedings: a public enforcement claim filed by the FCA relating to alleged abuse of dominant position in the freight railway market, and a private enforcement action brought against SNCF after it was found guilty by the FCA of having impeded the growth of the French market. Other key clients include Outremer Telecom, SFR and Adista.

Legal 500 2019
EU, competition and distribution

Excellent en Contentieux et arbitrage – Antitrust & Pratiques Anticoncurrentielles

Décideurs 2018
Antitrust & Pratiques Anticoncurrentielles

Excellent en Contentieux et Arbitrage – Antitrust et Pratiques Anticoncurrentielles

Décideurs 2017
Antitrust et Pratiques Anticoncurrentielles