Competition law (known as antitrust law in the U.S.) seeks to maintain the integrity of the marketplace by prohibiting anti-competitive practices and by subjecting corporate mergers and acquisitions to regulatory review if they have the potential to significantly reduce competition.
Historically, competition law developed and evolved almost exclusively within the jurisdictional boundaries of individual nation-states. More recently, the growing influence of multinational business enterprises has led to a corresponding increase in bilateral and regional cooperation among national competition authorities.
This guide focuses on researching competition law in jurisdictions outside the U.S., on comparing competition law and practice in two or more jurisdictions, and on efforts to coordinate and harmonize the enforcement of competition law across multiple jurisdictions.
Key Resources for International & Foreign Competition Law
- Kluwer Competition Law
This online platform includes both primary law content (mainly from the U.S., the E.U., and E.U. member states) and secondary source materials (e-books, journal articles, and blog commentary) related to competition law. Allows searching by keyword and browsing by policy area, content type, time period, and jurisdiction. To apply filters before running a search, click on the white triangle to the left of the search box.
- Lexology: Getting the Deal Through (GTDT)
This multi-jurisdictional resource offers in-depth, practitioner-written summaries of national laws that govern cartel regulation, merger control, state aid, and other aspects of competition law using a question-and-answer format. Begin by selecting a “work area” (practice area) from the menu, then select a jurisdiction or use the comparison tool to compare laws across multiple jurisdictions. Jurisdictional coverage varies by work area.
- Global Competition & Antitrust
Academic users of Westlaw may access competition law legislation, regulatory decisions, and case law from selected foreign jurisdictions (Australia, the E.U., Hong Kong, Singapore, and the U.K.) through this page. It also includes treatises on international merger control, competition law in Australia, China, and the E.U., and practitioner-oriented journals and newsletters.
- Corporate Counsel’s Guide to International Antitrust
Focuses primarily on antitrust law in the U.S. and on competition law in the E.U., but also includes overviews of competition law in 11 other jurisdictions: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, and the U.K.
