Australia

Abstract

Competition law issues arising with regard to online sales platforms centre around computer software, services provided online by online sales platforms, contractual relationships between the online platforms and sellers or buyers, information exchange, power and integration. Specifically, they may include algorithms that can coordinate and monitor prices and other business practices among competitors; collecting, exchanging and blocking information and targeting specific customers (consumers or businesses); and creating innovation-driven new monopolistic markets or markets where one online platform possesses significant market power.