{"id":93379,"date":"2025-10-01T10:04:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T15:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/?post_type=insight&#038;p=93379"},"modified":"2025-10-01T10:06:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T15:06:24","slug":"european-competition-law-newsletter-october-2025","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/client-resources\/alerts\/2025\/10\/european-competition-law-newsletter-october-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"European Competition Law Newsletter \u2014 October 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"#aftermarket-services\">EC Investigates Provision of Aftermarket Services<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#uk-fca\">UK FCA Proposes Settlement of Rooftop Lease Arrangements Investigation<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#uk-cma\">UK CMA Provides Guidance and Case Study on Labour Market Agreements<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#bicycle-gear\">Belgium Investigates Limitation of Bicycle Gear Ratio <\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" id=\"aftermarket-services\">\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EC Investigates Provision of Aftermarket Services<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 25 September 2025, the European Commission (EC) <a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/ip_25_2163\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> an investigation into SAP\u2019s activities in the provision of maintenance and support services for its enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. The EC will assess whether SPA infringed EU competition law by distorting competition in that aftermarket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ERP software supports business functions such as managing corporate finances, human resources and project management. SAP provides services on premises (software runs on the customer\u2019s own servers) or via cloud (software hosted on SAP\u2019s servers and delivered over the internet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SAP also provides maintenance and support for its ERP software, which&nbsp;<a><\/a>includes regular updates and technical assistance for its business customers to keep the software operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a preliminary basis, the EC considers that SAP holds a dominant position in the on-premises aftermarket for its ERP software. The EC says third-party companies also provide these services and compete with SAP \u201coften [on the basis of] better commercial conditions, such as price.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The EC will investigate whether SAP restricted competition from these third-party providers through various practices. It will also consider whether these practices amount to exploitative conduct vis-\u00e0-vis its customers, which could amount to abuses of SAP\u2019s dominant position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SAP\u2019s practices that the EC will investigate are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Requiring customers to seek maintenance and support services from SAP for all SAP on-premises ERP software and choose the same type of maintenance and support under the same pricing conditions for all SAP on-premises ERP software. According to the EC, these requirements may prevent customers from \u201cmixing and matching\u201d maintenance and support services from different suppliers at different price and support levels despite it being more convenient to do so.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preventing customers from terminating maintenance and support services for unused software licences, which may result in SAP\u2019s customers paying for unwanted services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Systematically extending the duration of the initial term of on-premises ERP licences, during which termination of maintenance and support services is not possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Charging reinstatement and back-maintenance fees to customers that subscribe to SAP\u2019s maintenance and support after a period of absence. In some cases, these fees correspond to the amount customers would have paid if they had stayed with SAP all along.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"uk-fca\">The case should be of general interest to any supplier of a product or service in a primary market that also provides service, support or spare parts for that product or service in the aftermarket. Even if the supplier is not dominant in the primary market, it can be dominant in a separate aftermarket relating to its products or services. Suitable competition compliance measures and training should be implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>UK FCA Proposes Settlement of Rooftop Lease Arrangements Investigation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 5 September 2025, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fca.org.uk\/news\/news-stories\/proposals-fair-access-LSEG-data-centre-rooftop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">requested comments<\/a> on proposed commitments to settle a UK competition law investigation concerning access to the rooftop of a building in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The FCA is the UK financial services regulator. It also has powers to enforce UK competition law regarding the provision of financial services in the UK and the provision of claims management services in Great Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The investigation relates to the supply of low latency connectivity services (LLCS) between the London Stock Exchange (LSE) trading venue in London and two competing trading venues in the UK. LLCS providers build and operate high-speed connections between trading venues, which allow trading firms to process trades very quickly. To maximise the speed of their connections, providers place radio units as close as possible to trading venues. LSE provides LLCS on the routes between its trading venue and the other two venues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LSE has exclusive rights under its lease to locate LLCS radio units on the rooftop of its trading building. The FCA is concerned that these rights, as well as LSE\u2019s rooftop policy at the building, prevent rival LLCS providers from installing equipment on the rooftop, favouring LSE\u2019s own LLCS and hindering competition. The potential concerns arise under the UK rules banning abuse of dominance (concerning the rooftop policy) and banning anticompetitive agreements (concerning the lease between LSE and its landlord).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To address the FCA\u2019s concerns, LSE and the landlord proposed to end LSE\u2019s exclusive rights to the rooftop and make an equivalent space on the rooftop available to third parties on a fair and reasonable basis. In future, LSE will only use part of the space for its LLCS equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"uk-cma\">The case provides an example of competition law being applied to a lease arrangement as well as to a specific issue and market. Although it does not need to reach a definitive conclusion, the FCA describes the relevant market in its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fca.org.uk\/publication\/corporate\/notice-intention-accept-commitments-ca98-2023-02.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Notice of Intention to Accept Commitments<\/a> as \u201call &#8230; sites that allow sufficiently fast access so that they can be competitive substitutes [to the rooftop of the LSE building].\u201d The FCA did not conclude which other locations may be within the market, but given that arbitrage trading opportunities between venues can exist for microseconds, it seems likely there is no other location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>UK CMA Provides Guidance and Case Study on Labour Market Agreements<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) continues to focus on the application of UK competition law to agreements that impact employment. It imposed fines for infringements of the law and published guidance documents to aid compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most recent <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/media\/68bffbb38c6d992f23edd75c\/competing-for-talent-guide.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">guidance<\/a>, aimed at \u201canyone involved in recruiting and retaining workers,\u201d was published on 9 September 2025. It explains how the competition rules apply to employers when recruiting staff as well as when setting pay and working conditions. It highlights behaviours that are likely to be anticompetitive and covers benchmarking and collective bargaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The guidance starts by setting out two \u201cmyths\u201d that, although the principles are well-known and accepted, the CMA clearly believes it should explain again:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cCompetition law doesn\u2019t apply to agreements between employers about wages or working conditions \u2014 that\u2019s an HR issue, not a business one.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI\u2019m not competing with that other company for customers, so it\u2019s fine to agree with them how much we will pay to our staff.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In accordance with multiple precedents, these statements are identified as \u201cfalse,\u201d and the guidance explains why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the same day, the CMA published \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/case-studies\/businesses-handed-42-million-in-fines-following-freelancer-pay-investigation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lessons<\/a>\u201d from its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/sports-broadcast-and-production-companies-fined-4-million-in-freelancer-pay-investigation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">investigation<\/a> into sports broadcasting and production companies that colluded on rates of pay for freelance workers in the UK. The CMA found that several of these companies&nbsp;in the UK shared sensitive information about fees for freelance workers such as camera operators and sound technicians. Fines were imposed on four companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lessons include examples of the illegal exchanges, such as an email to a competitor stating, \u201cWe pay our Studio Vision Mixers \u00a3(X) per day for a 10x hour shift,\u201d with the response, \u201cThat\u2019s exactly the same as we pay. Good to know we are aligned there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The case study points out the importance of making sure relevant staff understand competition law rules and learn to recognise illegal behaviour, including when recruiting and retaining workers. It adds that company directors should ensure their companies have regular training on following competition law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The CMA also promoted its guidance and the case study in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrmagazine.co.uk\/content\/comment\/what-businesses-need-to-know-when-competing-for-talent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">article<\/a> in <em>HR Magazine<\/em>, in which it added five \u201csimple steps to stay on the safe side,\u201d beginning with the basic guidance that \u201cPay and other working conditions must be set independently and it should be clear to HR staff that discussing plans for pay and other working conditions with competitors is off limits.\u201d Unilaterally giving out such commercially sensitive information, even on one occasion, can also infringe the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"bicycle-gear\">The CMA\u2019s approach to labour market competition law infringements is similar to that at the EU level and in EU member states. There are numerous examples of enforcement, including the 11 June 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autoritedelaconcurrence.fr\/en\/article\/no-poach-practices-autorite-de-la-concurrence-fines-four-companies-engineering-technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decision<\/a> by the French competition authority (Autorit\u00e9 de la concurrence) fining four companies for infringing competition law by entering into no-poach agreements concerning employees. The decision also considered non-solicitation clauses in partnership contracts but took no action. The Autorit\u00e9 stated at the time that the decision \u201cis the first of its kind in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Belgium Investigates Limitation of Bicycle Gear Ratio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 19 September 2025, the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.belgiancompetition.be\/sites\/default\/files\/content\/download\/files\/20250919_Press_release_37_BCA.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> an investigation into the International Cycling Union\u2019s (UCI\u2019s) adoption of a technical standard limiting the maximum gear ratio in professional road cycling events to the equivalent of a 54-tooth chainring with an 11-tooth sprocket (54&#215;11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The gear ratio determines the number of wheel turns per pedal turn. Ratios greater than 54&#215;11 (e.g. 55&#215;10) result in a faster potential bicycle speed due to increased wheel turns per pedal turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The investigation follows a complaint by SRAM, a manufacturer of cycling equipment. SRAM alleges that the standard is not objectively justified on safety grounds, was not adopted under sufficiently open and transparent conditions, and is likely to have immediate, discriminatory and disproportionate effects on SRAM. According to the company, this new standard distorts competition in the supply of high-performance transmission systems and in teams\u2019 participation in professional road cycling events. It therefore alleges two different theories of harm, relating respectively to competition at the manufacturer and competitor levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sram.com\/en\/company\/legal\/sram-challenges-uci-introduction-of-gearing-limitations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a>, SRAM said \u201cThe UCI\u2019s new Maximum Gearing Protocol is set to restrict the equipment many of you rely on to ride and race at your best. It limits choice, stifles innovation, and unfairly targets SRAM riders as well as&nbsp;SRAM itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SRAM added in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bicycleretailer.com\/announcements\/2025\/09\/19\/sram-challenges-ucis-introduction-gearing-limitations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">separate release<\/a>, \u201cThis restriction excludes drivetrains that exceed this threshold, primarily SRAM\u2019s RED AXS drivetrain in a 54&#215;10 configuration, a preferred choice for many of SRAM\u2019s professional teams.\u201d In addition, \u201cSRAM is the only major manufacturer whose current pro team setup will be blocked by the new UCI regulations \u2014 regulations that hinder innovation, limit rider choice, and unfairly disadvantage SRAM riders and SRAM.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UCI reacted by stating in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uci.org\/pressrelease\/the-uci-reacts-to-the-press-release-issued-by-the-belgian-competition\/3GO4kxhEmwP9vK0zv5yRj3?ref=escapecollective.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a> that the investigation relates to what is only a test to be carried out at the 2025 Tour of Guangxi. It will \u201cconsider any changes to the regulations\u201d only after that test and potential additional tests in 2026. Further, the rationale is purely based on \u201cincreasing rider safety,\u201d which is \u201ca fundamental prerogative of all sport governing bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The BCA is investigating under Belgian and EU competition law rules concerning both anticompetitive arrangements (in this case a \u201cdecision of an association of undertakings\u201d) and abuse of dominance. The case once again tests the application of competition law to sport regulatory bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The case is unusual because, instead of individual athletes or clubs relying on competition law, it is instigated by a manufacturer whose business is threatened by a change in the technical rules of a sport. It could show the way for other similar challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key issue is likely to be whether the rider safety justification is a valid and reasonable explanation for any restrictions, noting the strong commercial interests of SRAM and the riders and teams that use its equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional EU and UK competition law news coverage can be found on McGuireWoods\u2019&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/resources\/?wp_searchable_posts%5BrefinementList%5D%5Bresource_type%5D%5B0%5D=Insights&amp;wp_searchable_posts%5BrefinementList%5D%5Blinked_services%5D%5B0%5D=International%20Competition%20%26%20Trade\">Insights page<\/a>. McGuireWoods also publishes legal alerts on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/resources\/?wp_searchable_posts%5BrefinementList%5D%5Bresource_type%5D%5B0%5D=Insights&amp;wp_searchable_posts%5BrefinementList%5D%5Blinked_services%5D%5B0%5D=Antitrust%20%26%20Trade%20Regulation\">U.S. antitrust developments<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/insights.mcguirewoods.net\/6\/2977\/landing-pages\/subscribe.asp\">numerous other topics<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EC Investigates Provision of Aftermarket Services On 25 September 2025, the European Commission (EC) announced an investigation into SAP\u2019s activities in the provision of maintenance and support services for its&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"template":"","tags":[],"industry_tax":[],"insight_type":[2331],"international_tax":[],"location_tax":[69],"media_role":[],"people_tax":[672],"practice_tax":[141,170],"publication_type":[],"site_tax":[2],"class_list":["post-93379","insight","type-insight","status-publish","hentry","insight_type-alerts","practice_tax-antitrust-trade-regulation","practice_tax-international-competition-trade"],"acf":[],"links_out":[],"links_in":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>European Competition Law Newsletter \u2014 October 2025 - McGuireWoods<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/client-resources\/alerts\/2025\/10\/european-competition-law-newsletter-october-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta 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