With the development of E-commerce, the Turkish Competition Authority (keeping a step with the European Commission) has demonstrated a special interest in evaluating vertical aspects associated with online platforms/distribution channels. One of the most recent examples is the TCA’s investigation into the Most Favoured Nation/Customer clause (“MFN”) of a popular Turkish online platform Bookingdotcom Destek Hizmetleri Limited…
The suspension of Booking.com’s services in Turkey has been seen as an attack on individuals’ online freedom and digital entrepreneurship as a whole. Such claims seem to be inaccurate because undertakings, irrespective of their legal form, location and mode of operation (digital/ ‘traditional’), are equally subject to, among others, (i) competition law; (ii) the respective…
On 29 March 2017 Istanbul’s 5th Commercial court of First Instance ruled on temporary suspension of Booking.com’s activities in Turkey on the unfair competition grounds. The Turkish court ruled in favor of Turkish Travel Agencies Association (“TURSAB”), and instructed the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (“BTK”) to freeze Booking.com’s reservation processes/search facilities for hotels in Turkey.…