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The increasingly prominent issue of unfair competition on Internet platforms (IPUC) severely restricts the healthy and sustainable development of the platform economy. Based on the IPUC "multi-agent co-governance" scenario, this paper introduces stochastic disturbances and continuous strategy set to improve the classical binary deterministic evolutionary game system. The results show that after considering stochastic disturbances, the positive state corresponding to the equilibrium point (1,1) is no longer stable, and the required parameter conditions are more stringent. The IPUC "multi-agent co-governance" system under stochastic disturbances exhibits specific vulnerability. In the continuous strategy set evolutionary game system, government departments and Internet platforms can flexibly make optimal decisions based on maximizing expected returns, and strategy selection has better elasticity. Regardless of the evolutionary game scenario, maintaining the participation level of NGOs and the public above a certain threshold while increasing the penalty intensity is conducive to the evolution of the game system toward the positive state. The analysis process and conclusions provide insights and guidance for the governments to design the IPUC regulatory system and frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unfair competition on internet platforms (UCIP) has become a critical issue restricting the platform economy's healthy development. This paper applies evolutionary game theory to study how to utilize multiple subjects' synergy to supervise UCIP effectively. First, the "multi-agent co-governance" mode of UCIP is constructed based on the traditional "unitary supervision" mode. Second, the government and internet platform evolutionary game models are built under two supervision modes. Finally, MATLAB is used to simulate and analyze the evolutionary stage and parameter sensitivity. In addition, we match the model's evolutionary stage with China's supervisory process. The results show that (1) the Chinese government's supervision of UCIP is in the transitional stage from "campaign-style" to "normalization." (2) Moderate government supervision intensity is essential to guide the game system to evolve toward the ideal state. If the supervision intensity is too high, it will inhibit the enthusiasm for supervision. If the supervision intensity is too low, it cannot form an effective deterrent to the internet platforms. (3) When the participation of industry associations and platform users is low, it can only slow down the evolutionary speed of the game system's convergence to the unfavorable state. Nevertheless, it cannot reverse the evolutionary result. (4) Maintaining the participation level of industry associations and platform users above a specific threshold value while increasing punishment intensity will promote the transition of government supervision from the "campaign-style" to the "normalization" stage. This paper provides ideas and references for the Chinese government to design a supervision mechanism for UCIP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the mechanisms for obtaining attorney fees in franchise disputes. It explains that, generally, each party is responsible for their own attorney fees unless a statute or contract states otherwise. The article explores different approaches to recovering attorney fees, including contractual provisions, state statutes, fee-shifting reciprocity statutes, and arbitration rules. It also offers practical advice for litigators and transactional attorneys when faced with these issues. Additionally, the article highlights specific state laws and arbitration rules that allow for the recovery of attorney fees in franchise disputes. [Extracted from the article]

The article examines the impact of AI scraping on the creative industries, highlighting its potential for enhancing creativity while posing legal, ethical, and economic challenges. It also discusses recent regulatory efforts by entities like the Writers Guild of America and the Federal Trade Commission to address concerns about AI's use in content creation, emphasizing implications for consumers, creators, and industry dynamics.

The right to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) are integral to and manifest in LGBTIQ rights including homosexuality and same-sex marriage. International law promotes these rights and prohibits discrimination on these grounds. Many western countries endorse these rights and prohibitions in parliamentary legislation or judicial fiat. In comparison with all other jurisdictions worldwide, and within the African sub-region, only South Africa specifically prohibits unfair direct or indirect discrimination based on "sexual orientation" in its national constitution. This paper explores African approach to SOGI and LGBTIQ rights including homosexuality and same-sex marriage. It argues that despite the threat of homocapitalism, prevalent Afrocentrism and religions reject these form of "new rights" for being immoral, ungodly, unnatural and un-African, thereby underlining the limits of human rights in the sub-region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the use of algorithms has become increasingly prominent in the digital market, such algorithms are often opaque and prone to risks of making biased decisions. Algorithms could also be used to harm competition, such as by facilitating cartels. Such developments make it necessary to examine the readiness of existing competition law to tackle cases involving algorithms. This paper focuses on analysing Indonesian competition law to address the following issues: (1) how current Indonesian competition law deals with algorithms-related cases; (2) which indicators could detect anti-competitive algorithms; and (3) which competition policy approach could be considered in Indonesia to tackle the problem resulted from the use of algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the European Union has been pursuing media policy for decades, its legal competence for the media sector remains limited. Since its inception in the 1980s, the EU had to base its media policy on its responsibility to enforce the internal market and the direct application of competition law, which has led to a one-sided economic perspective on the media. With references to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the enshrinement of European values in the EU Treaty, the rule of law mechanism, and driven by the European Parliament, the EU Commission has recently shown a new direction in its media-related activities, which acknowledge the important role of the media in democracy and increasingly place media freedom and media pluralism at the center of its media policy. The draft European Media Freedom Act presented by the Commission in autumn 2022 brings together the numerous activities aimed at protecting the freedom of the media and their independence, and at the same time seems to test the limits of the scope for its media policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Yak is found in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and represents a meat of high nutritional value and good flavor. However, the production of yak is limited, and yak meat adulteration is a growing concern in the marketplace. To protect consumer rights and prevent unfair competition, it is necessary to use an efficient assay to identify the species of yak meat rapidly and accurately being sold. Methods. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) combined with hydroxy naphthol blue (HNB) was used to identify potential adulterants. The specificity and sensitivity tests of yak-derived components were carried out to achieve the monitoring of yak-derived components. Results. The optimal color development was achieved with an external primer-to-internal primer ratio of 400 nmol/L : 1200 nmol/L, 1.5 mmol/L dNTP, and 0.32 U/μL Bst DNA polymerase with 5 mmol/L MgSO4 at 62°C amplification temperature. The detection sensitivity of LAMP-HNB for yak-derived DNA was up to 1 pg/μL. Conclusion. The LAMP-HNB assays provided a valuable tool for the identification of yak gene from adulterated meat. This further enabled the LAMP-HNB assay to be applicable in the identification of other meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition law enforcement is one of the cornerstones of sound business regulation; yet it faces a problem in the transnational context. Whereas transnational commerce seamlessly transcends borders, competition law has jurisdictional roots, lacking a true transnational response. Global frictions due to the enforcement of divergent domestic laws and policies seem inevitable yet are surprisingly rare. We argue this phenomenon cannot be fully explained by a doctrinal analysis of the global efforts towards policy or legal convergence. Instead, the focus should be on the competition law officials who operationalise the law in a transnational context. This ‘human element’ of the inquiry must embrace qualitative research methods, such as ethnographic studies commonly used in legal anthropology, to develop a comprehensive legal analysis in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why has US commercial policy become increasingly politicized in the twenty-first century? We argue that this politicization reflects an interaction between elite rhetoric on unfair trade practices and American meritocratic values. As the twenty-first century progressed, elites increasingly argued that economic malaise was a result of predatory practices by US trading partners. This "trade is unfair" rhetoric resonated most strongly with meritocratic Americans: individuals who believed in principles of market fairness but also worried about future economic prospects. To evaluate the argument that trade policy frames resonate differently among Americans, we draw on data from several survey experiments as well as a large, original panel data set with repeat observations of the same individuals. Individuals who are most tied to the myth of the classic American Dream are the most likely to respond to a frame blaming unfair trade for America's economic problems, and this contributes to rising antiglobalization sentiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission has increasingly applied article 3 of the Spanish Competition Law to investigate, initiate and even sanction allegedly anti-competitive practices by companies in Spain. Among the proceedings initiated, two of them are particularly interesting. While AUDAX Renovables is the most recent decision that sanctioned the investigated companies, Préstamos ICO Covid is the most recent decision that closed the proceedings because the court deemed that no infringement had been committed. Both cases are a clear example of the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission's recent stance on when and how this provision applies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the practical issues arising in private damages claims proceedings when the competition authority's decision on which the civil claim is based has been appealed and is thus not final. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how the subjective element of gun-jumping infringements has developed since the National Court's judgment in the Bergé case. We analyse the main aspects of the decisions of the National Markets and Competition Commission, the National Court and Supreme Court. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is dedicated to my esteemed colleague Richard S. Markovits. It deals with ownership of data and with alternative methods to regulate Internet platform providers. It rejects the view that the subjects of information should have ownership rights over their personal data, which extend beyond what is necessary for privacy protection. Also, data controllers should not have an exclusive ownership right but share anonymized data with competitors. Even though the wealth of data harvested and stored by Internet firms are only weakly protected by trade-secret law, this together with effective encryption technologies develops into an exploitative de facto property over information, if effective market opening rules do not exist. The paper shows that the rule of abuse of dominant position of traditional competition law could not sufficiently check unfair trade practices of platform providers. Its adjudication is information intensive and leads to overly lengthy and costly proceedings. The Digital Markets Act of the European Union drew a radical conclusion from these experiences and regulates the biggest Internet firms with simple per se rules, which are relatively easy to administer but less flexible. Still, the Digital Markets Act should be welcomed as an important step forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition for working positions at the workplace constitutes one of the real problems frequently encountered in business and management ethics. Despite its frequent occurrence at the workplace, as literature research shows, theoretical reflection on the issue within applied ethics is relatively rare. The present paper aims to provide a scholarly reflection on the unfair competition for positions, which is not in compliance with the ethical rules of competition. Furthermore, significance will also be placed on providing a definition of unethical job competition, identifying the features of this pattern of behavior, as well as describing the impact of this undesirable phenomenon. The present paper contributes to the underlying reflection on the issue from the point of view of applied ethics as applied in Economics. The main task of the study is to delineate the various features of unfair competition for higher work positions and the terminology related to this issue, possible ethical theoretical apologetics, and to describe the negative consequences of such conduct and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored links between competitive authoritarianism and populism in Serbia under Vučić via mixed methods. We conducted a quantitative content analysis of 228 political cartoons (2013--2017) by Dušan Petričić, a leading cartoonist and government critic, and qualitative visual and contextual analysis of four cartoons that reflected key themes--media freedom violations, unfair political competition, and populist and abusive rule. We found that populism appeared as the 'soft' face of competitive authoritarianism, tolerable to domestic audiences and acceptable to influential international actors because of its reliance on more informal and sophisticated and less repressive forms of authoritarian manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a decision by the Administrative Court of Austria (VwGH) regarding the use of designations on a doctor's office sign and a doctor's website. The doctor was fined and the probationary period was extended because the use of the term "hand surgery" can give the impression that the doctor has specialized training in this area, even though this is not the case. The decision of the VwGH was confirmed by the State Administrative Court of Tyrol. It is noted that a lawsuit under the Unfair Competition Act would have been an alternative option for competing doctors. [Extracted from the article]

The Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 established a rebuttable presumption of irreparable harm for trademark owners seeking injunctive relief in cases of infringement and unfair competition. However, courts have struggled with how to apply this presumption consistently. The level of success required to trigger the presumption is unclear, and it is uncertain whether the burden of proof or production shifts. The article explores the application and implications of the presumption, including the weight given to it by courts and the evidence defendants can use to rebut it. It also discusses factors that affect the analysis of irreparable harm in trademark infringement cases, such as default or counterfeiting by the defendant, and provides recommendations for trademark owners to improve their chances of securing injunctive relief. [Extracted from the article]

This article looks at several legislative and regulatory developments, primarily from April 2022 to March 2023, that may be of interest to energy lawyers, providing a high-level overview on topics including: (1) policy, legislation, and regulations aimed at continuing federal and provincial decarbonization efforts; (2) regulatory developments impacting power, hydrogen, and oil and gas pipelines; (3) consideration of cumulative impacts in duty to consult cases; (4) expansion of Indigenous-owned energy projects alongside progression in the implementation of UNDRIP across Canada; (5) jurisdictional disputes between the federal and provincial governments (for example, considerations regarding the Impact Assessment Act and Alberta Sovereignty Act); and (6) clarification of the application of the post-Vavilov standard of review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article summarizes recent judicial decisions of interest to energy lawyers. The authors review and comment on case law from the past year in several areas including: arbitration, bankruptcy and insolvency, class actions, competition law, contractual interpretation, cybersecurity, employment and labour, environment, Indigenous law, insurance law, securities litigation, and tax. The authors discuss the practical implications of the decisions and risk management strategies that may be of benefit to participants in the energy industry. The authors also highlight cases to watch in 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the recent attempts to address the Hubble and S 8 tensions is to consider that the Universe started out not as a de Sitter-like spacetime, but rather anti-de Sitter-like. That is, the Universe underwent an "AdS-to-dS" transition at some point. We study the possibility that there are two dark energy fluids, one of which gave rise to the anti-de Sitter-like early Universe. The interaction is modeled by the Lotka–Volterra equations commonly used in population biology. We consider "competition" models that are further classified as "unfair competition" and "fair competition". The former involves a quintessence in competition with a phantom, and the second involves two phantom fluids. Surprisingly, even in the latter scenario it is possible for the overall dark energy to cross the phantom divide. The latter model also allows a constant w "AdS-to-dS" transition, thus evading the theorem that such a dark energy must possess a singular equation of state. We also consider a "conversion" model in which a phantom fluid still manages to achieve "AdS-to-dS" transition even if it is being converted into a negative energy density quintessence. In these models, the energy density of the late time effective dark energy is related to the coefficient of the quadratic self-interaction term of the fluids, which is analogous to the resource capacity in population biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the antitrust enforcement debates surrounding vertical mergers, which involve combining firms or assets at different stages of the same supply chain. Topics include examining the role of agencies in U.S. merger enforcement, unique considerations for analyzing vertical mergers, tracing the history of vertical merger enforcement, critiquing current merger policy changes, analyzing potential process-based antitrust reform approaches.

New Zealand's retail grocery sector is dominated by a duopoly that impedes opportunities for new entry by lodging restrictive covenants on strategic sites and exclusive covenants in lease agreements. This enables the duopoly to limit competition and artificially raise grocery prices, harming consumers and society as a whole. In response, the Government has recently passed legislation prohibiting the duopoly's covenants. This article applauds action against anti-competitive grocery covenants. However, it argues that enforcement action, rather than legislation, would have been the more appropriate avenue for four reasons. First, under the new legislation, grocery retailers can apply for an exemption so that certain covenants remain in force, the outcome of which can be appealed. This means cases concerning grocery covenants will likely appear before the courts anyway. Secondly, enforcement action under existing legislation would have captured a key distinction that the new legislation overlooks. That is, while the duopoly's restrictive covenants are overwhelmingly anti-competitive and should all be unenforceable, in limited circumstances exclusive covenants are arguably net pro-competitive and should remain in force. Thirdly, and flowing from this, establishing via the courts that grocery covenants are in fact anti-competitive would have provided a more legitimate basis for prohibiting them. Finally, the Government's position that litigation is inefficient as each covenant must be individually analysed overlooks both the ANZCO Foods Waitara Ltd v AFFCO New Zealand Ltd collective covenants approach under s 28 and the s 30 cartel provisions in the existing Commerce Act 1986. To this end, this article argues that all of the duopoly's restrictive covenants and the great majority of their exclusive covenants breach existing competition laws, namely ss 28 and 30 of the Commerce Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses problems and concerns afflicting the World Trade Organization (WTO) and proposes solutions towards organizational reform and dispute settlements. Issues central to the institutional reform of the WTO are discussed including decision-making, governance structure, unfair trade practices, special and differential treatment, and appellate body. It outlines policy proposals to resolve the said issues.

While rarely recognized as such by labor scholars, these decisions were an important part of the deregulatory push of the neoliberal era, as they put increasing numbers of workers outside the protection of labor and employment laws and into the far more employer-friendly terrain of contract law and a new big business-friendly antitrust law. Keywords: antitrust; fissured workplace; labor; law; policy EN antitrust fissured workplace labor law policy 50 58 9 09/11/23 20230901 NES 230901 Graph: The little boy [common people] and the big boys [trusts] prepare for the baseball season. B I ... [A]ntitrust policy in recent decades has had a decidedly mixed record with respect to workers. i b Labor unions, worker centers, and other worker organizations have a chance to seize the opening created by antitrust enforcers' newfound interest in worker welfare to shape the direction of reform. Second, Taft-Hartley excluded independent contractors from the National Labor Relations Act, denying taxi drivers and similar workers access to collective bargaining, and made the misclassification of workers as independent contractors an attractive tactic for employers. [Extracted from the article]

Counterfactual analysis, which compares the competitive situation prevailing with and without the allegedly abusive behaviour, is nowadays regarded the lynchpin of an effects-based approach to the analysis of dominant firm conduct under Article 102 TFEU. This article draws on the recent Qualcomm ruling by the General Court of the European Union to critically reflect on the use and requirement of counterfactual analysis in abuse of dominance cases. It argues that Qualcomm offers two lessons on the role of the counterfactual analysis in modern competition law. First, it shows that counterfactual analysis is vulnerable to under-inclusiveness and type II errors when it ignores the problem of concurrent causes of foreclosure effects, disregards standard economic analysis of exclusivity rebates, and remains oblivious to dynamic competition. Second, Qualcomm sheds light on the intricate relationship between the counterfactual analysis and the requisite standard of harm for finding anticompetitive effects under Article 102 TFEU. In limiting the relevant counterfactual scenarios to a very narrow set of actual or nearby likely worlds, Qualcomm is but the last indication of a much more profound transformation of Article 102 TFEU: the transition from a capability to a balance of probabilities or beyond reasonable doubt standard of harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antitrust cases related to privacy are on the agenda of many competition authorities, including Europe and the United States. Antitrust and privacy is thus "one of the big topics of the year", as stated by the former President of the French competition authority. While some antitrust cases concern a reduction in privacy protection, others concern an increase in privacy protection. In other words, user privacy can decrease or increase due to alleged anticompetitive practices. An antitrust privacy dilemma? From a law and economics standpoint, the paper solves this dilemma and proposes a new way of resolving antitrust cases related to privacy. Section 2 analyses the dilemma. It proposes an analytical framework. Section 3 proposes a new way of resolving cases. It suggests a coordinated participative approach with competition and non-competition regulators and stakeholders to address competition and privacy concerns with tailored remedies to what is necessary without eliminating pro-privacy effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before the case of In re Elster, everyone in the United States had the right to place offensive phrases on t-shirts regarding former President Trump and sell them if they chose to do so. After the Federal Circuit's holding in Elster, no one in the nation may ever be able to put "TRUMP TOO SMALL" on clothing or else they might get sued for trademark infringement. Over the past few years, trademarks have become the subject of Supreme Court redlining: first through the elimination of the disparagement clause in § 1052(a) in Matal v. Tam and next through the immoral or scandalous clause of § 1052(a) in Iancu v. Brunetti. Denial of federal trademarks under the Lanham Act because of viewpoint has come under immense scrutiny and judicial review as a violation of the free speech clause of the First Amendment. However, this line of cases speaks to proper viewpoint discrimination jurisprudence, and the Federal Circuit's opinion in Elster--overturning the denial of the proposed word mark "TRUMP TOO SMALL" on t-shirts as a violation of § 1052(c)--misapplies the law and stretches the policy of Matal and Brunetti incorrectly against content-based restrictions. Under the Federal Circuit's logic, the proposed mark could not be denied by the USPTO because that would constitute impermissible content-based restrictions on speech that served no compelling governmental interest. Under the court's logic, the First Amendment concerns about criticizing the government outweighed the government's concerns in limiting the speech. However, the court missed a critical fact: no speech was ever silenced. The salient question in a trademark application is whether to confer federal monopoly rights to one person. In this case, the salient question is whether the entire country should have the right to put "TRUMP TOO SMALL" on t-shirts, or whether only one trademark holder should have that right. Before the Federal Circuit's holding, Trump himself could have put that phrase on a t-shirt and placed it into the stream of commerce, along with everyone else. Now, both Trump and the rest of the country might be barred from using that phrase on t-shirts--else they will create a likelihood of confusion--even though Trump owns the rights to his name, image, and likeness, and the point of the Federal Circuit's opinion was to encourage more speech, not silence the rest of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in differentiated policy implementation in the European Union is in vogue because of its strengths for deploying public policies and assessing policy outcomes. This article sets out a path dependency argument about the dynamics of differentiated customs policy implementation in the EU. We analyse two highly representative cases of customs fraud to develop a quantitative and qualitative approach to the impact of customisation on customs control performance: the first, linked to an exercise of unfair competition; the second, a case of customs common standards 'misinterpretation' related to path dependency. We conclude that differentiated policy implementation has proved inefficient for ensuring an equivalent level playing field of customs controls in the EU, resulting in three substantial negative outcomes: economic and budgetary; problem-solving capacity; and output legitimacy. Differentiated policy implementation can lead to a competitive disadvantage, especially when dealing with policies that do not permit any graduation in their fulfilment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the community movements of female fishermen, to obtain justice and fight discrimination for equal citizenship. Issuance of Indonesian Law concerning the protection of fishermen as a formal law to protect fishermen does not fully target female fishermen groups. One of the female fishermen movements in the coastal communities, which is joined by a community organization, was trying to request an adjustment of the occupation identity written in the National Identification Card (NIC) from housewife to fisherman to access the benefits of this law. Using four key dimensions of citizenship proposed by Stokke (2017), this paper seeks to fill a gap in the study of participatory and inclusive policy at the community level. We found that female fishermen experience unjust treatment in terms of recognition, welfare distribution, and political representation. They developed a shared identity based on their awareness of and encounters with unfair treatment, which is expressed in all four dimensions of citizenship, membership, legal status, rights, and participation. They learned a lot from this experience about how to identify each problem related to the four dimensions of citizenship, which serves as a strategy for developing and enhancing their sense of citizenship identity. Through a series of advocacy efforts and agreements, the recognition of female fishermen's citizenship is pursued to fulfill their requests. These female fishermen's initiatives to secure legal recognition of their identity employ transformative and affirmative strategies. This legal recognition will strengthen their access and other positive externalities, particularly on the welfare distribution programs and political representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumen: Aunque el trabajo penitenciario se percibe ante todo como una práctica de competencia desleal inadmisible en los sistemas de preferencias aduaneras, también puede concebirse de otra manera. En particular, cabe preguntarse qué condiciones ha de cumplir para ser un trabajo decente y un instrumento de reinserción. Tras un minucioso análisis jurídico, en el que se comparan las normas pertinentes de la OIT con la normativa aduanera de la UE y la OMC en el marco de la teoría de las capacidades, se aboga por elaborar un conjunto de normas del trabajo penitenciario que se inscriben en diversas ramas del derecho. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the protection of public health amidst data theft and ways to overcome constitutional barriers to health information regulation. Topics include components and vulnerabilities to the health infosystem, individual autonomy in health care and health information, role of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in policing unfair and deceptive trade practices, health care information reform limitations and regulation of user experience to protect against false information.

This article summarises the recent decisions published by the Spanish Competition Authority regarding abuse of dominant position in the pharmaceutical sector. Even though these are rare infringements, they result from the special responsibility of a dominant pharmaceutical company in a key moment for competition law: when its exclusive right over the patent or the orphan drug is coming to a close. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of specific protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) inhibitors is of special importance regarding the study of its cellular functions and may have therapeutic values in diseases coupled to signaling processes. In this study, we prove that a phosphorylated peptide of the inhibitory region of myosin phosphatase (MP) target subunit (MYPT1), R690QSRRS(pT696)QGVTL701 (P-Thr696-MYPT1690−701), interacts with and inhibits the PP1 catalytic subunit (PP1c, IC50 = 3.84 µM) and the MP holoenzyme (Flag-MYPT1-PP1c, IC50 = 3.84 µM). Saturation transfer difference NMR measurements established binding of hydrophobic and basic regions of P-Thr696-MYPT1690−701 to PP1c, suggesting interactions with the hydrophobic and acidic substrate binding grooves. P-Thr696-MYPT1690−701 was dephosphorylated by PP1c slowly (t1/2 = 81.6–87.9 min), which was further impeded (t1/2 = 103 min) in the presence of the phosphorylated 20 kDa myosin light chain (P-MLC20). In contrast, P-Thr696-MYPT1690−701 (10–500 µM) slowed down the dephosphorylation of P-MLC20 (t1/2 = 1.69 min) significantly (t1/2 = 2.49–10.06 min). These data are compatible with an unfair competition mechanism between the inhibitory phosphopeptide and the phosphosubstrate. Docking simulations of the PP1c-P-MYPT1690−701 complexes with phosphothreonine (PP1c-P-Thr696-MYPT1690−701) or phosphoserine (PP1c-P-Ser696-MYPT1690−701) suggested their distinct poses on the surface of PP1c. In addition, the arrangements and distances of the surrounding coordinating residues of PP1c around the phosphothreonine or phosphoserine at the active site were distinct, which may account for their different hydrolysis rate. It is presumed that P-Thr696-MYPT1690−701 binds tightly at the active center but the phosphoester hydrolysis is less preferable compared to P-Ser696-MYPT1690−701 or phosphoserine substrates. Moreover, the inhibitory phosphopeptide may serve as a template to synthesize cell permeable PP1-specific peptide inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to push for low-carbon transition, national governments and regulatory authorities are working to define market structures and legislative frameworks able to effectively support the spreading of electricity production from renewables. To this purpose, the opening of national Ancillary Services Markets (ASMs) to Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) plays a key role. However, pricing schemes and rules in place (e.g., incentives) can act as a barrier to the supply of regulation services by small-sized and renewable-based power plants. In this context, the present work evaluates the economic opportunities for DERs provided by the provision of tertiary reserve and balancing control in the Italian ASM. The research is carried out through the collection and processing of price data from the Italian electricity and gas markets over 4 years (2019–2022). Considering a reference architecture where DER units bid on the market through a Balancing Service Provider, the potential revenues on the ASM of a non-programmable or partially programmable DER unit are compared to the earnings expected of a conventional power plant in order to highlight whether unfair competition can represent a barrier. Then, possible evolutions in the current remuneration schemes are analyzed, to evaluate whether they can be able to support a better DER integration. From the analysis, it emerges that, even if negative prices could be useful to increase the competitiveness of RES-based power plants for downward regulation, the loss of the incentives can act as a deterrent to the offering of services on the market by DERs. Therefore, other regulatory options, such as the incentives retention in case of downward regulation, could also be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International trade is a cross-border buying and selling transaction, which involves two parties and crosses state boundaries. Dumping is a system of selling goods on foreign markets in large quantities at very low prices with the aim that domestic purchase prices are not lowered so that they can eventually dominate foreign markets and regain control of prices. From the above background, the problem in this research is the role of the WTO (World Trade Organization) to limit dumping practices. Answering these problems the researchers used a normative juridical approach. Normative juridical approach is an approach that is based on the main legal material by examining theories, concepts, legal principles and laws and regulations related to this research. The results of the study show that in GATT it is clear that the position of dumping is an act of unfair trade (unfair trade practice) because it violates the principles of MFN. This is why he considers dumping as Unfair Trade Practice in GATT. Then the anti-dumping regulation in Article VI of the GATT is intended as a policy to overcome dumping. The WTO in this position is as a forum for dispute resolution and provides a conciliation mechanism to resolve trade disputes that arise. So that the position of the WTO is as a facilitator in preventing dumping disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the commercial franchise contract and its significance in promoting trademarks worldwide, specifically in Jordanian, Egyptian, and Saudi legislation. The study highlights the contract's role in brand development and globalization. It concludes with recommendations, including the need for specialized legislation to regulate commercial franchise contracts due to their widespread use and impact on both parties involved. The study proposes legislative intervention to address issues that were not previously covered. The Jordanian Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Law of 2000 is identified as suitable for Arab societies, with a focus on technology transfer and control. The study also suggests promoting research through seminars, workshops, and training programs to address issues related to technology transfer contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dark Patterns are interface design elements that can influence users' behaviour in digital environments. They can cause harm, not only on an individual but also a collective level, by creating behavioral market failures, reducing trust in markets and promoting unfair competition and data dominance. We contend that these collective effects of Dark Patterns cannot be tackled by existent laws, and thus call for policy intervention. This article reviews how existing and proposed laws in Europe and the US, namely the EU Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act as well as the U.S. DETOUR and AICO Acts, address these collective dimensions of welfare and add to existing protection. We find that the novel legislative measures attain that goal to varying degrees. However, the collective welfare perspective may prove useful to both support a risk‐based approach to the enforcement and provide guidance as to which practices should be addressed as priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumer is the root of society because the whole community moves around them. So protecting the interest of Consumers must be the primary concern of the Nation. Everyone in a country, regardless of revenue, is a customer, sis a customer chase goods and services every day or at least once in their lives. Since the old period, customers are now considered more important in our economy. It is generally believed that a government's primary concerns are protecting its citizens' interests and overall happiness. To attain considerable economic equality and the concept of social justice in any marketplace, every consumer in a nation needs legal protection. Customers can defend their interests against unethical and unfair business practices, such as poor product quality, unsatisfactory facilities, and dishonest seller behaviour. This includes shielding customers from unethical and immoral business practices and resolving their complaints promptly. To offer customers a voice on matters only available to dealers and producers, the government of Great Britain formed the Consumer Council in 1955, which led to the founding of the first consumer groups in Denmark in 19471. When determining these ranks, several aspects must be taken into account, one of which is consumer happiness, which is contingent upon the presence of supporting legislation. One of the numerous consumer regulations in India is the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 (COPRA). Here, I will discuss various aspects of consumer interests, rights and remedies related to consumers, with special reference to'' The Consumer Protection Act of 2019. The present paper is based on secondary sources of data such as legal journals, books, Magazines, newspapers, web sources, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition Law protects free market economies, guaranteeing free competition. Among the various tools Competition Authorities around the world have, the administrative sanctioning process is one of them. In these processes interim measures can be issued. The purpose of an interim measure is to intervene in a specific market in which anticompetitive behaviors are being held, ensuring the effectiveness of an eventual sanctioning decision. The objective of this article is to define and describe interim measures in Competition Law, reviewing, in first place, the legal regulation in the European Union, Spain, France, and Mexico; secondly, a detailed and complete analysis of the development of interim measures in Colombia will be presented (1992-2022). To accomplish this second goal, a full revision of the legal regime in Colombia will be presented, followed by the analysis of the five cases in which the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce has issued interim measures in administrative competition sanctioning processes. Finally, some normative challenges will be presented, which must be revised and addressed by the Congress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article contains the results of research on the problems of optimization of state regulation in the retail trade in Ukraine. The trends in the development of retail trade in our country, the most important problems existing in this sector have been determined. The causes and consequences of the existence of unfair trading practices in the relationship between domestic retail chains and their suppliers have been clarified. The changes in the regulatory system in the EU associated with the adoption of Directive 2011/7 of 16 February 2011 on combating late payment in commercial transactions and Directive 2019/633 of 17April 2019 on unfair trading practices in n business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain have been researched. Based on the analysis of the EU experience and the situation in our country, the necessity has been substantiated and the ways of transition to selective regulation of retail trade in Ukraine have been determined. Selective regulation provides for the purposeful influence of the state on the points of growth or gaps in commodity-financial flows in systems of vertically adjacent commodity markets. It has been proposed to limit administrative interference in the work of retail outlets, as well as to gradually reduce the scope of price regulation. At the same time, it is expedient to introduce regulation in certain areas where it has not yet been carried out. In particular, it has been proposed to establish a deadline for settlements under commercial agreements and prohibit unfair trading practices by implementing the norms of EU Directives 2011/7 and 2019/633 into domestic legislation. The necessity has been substantiated and the ways of improving the system of control over the activities of markets have been proposed. Measures have been proposed to make the rates for market services transparent and to force market owners to use registrars of settlement transactions and pay taxes. In order to accelerate the development of retail trade, it has been proposed to actively use economic mechanisms: supporting clusters, stimulating the expansion of branded trade, as well as facilitating the creation of self-regulatory organizations of entrepreneurs in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the perspectives of undergraduate tourism and hospitality students on working with robots and the influence of the widespread use of robots on future careers. Accordingly, interviews were conducted with thirty students. The findings include two main categories: working with robots in the tourism and hospitality industry (advantages of working with robots, disadvantages of working with robots, and willingness to work with or implement robots) and future career impacts of the widespread use of robots (threatening human employment, reducing the motivation toward working in the industry, unfair competition between humans and robots, negative psychological impact/feeling of being less skilled than robots, and giving up/changing the industry). This research contributes to the literature by revealing the dimensions of working with robots and the future career impacts of the widespread use of robots. A model of future career impacts of the widespread use of robots was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]