Abuse Of Dominance In The Platform Economy: A Sectoral Study Of Antitrust Regulation In India
- IJLLR Journal
- Jul 13
- 1 min read
Isha Singh, Symbiosis Law School, Pune
ABSTRACT
The platform economy has significantly disrupted traditional market structures in India, with firms like Amazon, Flipkart, Google, Uber, and Jio acting as both facilitators and competitors. This paper investigates how these digital platforms exploit their dominant positions through self-preferencing, predatory pricing, and data monopolization. Using a doctrinal and case study-based methodology, the research critically assesses the effectiveness of India’s current antitrust framework, particularly under Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002. It draws on major sectoral cases and comparative jurisprudence from the EU and US to highlight regulatory blind spots and propose reforms such as ex-ante regulation, algorithmic accountability, and inter-agency coordination. The study emphasizes the need for proactive and technically equipped enforcement to safeguard competition in India’s digital markets.
Keywords: Digital markets, antitrust law, abuse of dominance, Competition Commission of India (CCI), platform economy, algorithmic bias, data monopoly, ex-ante regulation, e-commerce competition, comparative antitrust law
