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Michaël Cousin

"Michaël Cousin is an excellent practitioner who stands out for his excellent interpersonal skills and, above all, good understanding of his clients' business." Legal 500

Partner, Competition
France

Expertise

Michaël is a partner in the EU/Competition department in Paris. He represents clients in antitrust litigations, merger control, foreign direct investment control, State aid and compliance matters. He is also specialised in distribution law and unfair trade practices.

Michaël has extensive experience in competition matters across the retail, energy and transport sectors. He has also advised clients in matters related to banking, industrial equipment and private equity.

Michaël lectures competition law at the University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas).

He is Vice-President of the French competition Law Society (AFEC).

He is a member of the board of the French competition Law Society.

Experience

Represented a major French retail group in connection with follow-on damages actions against suppliers involved in a cartel sanctioned by the European Commission.
Advised a leading industrial company in connection with an investigation by the French Competition Authority concerning practices applied within a trade association.
Represented a manufacturer of consumer goods in relation to several follow-on competition damage claims.
Assisted a major European financial institution in relation to the competition law aspects of its proposed acquisition, as a suitable purchaser, of a number of businesses divested further to a European Commission merger decision.
Acted for an expert in business revitalisation in relation to the merger filing of their acquisition of a retail network.
Acted for a leading energy group in relation to the merger filing of their acquisition of an oil retail distribution businesses.
Assisted one of the defendants in the "Home Products/Personal Care Products" cartel case before the French Competition Authority.
Assisted Colgate-Palmolive in relation to the merger filing of the acquisition of Filorga.

Education

University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas), DEA (postgraduate degree) in EU law - 1998
University of Lille II, Maîtrise in private law - 1997
Universities of Warwick (UK), Saarland (Germany) and Lille II (France), integrated legal studies – 1999-1997

Publications

La mise en œuvre privée du Digital Markets Act, Revue Lamy de la concurrence, n°146, février 2025.
Quelle place pour la définition du marché dans le raisonnement concurrentiel ? A propos de la communication révisée sur la définition du marché pertinent, Revue de Lamy de la concurrence, n°138, mai 2024.
Les nouvelles frontières de l’abus de position dominante, Revue Lamy de la concurrence, n°139, juin 2024.
“Le non-respect du DMA comme infraction au droit de la concurrence”, Option Finance, 2023.
“Les lanceurs d’alerte, ennemis ou alliés des demandeurs de clémence?”, Revue Lamy du Droit de la Concurrence, 2023.
“Conformité, concurrence et anticorruption: vers un mariage de raison”, Revue Internationale de la Compliance et de l’Ethique des Affaires, 2022.
“Covid 19 et télétravail: quand les enquêteurs ciblent le domicile privé”, Option Finance, 2022.
“Le DMA, complément ou succédané du droit de la concurrence?”, Mélanges Laurence Idot, éd. Concurrences, 2021.
“Contrôle des concentrations: le ciel se couvre pour les opérations non notifiables”, LJA, 2020.
"Vers une protection européenne contre les subventions étrangères", LJA, 2020.
ICLG guide on Consumer Protection, French chapter, 2020.
"La régulation des plateformes digitales et les limites du droit de la concurrence" Revue Lamy du Droit de la Concurrence n°89, 2019.
"Concurrence dans l'économie digitale: à qui doit profiter le doute sur la nocivité d'un comportement ou d'une concentration?", Revue Lamy du Droit de la Concurrence, 2019.
"Four questions on competition in the digital advertising sector", Competition Law Insight, 2018.
"Vers un droit européen des relations commerciales en matière digitale?", Revue Lamy de la Concurrence, 2018.
"Droit des concentrations: faut-il réformer pour mieux contrôler? Contrats Concurrence Consommation, 2018.
"L’algorithme au service de la politique tarifaire : Nouvelles pratiques, nouveaux risques?", Concurrences 04-2017, 2017.
"Réparation ou punition? A propos de l'ordonnance sur les actions en dommages et intérêts du fait des pratiques anticoncurrentielles", Revue Lamy de la Concurrence, 2017.
"Contrôle des concentrations: la valeur de la transaction comme nouveau seuil de notification en Europe?", Revue Lamy de la Concurrence, 2016.
Économie de la donnée et droit de la concurrence", Concurrences, 1-2016, 2016.

Professional Memberships