Oxford wins prizes at Herbert Smith Freehills Competition Law Moot 2021
We are proud to announce that a team representing Oxford won two prizes at the Herbert Smith Freehills Competition Law Moot, the world’s top competition law moot hosted by King’s College London whose 2021 edition took place virtually between the 18th and 19th June 2021. Participating for the first time, the Oxford Law Faculty was represented by John Yap (2nd year law, Mansfield College), Kacper Kryk (2nd year law, Corpus Christi College), and Matthew Frey (Law with Senior Status, Jesus College).
Modelled on the ongoing European Commission investigation triggered by Spotify’s complaint alleging a number of anti-competitive practices by Apple’s App Store, the expansive moot problem’s four referred questions concerned cutting-edge debates on the application of Article 102 TFEU market definition, dominance and abuse frameworks to smartphone ecosystems as well as national availability and design of private enforcement remedies under EU law principles.
The competition was judged by over 30 distinguished competition law practitioners and academics from the prestigious law firms, enforcement agencies and universities, including: Miguel Sampol Pucurull (judge at the General Court of the European Union), Professor William Kovacic (non-executive director at the CMA and former FTC chairman), Dorothy Livingston (competition, regulation and trade consultant at HSF), Professor Alison Jones (Vice Dean at KCL) and Simon Constantine (Legal Director at the CMA).
Of the 39 teams from 14 jurisdictions which submitted written pleadings, we are proud to announce that Oxford took home the Best Written Pleadings Award.
John and Kacper competed against the 12 best teams in the oral rounds, in which Kacper was commended with an Honourable Mention for the quality of his advocacy. The team was narrowly eliminated by the eventual Champions and Runner-Ups, Eötvös Loránd University and National University of Singapore.
The team and Law Faculty are very grateful to Thomas Reyntjens (DPhil Law, Brasenose College) for his invaluable guidance and support.
Oxford team: Matthew Frey, Kacper Kryk, John Yap