Identification And Definition Of Related Commodity Markets In The Internet Industry

Internet products meet the diversified needs of consumers with diversified functions,and Internet companies use a platform management model to aggregate multiple Internet products on the same platform,thereby expanding their overall advantages in the market.The characteristics of Internet products and the platformbased business model have helped some Internet companies to gradually gain market dominance.However,the abuse of Internet dominance by Internet companies has also increased.These monopolistic behaviors have harmed the legitimate interests of other market entities and consumers.However,in the process of regulating these monopolistic behaviors,it is found that the boundaries between Internet products and markets are not clear enough to accurately define the relevant market scope,it is impossible to accurately assess its market power and damage analysis.In order to solve this problem,we can analyze the specificity of the Internet industry and improve the existing relevant market definition methods.The function of Internet commodity diversification has blurred the boundaries of commodities.The diversified business strategies adopted by Internet companies have also resulted in close links between different product markets.Complex commodity forms and market structures have hindered the definition of relevant commodity markets.In order to accurately define the relevant commodity market range in the Internet industry,it is necessary to identify the supply-demand relationship and market structure under specific conditions in combination with the characteristics of the Internet industry,thereby laying the foundation for alternative testing.This article consists of three parts: The first chapter starts from the existing cases,discusses the limitations of the current market definition results and considerations.Relevant market definition is the starting point of analysis to regulate Internet companies' abuse of market dominance,but Internet commodities do not have the physical form of traditional commodities,so traditional relevant market definition methods cannot be directly applied in the Internet industry.During the case analyzing,the court will still face the too narrow scope of the relevant commodity market defined by the Internet commodity function,the excessively broad scope of the relevant commodity market defined by the Internet platform,and the invalid explanation of the association between the market dominance of the operator and the abuse.In order to accurately define the scope of the relevant market,the court also needs to incorporate the user lock-in effect of Internet commodities,the innovation of the Internet industry,and the oligopolistic competition pattern of Internet companies into the relevant market definition process.The second chapter analyzes the basic path of the current relevant market definition,and proposes to complete the definition of the relevant market with the starting point of Internet commodity identification.It is assumed that the premise of the application of the monopolist test in traditional industries is that it can accurately determine the benchmark commodity market and measure the alternative changes in consumer demand by price changes,while the free services and diversified product forms that are common in the Internet industry make It has lost the basis of application.A completely new type of relevant market definition also has the disadvantages of instability and inconsistency.However,the inconsistency in the definition of relevant commodity markets in the Internet industry is largely due to the inability to accurately establish a benchmark commodity.The accurate definition of relevant commodity markets should start with commodity identification.The identification of relevant commodity markets in the Internet industry should be divided into two parts: market structure identification and commodity form identification.The market structure in the Internet industry has a typical bilateral nature.If the impact of related markets on market competition is completely abandoned,the scope of related commodity markets will be too narrow.The Internet products generally gathered in the platform requires the separation of the correlation between different commodities,so as to effectively explain the correlation between the market dominance of the operator and the abuse.The third chapter provides clear suggestions for improving alternative testing by clarifying the purpose and methods of the relevant market definitions and combining the characteristics of the Internet industry.The definition of the relevant commodity market helps to reflect the market competition structure,clarify the market competition relationship,and judge the dominant market position.The alternative test is not a simple judgment of commodity substitution,but it needs to be analyzed in conjunction with the characteristics of the commodity.To effectively apply demand substitution testing in the Internet industry,most consumer needs should be used as the starting point for analysis,and the correlation between Internet products and functions should be clarified,while considering consumer preferences under different conditions.The effective application of supply substitution testing in the Internet industry should analyze the supply characteristics of Internet commodities,and use the supply characteristics to complete the identification of the competitive relationship between market players.However,there are obvious differences in abuses among individual cases in the Internet industry.In order to better define the scope of relevant commodity markets,we should fully understand the industry background and market structure,flexibly use relevant market definition methods,and balance consumer rights and Internet innovation.