The Committee on Digital Competition Law (CDCL) concluded stakeholder discussions last Saturday and is expected to meet this week to begin drafting the law, Business Standard reported on March 12. The Committee was set up by the Indian government in February this year to examine the need for a separate law on competition in digital markets and has conducted three stakeholder discussions so far. For more on the scope of the committee as well as its composition, read our story here. Why does this matter: The current competition regime, the Competition Act, 2002, is 21 years old and needs an overhaul to account for the dynamics of digital markets like e-commerce and social media. The CDCL is tasked with submitting a much-needed report on this matter including a draft Digital Competition Act by early May. Who attended the latest stakeholder discussion: According to Business Standard, the discussion was attended by the following entities: Tech companies: Amazon, Flipkart, Meta, Google, Uber Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) ADIF and DNPA have previously criticised the panel for being dominated by law firms who represent Google and have requested to be part of the panel, not just be called for stakeholder discussions. "In ADIF’s view, the government may consider expanding the committee, with more representation from Indian startup-focused policy think tanks as well as renowned Indian business stalwarts, so as to ensure the safeguard of Indian technology startups, to help them become self-reliant and self-sustainable", an ADIF spokesperson remarked…
