Institute of European Law at the Digital Antitrust Conference in Białystok
Ondrej Blažo, Dominika Krištofičová, Tomáš Žifčák, 9 October 2026, Białystok, 15th International PhD Students’ Conference on Competition Law – Digital Antitrust
On 9 October 2026, the Faculty of Law of the University of Białystok hosted the 15th International PhD Students’ Conference on Competition Law, devoted to Digital Antitrust. Professor Ondrej Blažo and PhD students Dominika Krištofičová and Tomáš Žifčák represented the Institute of European Law at the Faculty of Law, Comenius University Bratislava.
Dominika Krištofičová presented “Damages Claims in the PC Games Sector under Article 102 TFEU”. Her contribution examined claims for compensation for harm caused by abuses of dominance in the PC games sector, including the identification of injured parties and the quantification of damages. She paid particular attention to assessing and compensating harm in games provided free of charge, where price alone does not capture the value of the relationship between the player and the provider.
In “Ubi Mercatus, Ibi Forum? Private International Law Encounters the DMA”, Tomáš Žifčák analysed international jurisdiction and applicable law in the private enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). He highlighted the mismatch between the DMA’s territorial reach and existing jurisdiction rules. He also proposed extending the jurisdiction rules of the Brussels I bis Regulation to defendants domiciled outside the European Union to ensure effective access to judicial protection.
Both doctoral presentations addressed original research questions and put forward innovative proposals. They demonstrated the authors’ ability to develop independent legal arguments and critically assess established approaches. The Institute of European Law takes pride in the quality and originality of their contributions.
Professor Ondrej Blažo presented “Fines Sine Fine? Mapping the DMA’s Territorial Matrix”. His contribution examined the DMA’s territorial scope, particularly the relationship between the conditions triggering its application, the scope of protection afforded to affected persons and the private enforcement of its obligations. The analysis also explored the possibility of providing protection to persons outside the European Union.
Other presentations addressed the application of Article 102 TFEU to digitally coordinated systems, recent case law on the designation of core platform services under the DMA, the use of emotion data and competition law questions arising from the Google Android judgment. The programme also prompted discussion of digital regulation in China and the relationship between consumer welfare and individual welfare in competition law.
A particularly valuable feature of the conference was the combination of senior and junior sessions. Joint discussions enabled doctoral researchers to test their findings with experienced academics and receive scholarly feedback. They also gave senior participants an opportunity to engage with the research questions and approaches of an emerging generation of scholars.
Professor Anna Piszcz and Dr Paulina Korycińska-Rządca organised the conference together with the other members of the organising team from the University of Białystok.