University of Tehran Public Law Studies Quarterly 2423-8120 55 4 2025 12 22 New Antitrust Approaches to Online Platforms New Antitrust Approaches to Online Platforms 2805 2835 100063 10.22059/jplsq.2024.370291.3540 FA Ali Bahadori Phd Candidate Mohammad Sadegh Farahani Post-doctoral Researcher, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, Tarbiat Modares University, ‎Tehran, Iran‎ Mohammad Mahdi Jafarian Director of Development and Competitiveness Studies Center, Tehran, Iran‎ Reza Ghasemipour Pre-doctoral Research Assistant, London School of Economics, London, England‎ Journal Article 2024 05 26 The capacities of the digital economy and platform ecosystems, in relation to the adoption of new business models and practices by businesses, have posed serious challenges to competition law and its traditional regulations. These regulations today are unable to confront novel anti-competitive behaviors that are incompatible with previously recognized practices, and this has led different countries, while drafting separate normative documents, to identify these behaviors and establish rules to address them. The present study, using library research and a descriptive-analytical approach with a comparative perspective, has concluded that the root causes of such anti-competitive behaviors on digital platforms can be traced to three key factors: First, the infrastructural nature and self-regulatory capability of platforms, which has caused two anti-competitive behaviors: denial of platform access and restriction of interoperability with other platforms. Second, platform access to data and related technologies, which has enabled guidance and interference in users’ autonomy and unintended or autonomous coordination. Finally, the leverage capability of platforms, which has led to novel anti-competitive behaviors such as self-preferencing and using data in other markets. The capacities of the digital economy and platform ecosystems, in relation to the adoption of new business models and practices by businesses, have posed serious challenges to competition law and its traditional regulations. These regulations today are unable to confront novel anti-competitive behaviors that are incompatible with previously recognized practices, and this has led different countries, while drafting separate normative documents, to identify these behaviors and establish rules to address them. The present study, using library research and a descriptive-analytical approach with a comparative perspective, has concluded that the root causes of such anti-competitive behaviors on digital platforms can be traced to three key factors: First, the infrastructural nature and self-regulatory capability of platforms, which has caused two anti-competitive behaviors: denial of platform access and restriction of interoperability with other platforms. Second, platform access to data and related technologies, which has enabled guidance and interference in users’ autonomy and unintended or autonomous coordination. Finally, the leverage capability of platforms, which has led to novel anti-competitive behaviors such as self-preferencing and using data in other markets. https://jplsq.ut.ac.ir/article_100063_0dc80d348133d107bfcc5e6dbe3817a7.pdf