Portrait of Dr Avantika Chowdhury

Dr Avantika Chowdhury Partner

Avantika is a Partner at Oxera and Co-Head of its Antitrust practice. She provides expert economic advice on antitrust matters and commercial disputes in front of competition authorities, courts and tribunals across Europe and beyond. She has 17 years of experience in advising on horizontal and vertical agreements and abuse of dominance issues such as information exchange, exclusivity clauses, selective distribution systems, MFNs, RPM, excessive pricing/unfairness, refusal to supply/access, predation and rebates.

Avantika acts as testifying expert in antitrust litigation as well as in damages actions. She has acted as expert in front of the High Court in England & Wales and the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), as well as in front of courts in Ireland and the Netherlands. She has broad sectoral experience, having advised clients in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and other life sciences, technology, transport, telecoms and retail sectors, among others. She has particular expertise in antitrust and regulatory issues relating to digital platforms and those relating to intellectual property and the life science sector. Her clients include companies such as Amazon, Booking.com, DAF, Ericsson, Merck, Microsoft, Pfizer, Skyscanner, Teva and Tesla. She has also acted as expert in IP-related disputes.

Avantika has a PhD in Economics, and has been recognised in The International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers & Economists and in Who’s Who Thought Leaders. She has also been actively involved in economics training for EU judges for many years.

Avantika speaks English.

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7776 6619

Avantika's specialisms include:

Selected
professional experience

  • Advising Microsoft in the context of an abuse of dominance claim by Value Licensing at the CAT (2023–)

  • Advising a large platform in an antitrust investigation into exclusivity clauses with its partners (2023–)

  • Advised Novozymes in its acquisition of Chr. Hansen, which was cleared unconditionally by the European

  • Commission and in other jurisdictions (2022–23)

  • Advised Pan Optis in its dispute with Apple in relation to the licensing of 4G SEPs (2020–22)

  • Advised a food delivery platform during an investigation into its pricing structure to suppliers (2020–)

Selected
expert experience

  • Expert for Teva in the context of an injunction application by Bayer for the supply of rivaroxaban (2024)

  • Expert for PRS for Music in a class action from songwriters lodged at the CAT (2024–)

  • Overcharge expert for DAF in the Wave 2 proceedings against trucks manufacturers at the CAT (2023–)

  • Expert for Which? in its abuse of dominance claim against Qualcomm in the UK relating to the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs) (2020–)

  • Valuation expert for the University of Portsmouth in a claim for damages by Innovate Pharma arising from alleged lost opportunity damages, culminating in dismissal of the claim by the High Court (2023)

  • Expert for Merck in the context of a damages claim by the NHS following from the European Commission’s

Selected
publications

  • Chowdhury A. and Klein, T. (2022), ‘Intel and the AEC test: ‘Do. Or do not. There is no try.’, A commentary of the Intel judgement of January 2022, Agenda.

  • Chowdhury, A. (2020), ‘Most Favoured Nation clauses: in need of an effects-based approach’, included in Concurrences book volume on the revision of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation, and in A. Claici and D. Waelbroeck (eds), Vertical Restraints in the Digital Economy, Wolters Kluwer.

  • Chowdhury, A. and Gupta, S. (2019), ‘Valuation of FRAND: recent developments and looking forward’, ICLG Patents 2020.

  • Chowdhury, A. and Jenkins, H. (2018), ‘Inference or Evidence? The Uncertain Fate of Patent Settlement Agreements’, Journal of European Competition Law & Practice, 9:7, pp. 449–53.

  • Chowdhury, A. (2017), ‘The Notion of Restriction of Competition: Economic Prospects’ in M. Merola, D.

  • Geradin and B. Meyring (eds), The Notion of Restriction of Competition, Revisiting the Foundations of Antitrust Enforcement in Europe, Bruylant.

Qualifications

  • PhD Economics, Pennsylvania State University

  • MSc Quantitative Economics, Indian Statistical Institute

  • BSc (Hons) Economics, Calcutta University

Latest Insights:  Dr Avantika Chowdhury

Agenda
8 minute read
Depiction of Intel and the AEC test: ‘Do. Or do not. There is no try.’

Intel and the AEC test: ‘Do. Or do not. There is no try.’

After more than two decades, the Intel saga may have finally ended with the General Court’s judgment of 26 January 2022. The judgment—which had at its core the use of…
Agenda
12 minute read
Depiction of Platforms at the gate? Initial reactions to the Commission’s digital consultations

Platforms at the gate? Initial reactions to the Commission’s digital consultations

On 2 June 2020, the European Commission launched a consultation on proposals for a new competition tool (NCT) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) package. If enacted, they would represent…
Agenda
9 minute read
Depiction of New kid (needed) on the block? Vertical Block Exemption Regulation in the digital age

New kid (needed) on the block? Vertical Block Exemption Regulation in the digital age

The recent rise of ecommerce has triggered debate around vertical agreements between suppliers and distributors/retailers. Against this backdrop, is the European Commission’s current Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) still fit…
Agenda
8 minute read
Depiction of Discrimination or differentiation? Price discrimination as an abuse of dominance

Discrimination or differentiation? Price discrimination as an abuse of dominance

When does price discrimination by a dominant firm amount to an abuse? Is the mere existence of a price difference sufficient? A recent ruling by the Court of Justice of…
Courses

Using economics in competition cases

How can economics tools support me in competition cases? For more than 20 years, our training course has helped participants gain the confidence to judge and rely on economic arguments and evidence put forward in a case. Previous attendees have included practitioners, in-house lawyers faced with an inquiry, and senior… Read More

Image depicting Using economics in competition cases

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