Portrait of Dr Avantika Chowdhury

Dr Avantika Chowdhury Partner

Avantika provides expert economic advice on competition matters and commercial disputes, including antitrust and damages litigation. She has advised clients in relation to mergers, horizontal and vertical agreements, and abuse of dominance, including in the context of private litigation and investigations by the European Commission and other competition authorities.

Avantika has acted as an expert in antitrust and damages litigation and in wider commercial disputes before the High Court in England, the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, and courts in Ireland and the Netherlands. She has broad sectoral experience, with specific expertise in the life sciences and technology sectors and in digital and intellectual property issues. She is listed in The International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers & Economists and is an active contributor to policy discussions through regular publications and speaking engagements.

Avantika speaks English.

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7776 6619

Avantika's specialisms include:

Selected
professional experience

  • Advising a large digital platform on ongoing competition and regulatory investigations and policy debates (2020–)

  • Advising an SEP owner in the context of an arbitration regarding potential abuse of dominance (2020–)

  • Advising a food delivery platform in the context of an investigation into its pricing structure to suppliers (2020–)

  • Advised a complainant to the European Commission in relation to abuse of dominance and foreclosure by a key supplier (2019–20)

  • Advised a generic pharmaceutical company being investigated by the UK competition authority (2019–20)

  • Advised Lonza during the European Commission investigation of GE/Danaher acquisition (2019) dispute relating to new regulations in Ireland (2019)

Selected
expert experience

  • Expert for a provider of financial services in its damages claim following a decision by the Lithuanian competition authority (2020–)

  • Expert for a pharmaceutical company in the context of an injunction application by the originator in Ireland (2020–)

  • Expert in an abuse of dominance litigation involving standard essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND analysis (2019–)

  • Expert for a concrete pipes supplier in its appeal against the infringement decision issued by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (2019–20)

  • Expert in a dispute regarding the selection criteria in a selective distribution system, before the High Court in the UK (2019–20)

  • Expert for Boots in a dispute relating to new regulations in Ireland (2019)

Selected
publications

  • Chowdhury, A. (2020), ‘Most Favoured Nation clauses: in need of an effects-based approach’, Concurrences book volume on the revision of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation, forthcoming.

  • 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. 449–453.

Qualifications

  • PhD Economics, Pennsylvania State University

  • MSc Quantitative Economics, Indian Statistical Institute

  • BSc (Hons) Economics, Calcutta University


Download Full CV

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
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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 practitioners, in-house lawyers faced with an inquiry, or senior managers wishing to understand potential competition law risk to gain the confidence to judge and rely on economic arguments and evidence put… Read More

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