Facilitating Competition in the Cloud

In this paper, we analyse the potential application to the cloud computing services sector of EU competition rules governing anti-competitive agreements and abuses of a dominant position. We argue that defining the relevant market for cloud services is a key threshold issue, with complex product and geographic factors to be considered. Further, the interoperability of technologies and services, and the ease with which users may move from one provider to another, may also be critical. Finally, standards are increasingly seen as a key mechanism for promoting the European cloud market