Who has access to Data, Platforms and Software?

If you want to repair a vehicle or a machine today you need access to data and software interfaces. For many smaller and medium-sized enterprises, "access" is becoming a key issue in the digital economy. A new study by Professor Rupprecht Podszun sheds light on the challenges and chances: He identifies the rules that currently determine access to data, platforms and software. It shows that there is a risk that, in the future, digital gatekeepers will decide which companies have access to customers at all. Rupprecht Podszun, a law professor at Heinrich Heine University and an expert on competition in the platform economy, presents the current framework and proposals to protect open markets and to
put consumers in the driving seat. This book is a valuable resource for everyone interested in the role of law for markets in the data economy. Researchers Philipp Offergeld and Clemens Pfeifer contributed, the study was supported by the Ludwig Fröhler Institute, Munich. The study is available in German as a printed book by Nomos publishers, but thanks to the Ludwig Fröhler Institute it is also available in the open access programm here: https://www.nomos-shop.de/nomos/titel/handwerk-in-der-digitalen-oekonomie-id-100079/.