Games of Competition

If you are a highly successful business person, there is no doubt that you know the competition better than your competitors and play the game better than them. Regarding the law, it seems natural and reasonable for most of us to leave the matter to our lawyers, right?

However, considering the twenty years of experience in this book, thinking this way can be very costly. If you are operating in a market, your path will inevitably intersect with competition law at some point. If you have underestimated it, when the officials come knocking on your door, you will see that your lawyers cannot change the mistakes you made in the past but can try to minimize the fines or damages you will get at most. Then, you will need to face the legislation that you have been avoiding so far and realize how essential it is for a business person to have at least a minimal understanding of competition law.

The author of the book, Barış Ekdi, served in various positions, such as Chief Competition Expert, Director of Training and Head of the Enforcement Department at the Turkish Competition Authority for 16 years since its inception, and has been practising competition law in the "other side of the table" since 2013. Having written two theses, two book chapters, and various articles on competition law throughout his professional career and also being awarded the Orhan Kemal Short Story Prize with his short stories, Barış Ekdi is now undertaking a very ambitious task of delivering the Competition Authority decisions in a storytelling format, to teach the foundations of competition law entertainingly. So you will know if and when you should consult a competition lawyer before taking action to prevent potential mistakes and fines, and even to help you stay one step ahead of your competitors and take necessary measures against anti-competitive actions of other players in the market.

Therefore, starting from America and visiting the Bulb Blasting Cartel in Switzerland, the Gazz Brothers at Tilmen Hotel, the Lace-Weaving Grannies Cartel in Şirince, and the rebellious teacher in Kulu, you will have the opportunity to take a look at various markets ranging from poultry to traffic signalling, from coal to media, from cement to cinema, from LPG to dialysis services. As a business person, you will see strategic mistakes made, and as a consumer, you will see how company decisions affect you. Similarly, when you see lawyers who unknowingly confess the violations of their clients by pulling expressions from economics textbooks, companies, chambers, bureaucrats, and politicians who unwittingly encourage violations of the law while trying to defend themselves, you will better understand why business people need to be careful and knowledgeable about competition law.