Episode 12- Deni Mantzari - FRAND Pricing in Digital Ecosystems: Rethinking Fairness in App Stores

Anush and Kena are joined by Dr. Deni Mantzari, Associate Professor in Competition Law and Policy at UCL and co-Director of the Centre for Law, Economics and Society, for a compelling conversation about fair pricing in digital platform ecosystems. We explore her groundbreaking research on FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) pricing for app store access under the EU's Digital Markets Act. Deni challenges traditional pricing models and proposes a principles-based framework that recognizes how value is jointly created in digital ecosystems, arguing that platforms shouldn't be compensated for 'network-effect rents' that arise from ecosystem lock-in rather than genuine innovation. We discuss why the European Commission has focused on promoting contestability rather than tackling pricing fairness directly, how digital platforms differ fundamentally from traditional utilities like telecoms, and what institutional challenges arise in measuring reciprocal benefits between platforms and developers. Deni also shares insights from her recent Research Handbook on Data, Privacy and Competition Law, exploring the disciplinary tensions between economists, computer scientists, and legal scholars in digital market regulation. Essential listening for anyone interested in competition law, platform governance, and the future of digital regulation.