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France Fines Doctolib €4.6 Million for Abuse of Dominance

Doctolib says it will appeal, disputing the competition authority's market definition.

Overview

  • The Autorité de la concurrence found Doctolib dominant since 2017 in online medical appointment booking and teleconsultation, citing an estimated 70% to 90% market share.
  • Regulators faulted exclusivity clauses for practitioners and the tying of access to Doctolib's teleconsultation to its broader software suite.
  • The 2018 purchase of rival Mondocteur was deemed to have removed a key competitor, which the authority presented as a first-time inclusion of an acquisition in an abuse-of-dominance ruling.
  • The case stems from a complaint filed roughly eight years ago by competitor Cegedim and followed multi-year investigations and on-site searches.
  • Doctolib argues it is not dominant, says the relevant markets cannot be separated from its integrated product, notes it equips about 30% of French caregivers, and indicates it will cover the sanction from recent profits.