Dr Christian Karbaum

Partner | Lawyer since 2010

Contact
Phone: +49 211 20052-160
Fax: +49 211 20052-100
Email: c.karbaum(at)glademichelwirtz.com

Assistant
Katrin Marx / Jennifer Natus

Service
V-Card Dr Christian Karbaum

Short Profile

Christian Karbaum is a partner at GLADE MICHEL WIRTZ in the COMPETITION practice. He advises German and international clients on issues relating to German and European competition law. His practice focuses on antitrust litigation, particularly in relation to asserting and defending antitrust damages claims and claims relating to market power and the DMA, antitrust investigations and administrative proceedings, and transaction support (particularly merger control and investment control).

Christian Karbaum studied law at the University of Osnabrück and at the Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne. His doctorate thesis regarding "Competition law compliance – Legal foundations and implementation", which was supervised by Prof Dr Fuchs, University of Osnabrück, was sponsored with a scholarship from the "Business and Law Working Group" in the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft. Christian Karbaum is a founding member and academic advisor of the CUR Centre for Corporate Law at the University of Osnabrück e.V., a member of the Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht e.V. and the C.L.F. Competition Litigation Forum e.V. He speaks German (mother tongue) and English and has a good knowledge of French.

Christian Karbaum spends as much time as possible with his wife and two sons, friends, sports (cycling, running, hiking), and literature.

 

Experience and Matters

Examples of Christian Karbaums's recent experience include:

  • Defence in antitrust fine proceedings concerning ‘car parts’, ‘routers’, ‘specialised mining work’, ‘railway technology’, ‘power transformers’, “flour” and ‘food retail’, among others
  • Representation in administrative proceedings: Deutsche Post AG and Deutsche Post InHaus Services in administrative proceedings before the German Federal Cartel Office concerning mail consolidation services; Deutsche Telekom AG (in the context of the acquisition of Unitymedia by Vodafone)
  • Assertion of cartel damages claims: Out-of-court and in court representation of claimants in the cartel damages or abuse cases "Technical building equipment", "Patent abuse re Copaxone", "Aluminium forging", "Steel forging", "Stainless steel", "Heavy plates", "Air cargo", "high-voltage cables")
  • Defence against cartel damages claims, e.g. in the cases "railway technology", "beer", "flour", "drugstore items", "sanitary items", "sausages", "food packaging" and "gas-insulated switchgear"
  • Assertion of claims under the DMA, e.g. for a German digital group against Google for DMA violations through civil lawsuits and complaint proceedings before the European Commission
  • Advice in the context of market power, e.g. on access or supply claims in the context of data pools or platforms,
  • Advice on the enforcement of standard-essential patents, e.g. for Samsung in an international dispute with the Chinese group Datang
  • Preparation and implementation of mergers (merger control and investment control): e.g. Scania AB in the formation of a joint venture with Sennder, Provinzial Rheinland in its merger with Provinzial Nordwest, United Internet AG in its takeover bid for Tele Columbus AG, in the acquisition of Strato AG and Drillisch AG, and in the creation of an affiliate marketing network (AWIN AG) with Axel Springer; Haniel in the acquisition of Emma Sleep ("Bettzeit"), Rovema and the continental European business of Rentokil Initial; AHG in the sale of its hospital business to Median; private equity funds such as EMH Partners, etc.
  • Compliance: Including advice on antitrust law issues, cooperation between competitors, collaboration in associations, the design of B2B and B2C marketplaces, and the development and review of compliance structures and internal investigations.

Publications

  • Karbaum/Schulz/Morath, Dark Patterns und Scare Screens – Das Umgehungsverbot nach Art. 13 Abs. 4 DMA im Public und Private Enforcement, NZKart 2025, 303ff.
  • Karbaum/Morath, Die EU-Kommission greift durch: Erste Geldbußen gegen Apple und Meta nach dem Digital Markets Act, Der Betrieb 2025, 1401f.
  • Karbaum/Schulz, EuGH zu Booking.com: Bestpreisklauseln sind keine kartellrechtlich zulässigen Nebenabreden – wann aber greift die Nebenabredendoktrin?, Der Betrieb 2024, 2619.
  • Wirtz/Karbaum/Schulz, Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides 2024, Germany: Competition Litigation, https://www.legal500.com/guides/chapter/germany-competition-litigation/, 2024.
  • Karbaum/Schulz, „Google Shopping“: Wann ist die Bevorzugung eigener Dienste durch einen Marktbeherrscher zum Nachteil von Konkurrenten missbräuchlich – und wann nicht?, Der Betrieb, 2024, 2483f.
  • Karbaum/Schulz, EuGH stellt klar: Informationsaustausch zu einzelnen Preisbestandteilen ist schwerwiegender Kartellrechtsverstoß – unabhängig von den Auswirkungen, Der Betrieb 2024, 2009
  • Karbaum/Schoone, Ein kleiner Schritt in die richtige Richtung – Verschlankungskur für die europäische Fusionskontrolle?, Der Betrieb 2023, 1522ff.
  • Karbaum/Möller, Zur tatsächlichen Vermutung beim preisbezogenen Informationsaustausch, NZKart 2023, 262ff.
  • Karbaum, Startschuss zur Neuorientierung, Markenartikel 7/2022
  • Karbaum, Agenda 2025: Deutschland und der Wettbewerb auf den Digitalmärkten – Vorreiterrolle oder Abseitsstellung?, D'KART
  • Karbaum/Schulz, Antitrust Litigation 2.0 - Die 10. GWB-Novelle als Katalysator des Private Enforcement?, NZKart 2022, 187
  • Karbaum/Schulz, Antitrust Litigation 2.0 - Private Enforcement beim DMA?, NZKart 2022, 107
  • Karbaum, in: Rübenstahl/Hahn/Voet van Vormizeele, Kartell Compliance, 2 Chapter, Vertikale Vereinbarungen
  • Karbaum, Massenklage à la USA hat es in Deutschland schwer, PLATOW RECHT, 21 August 2019, guest commentary
  • Karbaum/Schulz, Wirksamer Wettbewerbsschutz im Zeitalter digitaler Ökosysteme, NZKart 2019, 407 ff.
  • Karbaum, Kartellrechtliche Missbrauchsaufsicht: Bundeskartellamt bremst Facebook aus; Der Betrieb 2019, 1072
  • Karbaum/Schulz, Ecosystems – New challenges for competition law enforcement, European Commission, Public consulation re "shaping competition policy in the era of digitalisation", http://ec.europa.eu/competition/scp19/, 2018
  • Karbaum, EuGH zu Rekordbußgeld für Intel: Die Krux mit den Treuerabatten, Legal Tribune Online, 07.09.2017
  • Karbaum, EuG hebt Verbot der Übernahme von TNT durch UPS auf: Unentschädigt ausgebremst? Legal Tribune Online, 07.03.2017
  • Karbaum, Kartellrechts-Compliance – Mehr Fragen als Antworten nach einer Dekade intensiver Diskussion der Compliance-Verantwortung des Vorstands? AG, 23/2013, 863 ff.
  • Karbaum, Kartellrechtliche Compliance – Rechtsgrundlagen und Umsetzung, Dissertation, 2010

Blogposts