Hartmut Seibel advises clients primarily in various areas of European law such as competition, digitalisation aspects, data protection, payment services and financial regulation but is also regularly involved in international transactions including mergers and acquisitions. His activities include proceedings before the German Federal Cartel Office (“Bundeskartellamt”).
He has had a central advisory role in a landmark competition law investigation against the European banking industry which has subsequently led to important legislative changes in the revised payment services directive (“PSD2”) in the context of access to payment accounts.
Furthermore, he continues to focus on the challenges that come with the current developments in the area of digitalisation at EU and at national level, in particular in the area of personal privacy and data protection, data security and cloud services. He also gets mandated to start proceedings in a human rights context.
Languages
- German
- English
- French
- Representing European (open) software service provider (Nextcloud GmbH) in formal complaint (based on European competition law) against global software provider Microsoft (abuse of dominant position under Article 102 TFEU) before European Commission (DG Comp)
- Representing European software service provider (Nextcloud GmbH) in complaint proceeding at German level, before German Cartel Office, against global software provider Microsoft related to question of abusive conduct of undertakings of paramount significance for competition across markets according to § 19a of the German Competition Act (GWB)
- Advice in the context of recent EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) to digital service providers
- Legal & strategic assistance to global technology & service provider active in the area of financial asset tracing (AML, KYC, GDPR aspects)
- Advice to Belgian service provider on contractual matters in the railway maintenance & certification area with French certification service provider
- Advice to individuals as regards the legality of a central health data platform from a privacy / data protection (GDPR) perspective
- Legal representation of victims in the context of human rights violations
- Comprehensive legal advice to European Payments Council (“EPC”) in various areas of European law, in particular in EU payments-related regulations, corporate governance etc. (2009 – 2019)
- Management of official European Commission investigation (competition law) against EPC and its members & member organisations
Education
- Georg-August University Göttingen
- Legal traineeship (‘referendar’) at the court of appeal (OLG) Duesseldorf
- Internship (“stage”) with the European Commission
Admissions
- Practice as a German lawyer as of 1989, member of the Brussels bar (2009 – 2017).