Expert: HowNet is suspected of abusing market dominance. Is HowNet suspected of monopolistic behavior? It is a good start for the General Administration of Market Supervision to investigate HowNet.

According to the provisions of the Anti-Monopoly Law, monopolistic behaviors include: (1) the operators reach a monopoly agreement; (two) the operator abuses the dominant position in the market; (3) Concentration of business operators that have or may have the effect of eliminating or restricting competition.

Determining whether there is a monopoly requires a very complicated analysis, which is not only a legal issue, but also an economic issue.

To analyze whether HowNet is monopolized, we can generally analyze it from the aspects of market definition, determination of dominant position and whether charging behavior has anti-competitive effect.

Market definition: whether other related services can replace HowNet, such as Wanfang, VIP, Wiki and even the substitution relationship between Baidu Library and HowNet.

Determination of dominant position: Market dominant position refers to a market position in which an operator can control the price, quantity or other trading conditions of goods in the relevant market, or can hinder or affect the ability of other operators to enter the relevant market.

The Anti-Monopoly Law stipulates that "an operator's market share in the relevant market reaches half" can be regarded as monopoly, but it should be pointed out that high market share is not necessarily monopoly, and it is also necessary to consider whether consumers have other choices once the respondents use market share to raise prices. If there is, and it can be eaten away quickly, it is not a monopoly, otherwise it is very likely to be suspected of monopoly.

For example, Haier is a manufacturer of refrigerators. Haier's refrigerator suddenly rises in price, so consumers can buy Midea, Hisense and Oaks. No matter how high Haier's share in the refrigerator market is, it is not a monopoly.

Whether the charging behavior has anti-competitive effect: This involves the determination of Article 17 of the Anti-Monopoly Law, and it is necessary to investigate the cost, income and net profit of HowNet, and then make strict economic calculation.

Anti-monopoly investigation is a rigorous and laborious work. Since it involves HowNet, it is also a matter of "knowledge circle". It is even more necessary to investigate clearly, so that the respondents can clearly understand that they can't refute and convince others.

I believe that the leadership of the State Administration of Market Supervision will not let us down.