The paper examines how the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Data Act empower the European Commission to impose interoperability standards — covering, for instance, messaging apps and cloud services — as a tool for increasing competition in digital markets. A central contribution is the concept of adversarial standard setting: unlike traditional standardisation contexts, incumbent platforms have strong incentives to resist common standards while rivals stand to gain from them, creating a fundamentally conflictual setting that existing institutions were not designed to handle. Against this backdrop, the paper evaluates the European Commission's two main approaches — delegating standard setting to European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs) or developing standards in-house — and compares their feasibility and effectiveness in fostering competition and contestability in digital markets.

The paper is the product of a truly interdisciplinary collaboration made possible through funding by the Bavarian Research Institute of Digital Transformation(bidt) - ProjectResilient Regulation of Digital Markets(RESREG), bringing together expertise from law, economics, and information systems. The authors are Leonie Ott and Prof. Dr. Thomas Ackermann (both LMU Munich) and Dr. Marcin Roter and Prof. Dr. Jan Krämer (both University of Passau). This interdisciplinary approach reflects the inherently multifaceted nature of digital regulation, which sits at the intersection of legal frameworks, market dynamics, and technological design.

We are pleased to offer you an additional course in the 2026 summer semester: the English-language lecture “Data Mining and Data Warehousing”:

The lecturer is Professor Dr. Saji Mathew from IIT Madras. At the invitation of the Chair of Explainable AI-Based Business Information Systems, led by Prof. Gnewuch, he will be a guest lecturer in the Business Informatics program during the summer semester of 2026.

The course covers data mining techniques and the architecture of business intelligence systems in companies. Further information can be found on Stud.IP.

The course will be held as a block session from June 8 to 12, 2026:

June 8 (12:00–4:00 p.m.), June 9 (2:00–6:00 p.m.), June 10 (12:00–4:00 p.m.), June 11 (12:00–4:00 p.m.), and June 12 (8:00 AM–12:00 PM).

The final exam for the course will take place approximately 1 to 2 weeks after the end of the course, in consultation with the participants.

Credit (5 ECTS):

• B.Sc. WI
• B.Sc. BAE
• B.Sc. DTB

Link StudIP: https://studip.uni-passau.de/studip/dispatch.php/course/details/?cid=5a8663798d1cfa3ccc39296815f725fd

The publication contributes to the ongoing policy debate on the DMA review and offers guidance on how existing regulatory frameworks can remain effective in the face of rapidly evolving AI-driven markets. Specifically, the article, “How Future-Proof is the DMA? A Case Study of AI Agents,” examines whether the DMA—originally designed to tackle established competition issues in digital markets—can effectively address emerging technologies such as agentic AI. These AI systems, characterized by increasing autonomy and decision-making capabilities, have the potential both to challenge existing gatekeepers and to become gatekeepers themselves.

The study analyzes the core building blocks of AI agents, identifies key competition concerns (including risks of foreclosure), and evaluates whether such systems fall within the DMA’s scope as core platform services. It further assesses whether the regulation’s obligations remain meaningful in this new technological context. The central finding is that the DMA is surprisingly future-proof, while targeted clarifications and adjustments could further strengthen its effectiveness and legal certainty.

The paper is the result of an interdisciplinary and international collaboration between Professor Friso Bostoen (Tilburg University, Law) and Professor Jan Krämer (University of Passau, Information Systems), combining legal and economic perspectives on platform regulation.

we will offer a repetition exam this summer, 03.06.2026, 10 a.m., HK 14b SR 008.

You can register for the repetition exam between Friday 17.04.26 and Thursday 21.05.2026 via the provided registration formular on the Chairs homepage (not via the examiniations office).

You can still deregister until Thursday 21.05.2026 only via email: ibusiness@uni-passau.de.

We will also offer a repetition exercise class this summer term. It will take place in four 6-hour slots at the beginning of the semester. Please sign up to the corresponding Stud.IP page to get all relevant information. The repetition exercise class will be a repetition of all the content we did during the normal exercise class last semester - there will be no new content.

Please note that due to the exam review on Friday 17.04, the exercise class will start at 3pm.

If you have any further questions regarding the repetition exam or exercise class, please do not hesitate to reach out via mail to Sonja Herrmann.

Please be sure to bring your student ID to identify yourself. We cannot allow you to view your exam without proper identification. In case of emergencies, another person can view the exam on your behalf. In this case, please provide written confirmation and a copy of your ID (both in paper form).

You will be given paper and pencil for the inspection. Ballpoint and fountain pens are not allowed. The appointment will give you the opportunity to review the points you have received and take notes. If you have any objections to the corrections afterwards, please send a written request for corrections (with sufficient and concrete reasons) to our secretary's office (sekretariat.datainfo@uni-passau.de).

Important note: Questions of the exam, as well as correction notes, are protected by copyright! Copying or photocopying is prohibited.

As every semester, there are some changes and announcements for the summer semester, which we would like to inform you about in an information event:

Tuesday, 14 April 2026, 6 p.m.

HK 12 SR 001

You can also ask questions directly to the chairs of Information Systems here.

The event is aimed at ALL Master's students of Information Systems or with a focus on Information Systems, regardless of their semester. Please feel free to forward this message to your fellow students.

Please also register for the Information Systems email distribution list at https://lists.zim.uni-passau.de/mailman/listinfo/winfo. There you will be informed about the latest news in the Information Systems department. You can also find the latest information on the department's website at: https://www.winfo.uni-passau.de

We look forward to seeing many of you there and wish you all the best for the summer semester.

With kind regards,

The Information Systems Chairs

‘Digital networks, platforms and AI systems have become central infrastructures of our society. New European regulations such as the Digital Services Act and the AI Act place high demands on their implementation at national level. The Federal Network Agency plays a central role in this,’ explains Professor Jan Krämer. ‘I am delighted to be able to provide scientific advice to the Federal Network Agency and to contribute to ensuring that the regulation of these digital infrastructures is based on sound economic analyses.’

The WAR consists of scientists from various disciplines who examine the legal, economic and technical aspects of regulation and make their expertise available in publicly accessible statements. The working group provides scientifically sound analyses and recommendations that are important for the further development of the regulation of physical infrastructures in areas such as energy, telecommunications, postal services and transport – but increasingly also for digital infrastructures such as platforms and AI.

Expert in the regulation of digital markets

Professor Krämer, who holds the Chair of Internet and Telecommunications Business at the University of Passau, was appointed to the committee on 1 January 2026. Krämer's work focuses on the economic regulation of telecommunications markets, digital platforms and AI. In addition to the Federal Network Agency, he also regularly advises the European Commission and other European authorities. He is Academic Co-Director of the Centre of Regulation in Europe (CERRE), a Brussels-based think tank.

International conference on platform research

At the University of Passau, he is co-spokesperson for the German Research Foundation-funded Research Training Group 2720 ‘Digital Platform Ecosystems’. This is the world's largest research group examining issues relating to digital platforms from an economic perspective. Every two years, the group brings together researchers from around the world who are conducting research on the platform economy. This year's conference, which will take place on 15–16 June at the University of Passau, will take a critical look at digital platform ecosystems, their governance and their influence.

Further information:

· DPE Forum 2026: “Critical Perspectives on Digital Platform Ecosystems: Governance, Influence and Consequence” https://www.dpe.uni-passau.de/en/dpe-forum

· Prof. Dr. Krämer's chair page: https://www.ibusiness.uni-passau.de/

During this research stay, an intensive academic exchange took place on current issues relating to the regulation of digital markets. The focus was on a lecture on interoperability in digital markets, in which the European regulatory approach in the context of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) was presented in particular. The lecture explained how the European Union intends to promote contestability and innovation in digital ecosystems through interoperability obligations. Current research findings on the economic effects of interoperability requirements were also discussed.

The discussions with researchers and students were characterised by a high degree of depth and interdisciplinary diversity of perspectives. The discussions provided valuable impetus for further research on digital platform markets and competition policy regulation of digital infrastructures.