# Our Curious Amalgam Our Curious Amalgam explores topics in antitrust, competition, consumer protection, data protection, and privacy law around the world with leading experts in those areas. It is an amalgam because it is a group of diverse topics all in one place. It is curious because it gets the experts and asks them in-depth questions. Page: Feed: --- ## [#391 Have States Found the Answer to Subscription Traps? Click-to-Cancel and Beyond](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/391-states-subscription-click-to-cancel) _2026-08-17_ State legislatures across the country are taking aim at subscription traps and deceptive cancellation practices — but what does effective consumer protection actually look like at the state level? Erin Witte, Senior Counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General and former Director of Consumer Protection at the Consumer Federation of America, speaks with Anna Olson and Anora Wang about the growing… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA391_states-subscription-click-to-cancel.mp3?dest-id=1456700) ## [#390 Circuits, Cargos, and Cures: How Does Singapore Run Competition and Consumer Protection?](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/390-singapore-competition-consumer-protection) _2026-08-10_ Singapore's Competition and Consumer Commission — CCS — has been enforcing competition law for roughly two decades and more recently consumer protection laws as well. How does a small, open, trade-dependent city-state design and enforce a competition regime that punches above its weight — and what does that mean for global practitioners? Mr. Loke Shiu Meng, Assistant Chief Executive of the CCS… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA390_singapore-competition-consumer-protection.mp3?dest-id=1456700) ## [#389 What Should Directors Be Asking? Antitrust in the Boardroom](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/389-directors-antitrust-boardroom) _2026-08-03_ Competition law isn't just for antitrust lawyers anymore—it's increasingly a boardroom issue. What questions should directors be asking to ensure their companies are identifying and managing competition risk before it becomes a crisis? Julie Goshorn, whose career spans the DOJ, FTC, private practice at Arnold & Porter, and global in-house leadership at Visa, speaks with Jeny Maier and Anora Wang… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA389_directors-antitrust-boardroom.mp3?dest-id=1456700) ## [#388 Who's Minding the Money? The Role of Competition Authorities in Digital Finance](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/388-competition-authorities-digital-finance) _2026-07-27_ Digital financial services are transforming the way we bank, borrow, save, invest, and make payments. But are these innovations creating more competitive markets, or are they simply fostering new forms of market power? On this episode of Our Curious Amalgam, we speak with Beatriz Marques of the OECD Competition Division about the evolving competitive landscape in digital finance. We explore the… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA388_competition-authorities-digital-finance.mp3?dest-id=1456700) ## [#387 Can Potential Vertical Integration Harm Be (Silver) Screened Horizontally?](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/387-vertical-integration-harm-screened-horizontally) _2026-07-20_ Vertical merger review has long rested on the principle that competitive harm is most likely when a merged firm has both the ability and incentive to foreclose rivals, yet courts and enforcers often struggle to establish that harm empirically. But can potentially anticompetitive vertical integrations be screened in advance using observable market characteristics? Charles Hodgson, Assistant… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA387_vertical-integration-harm-screened-horizontally.mp3?dest-id=1456700) ## [#386 How Is AI Changing the Practice of Antitrust Law? A Discussion With Daniel Schwarz of CompetitionAI](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/386-ai-changing-antitrust) _2026-07-13_ AI is transforming all areas of legal practice. But what are the special issues in antitrust? Daniel Schwarz, CEO and Founder of CompetitionAI and a former antitrust attorney at Clifford Chance and the IMF, joins Matthew Hall and Alysha Pannu to discuss the use of AI in antitrust now and in the future and its impact on lawyers and competition authorities. Listen to this episode to learn more about… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA386_ai-changing-antitrust.mp3?dest-id=1456700) ## [#385 How Do We Level the AI Fluency Playing Field? The 21 Days of AI Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/385-21-days-ai-grit-growth-mindset-challenge) _2026-07-06_ Are you as AI fluent as you should be? The American Bar Association's "21 Days of AI: A Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge" is a free online resource that offers a path toward becoming adept in the use of AI to enhance legal practice and professional development. In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and James Hunsberger speak with legal innovation strategist and "21 Days of AI" co-author Gabrielle… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA385_21-days-ai-grit-growth-mindset-challenge.mp3?dest-id=1456700) ## [#384 What's Up? Enforcement Updates From the Middle East and Africa](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/384-updates-middle-east-africa) _2026-06-29_ What have been the latest competition law developments across the Middle East and Africa in the last year? Nicolas Bremer and John Oxenham join Matthew Hall and Jeny Maier to discuss new filing regimes, agency priorities and hot topics for competition law compliance in jurisdictions across the Middle East, COMESA, and South Africa. Listen to this episode to get up to speed on what to know about… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA384_updates-middle-east-africa.mp3?dest-id=1456700) ## [#383 What's the Role of Communications Strategy in M&A? How Public Affairs Impacts Antitrust](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/383-communications-strategy-ma-public-affairs) _2026-06-22_ Recently, the role of lobbying in M&A has become the talk of the antitrust bar in current administrations in the U.S. and in other jurisdictions. But what about the related discipline of public affairs? Nat Wood, Managing Director of Rational 360, a strategic communications, public affairs, and crisis management firm, joins Jeny Maier and Puja Patel to discuss what's involved in crafting a public… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA383_communications-strategy-ma-public-affairs.mp3?dest-id=1456700) ## [Reach prospects with real signals (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/idPhDAHxdOAg) _2026-06-22 · **Sponsored**_ Find prospects talking about your problem and get context-backed moments to engage ## [#382 What's Up? Enforcement Updates From Austria and Switzerland](https://ourcuriousamalgam.com/episode/382-austria-switzerland) _2026-06-15_ What is happening in competition enforcement in Austria and Switzerland? Lukas Cavada, Executive Director for International Affairs at Austria's Federal Competition Authority (BWB), joins Anora Wang to discuss the BWB's most significant accomplishments over the past year, key competition enforcement developments in Austria, and the evolving challenges facing competition authorities in an… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ourcuriousamalgam/OCA382_austria-switzerland.mp3?dest-id=1456700)