Doctolib Fined €4.6 Million for Abuse of Dominant Market Position in France

The French competition authority has imposed a €4.6 million fine on Doctolib, the leading online medical appointment scheduling and teleconsultation platform, for abusing its dominant position in the market. This penalty represents nearly 10% of Doctolib's revenue in France and follows a complaint filed by competitor Cegedim eight years ago.

The Autorité de la concurrence found that Doctolib holds between 70% and 90% market share in online appointment scheduling and teleconsultation, significantly outpacing rivals like Solocal and Mondocteur. While holding a dominant position is legal, the authority concluded that Doctolib engaged in anti-competitive practices by enforcing exclusivity clauses on medical practitioners, preventing them from using competing software. Doctolib maintains that these clauses were removed two years ago.

Moreover, the authority criticized Doctolib for leveraging teleconsultation services to strengthen its market dominance, effectively requiring practitioners who wished to offer teleconsultations to use its platform. Doctolib contested this, arguing the teleconsultation market is not separate and constitutes only a small portion of user queries. The investigation also highlighted Doctolib's acquisition of Mondocteur in 2018, which was viewed as eliminating important competition and enabling Doctolib to increase prices.

This ruling marks a significant precedent in France’s competition law enforcement, particularly regarding mergers and acquisitions in the tech health sector. Doctolib plans to appeal the decision, signaling ongoing legal proceedings. The case raises broader concerns about market regulation and the impact on France’s start-up ecosystem.