“The energy watchdog, Ofgem, has widened its investigation into alleged manipulation of gas and power markets and warned that doubts over price-setting could lead to higher household bills.”
The Guardian, 6th June 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The Serious Fraud Office said on Thursday it is considering a criminal inquiry into alleged price fixing at BP and other oil companies already being investigated by European competition authorities.”
The Guardian, 16th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“In his recent blog ‘Down the rabbit hole,’ Tom Richards described the ‘quasi judicial review within an appeal’ contained in s.193(7) Communications Act 2003 as something of a Wonderland.”
Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 11th March 2013
Source: www.competitionbulletin.com
“In a judgment handed down this afternoon, the Competition Appeal Tribunal largely upheld Tesco’s appeal against the OFT’s decision that it had participated in unlawful agreements relating to the price of cheese: see Tesco Stores Ltd v Office of Fair Trading [2012] CAT 31.”
Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 21st December 2012
Source: www.competitionbulletin.com
“On 16 August 2012 the Office of Fair Trading revealed that eight NHS trusts had been engaged in the exchange of commercially sensitive information. The information related to the price each would charge self-paying patients, or patients’ insurers, for treatment in a hospital operated by an NHS trust when that treatment was privately funded. The file was closed when the OFT received assurances that the information exchange had ceased and that the parties would provide their staff with training on competition law compliance.”
Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 8th October 2012
Source: www.competitionbulletin.com
“The Office of Fair Trading has more than halved a £121.5m fine levied against British Airways for colluding with Virgin Atlantic in a fuel surcharge scam. The consumer watchdog reduced the fine to £58.5m to reflect new guidelines for financial sanctions and BA’s co-operation with the inquiry. Virgin Atlantic escaped any penalty because it blew the whistle on the collusion over setting fuel surcharges between 2004 and 2006.”
The Guardian, 19th April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has held that confidentiality under litigation privilege applies to Competition Act investigations, in a key ruling in the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT’s) long-running investigation into dairy retail pricing.”
Legal Week, 26th March 2012
Source: www.legalweek.com
“Supermarkets that collaborated in attempting to drive the cost of dairy products up after exchanging price information have been fined by the UK’s competition regulator.”
OUT-LAW.com, 10th August 2011
Source: www.out-law.com
“The Court of Appeal has dismissed an attempt to bring a US-style class action against British Airways for participating in an airfreight price-fixing cartel, just nine days after the European Commission (EC) fined the airline more than €100m (£85m) for its role in the cartel and told claimants that they could seek damages in national courts.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 25th November 2010
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Emerald Supplies Ltd and another v British Airways plc [2010] EWCA Civ 1284; [2010] WLR (D) 294
“For a case to fall within CPR r 19.6, a claimant who had brought a representative action on behalf of the claimant and other representative claimants had to show at all stages of the proceedings that the interest of the claimant and all potential represented claimants was same.”
WLR Daily, 19th November 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“Senior doctors have written to David Cameron calling for action over a legal loophole that enables drug companies to set ‘exorbitant prices’ for drugs to treat rare diseases.”
Daily Telegraph, 17th November 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is investigating whether the sale of hotel room bookings on the internet breaches competition law, looking into whether an allegedly long-established pricing mechanism is anti-competitive.”
OUT-LAW.com, 20th September 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Regina v George and others [2010] EWCA Crim 1148; [2010] WLR (D) 147
“Where a statute imposed criminal liability on an individual who dishonestly agreed with one or more other people to do a prohibited act, the intention and purpose was to criminalise that individual, regardless of whether those other persons were also dishonest.”
Full story
WLR Daily, 14th June 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“The consumer watchdog’s reliance on whistleblowers as the bedrock of anti-cartel cases is under scrutiny following the embarrassing collapse of the British Airways price-fixing trial. Legal experts warned that offering immunity in exchange for full co-operation with an investigation threatened to undermine Office of Fair Trading prosecutions by giving whistleblowers influence over evidence gathering and fostering complacency among investigators.”
The Guardian, 12th May 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Serious and significant failings by the Office of Fair Trading led to the collapse of the trial of senior British Airways executives over allegations of price-fixing with Virgin Atlantic.”
The Guardian, 10th May 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The competition watchdog has said it is dropping some allegations of price fixing against Tesco as part of a dairy investigation that has seen rival firms handed fines of around £70 million.”
The Guardian, 30th April 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A former industry boss has lost a Supreme Court appeal in his battle to avoid extradition from the UK to the US over obstructing justice allegations.”
BBC News, 24th February 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Safeway has been given permission to continue a groundbreaking lawsuit against former employees and directors which seeks to recover competition law fines from the ex-employees and directors involved in the breaches.”
OUT-LAW.com, 22nd January 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Regina v IB [2009] EWCA Crim 2575; [2009] WLR (D) 357
“A ‘cartel offence’ under s 188 of the Enterprise Act 2002 was not a ‘national competition law’ within the meaning of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, so that a Crown Court had jurisdiction to try a prosecution for such an offence although it was not a competition authority designated under art 35 of that Regulation.”
WLR Daily, 10th December 2009
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“The Serious Fraud Office is investigating suspected criminal price fixing and fraud at Britain’s two largest sports retailers – JJB and Sports Direct.”
The Guardian, 10th September 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
