Companies can challenge regulator’s calculation of fines for anti-competitive behaviour under new procedure – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 18th, 2012 in appeals, competition, fines, news, penalties by sally

“Organisations that face being fined for breaching UK competition law will be able to challenge the level of penalty being proposed or the way the fine has been calculated under a new procedure outlined by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 18th October 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Lord McNally’s speech for Legal Aid Practitioners Group Conference – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 15th, 2012 in bills, budgets, competition, dispute resolution, legal aid, speeches by tracey

“Lord McNally’s speech for Legal Aid Practitioners Group Conference.”

Full speech

Ministry of Justice, 12th October 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Competition law and the National Health Service – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted October 9th, 2012 in competition, health, news, price fixing by sally

“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.”

Full story

Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 8th October 2012

Source: www.competitionbulletin.com

OFT welcomes DBIS proposals for reforms in private enforcement of competition law – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted October 1st, 2012 in competition, enforcement, jurisdiction, news by sally

“Many readers will now be familiar with the proposals for the reform of private competition claims launched by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (‘DBIS’) in April 2012 (‘Private actions in competition law: A consultation on options for reform’). Published at the end of July 2012 when most people had better things to do, the OFT’s Response has generated less attention. It nonetheless provides a general endorsement of the DBIS proposals.”

Full story

Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chamber, 28th September 2012

Source: www.competitionbulletin.com

Car insurance industry to face Competition Commission investigation – The Guardian

Posted September 28th, 2012 in competition, insurance, news by tracey

“Britain’s private motor insurance market has been referred to the Competition Commission to investigate whether drivers are being hit with artificially high car hire and repair charges.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th September 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

OFT able to levy fines up to 30% of firms ‘relevant turnover’ for anti-competitive behaviour – OUT-Law.com

Posted September 12th, 2012 in company law, competition, EC law, fines, news by tracey

“Businesses now face fines worth up to 30% of their annual turnover in a particular market if they engage in anti-competitive behaviour, following an update to the UK competition regulator’s penalties regime.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 12th September 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

OFT launches review into price of petrol – The Independent

Posted September 5th, 2012 in competition, consumer protection, news, transport by sally

“The Office of Fair Trading today launched a review into whether reductions in the price of crude oil are being passed on to motorists.”

Full story

The Independent, 5th September 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK search engine details ‘remedies’ it would like Google to adopt to address anti-competitive search practices – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 5th, 2012 in competition, complaints, EC law, internet, news by sally

“Google’s spam website rules unfairly impinge on the company’s rivals in the vertical search market, a UK search engine has claimed.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 5th September 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

O2 to challenge Ofcom’s 4G auction decision – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 31st, 2012 in competition, internet, news, telecommunications by tracey

“Mobile phone operator O2 will appeal against Ofcom’s decision to allow a rival firm to launch superfast broadband services later this year using its existing network capabilities, according to media reports.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 30th August 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

High Court dismisses Camelot action seeking removal of rival Health Lottery’s licence – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 28th, 2012 in competition, gambling, health, licensing, news by tracey

“The High Court has dismissed a court challenge by Camelot, operator of the National Lottery, which was seeking to have the gambling licence for its rival the Health Lottery revoked.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 24th August 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Facebook’s planned takeover of Instagram gets go-ahead from UK regulator – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 15th, 2012 in competition, internet, news, photography by sally

“The UK’s primary regulator of competition issues has approved Facebook’s proposal to buy photo-sharing company Instagram.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 15th August 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

BSkyB wins appeal against Ofcom over Sky Sports wholesale prices – The Guardian

Posted August 9th, 2012 in appeals, competition, media, news, tribunals by sally

“BSkyB has won its appeal against Ofcom’s decision to force the company to cut the amount it charges rivals to show its flagship Sky Sports channels.”

Full story

The Guardian, 8th August 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Deutsche Bahn AG and others v Morgan Crucible and others – WLR Daily

Posted August 3rd, 2012 in appeals, competition, EC law, law reports, limitations, statutory interpretation by tracey

Deutsche Bahn AG and others v Morgan Crucible and others: [2012] EWCA Civ 1055;  [2012] WLR (D)  244

“Where an addressee of a decision of the European Commission that there had been an infringement of competition law appealed to the General Court of the European Union against that decision, the two-year limitation period for the bringing of ‘follow-on’ proceedings in the Competition Appeal Tribunal would not begin to run against any other addressees of the decision until the appeal had been determined.”

WLR Daily, 31st July 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

BSkyB has too much power over rivals, Competition Commission rules – The Guardian

Posted August 3rd, 2012 in competition, media, news by tracey

“The competition regulator has said that BSkyB has too much power over pay-TV rivals, raising the possibility that the satellite company could face another investigation.”

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd August 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Agreements on room discounts may have been anti-competitive, says OFT – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 1st, 2012 in competition, EC law, hotels, news by sally

“The biggest hotel chain in the world and two online travel agents may have breached UK competition law by entering into agreements that limited the ability of those agents to discount the price of room-only offers, a UK regulator has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 31st July 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Ofcom to offer greater transparency over competition law investigation process – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 27th, 2012 in competition, media, news, telecommunications by sally

“Ofcom will set out a formal timetable for completing investigations into alleged breaches of competition law in the communications sector and will publish an explanation on its website if it fails to comply with its specified deadline, the regulator has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 27th July 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – The Bar Council

Posted July 26th, 2012 in competition, law firms, legal profession, news, tenders by sally

“A tribute to outgoing Law Society President, John Wotton; a welcome to his successor, Lucy Scott‐Moncrieff, defender of the High Street law firm; examining the aims of Price Competitive Tendering and the likely results both for the Bar and for justice.”

Full story (PDF)

The Bar Council, August 2012

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Compass-Datenbank GmbH v Republik Österreich – WLR Daily

Posted July 16th, 2012 in competition, EC law, law reports by sally

Compass-Datenbank GmbH v Republik Österreich (Case C-138/11); [2012] WLR (D) 202

“A public authority which, as part of its activities, stored, in a database, data which undertakings were obliged to report on the basis of statutory obligations, and which permitted interested persons to search for that data and/or provided them with print-outs thereof did not carry out an ‘economic activity’ and could not therefore be regarded, in the course of that activity, as an “undertaking” within the meaning of article 102FEU of the FEU Treaty.”

WLR Daily, 12th July 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Addison Lee taxi firm fails to overturn London bus lane ban – The Guardian

Posted July 11th, 2012 in competition, judicial review, news, road traffic, taxis, transport by tracey

“The Addison Lee taxi company is to take its battle to use London’s bus lanes to a higher court after it lost a judicial review of a ban on the tactic. The taxi firm, headed by millionaire Conservative party donor John Griffin, was hoping to overturn an April ruling in the high court that prevented its drivers from using bus lanes restricted to London buses and licensed black taxis.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Employees deciding together to establish a competing business: what are the legal principles – 11 KBW

Posted June 26th, 2012 in company directors, competition, employment, news by sally

“In many cases where a person wishes to leave an employment and establish a new business, that person may wish to tell colleagues about the plans and to encourage them to join him or her in the new venture. It may be that there is disaffection in the workplace and that there is a general, if unexpressed, desire to move on.”

Full story (PDF)

11 KBW, 22nd June 2012

Source: www.11kbw.com