Category: competition

Class actions in England and Wales – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 10th, 2022 in civil procedure rules, class actions, competition, news by tracey

‘There has been a growing impetus in recent years to enable individuals in the UK to come together to bring the same or similar claims against those they believe are responsible for wrongdoing. These claims are commonly known as “class actions”, a term particularly popular in US litigation, though they are also often referred to as “group actions” or “collective actions” too. However, in fact, the various terms describe a range of different procedures. In this guide, which focuses on the position in England and Wales, we use the overarching phrase “mass actions”.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th January 2022

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

First things first – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 17th, 2021 in competition, damages, local government, news, public procurement, telecommunications by michael

‘Hot on the heels of Draeger Safety v London Fire Commissioner the High Court (Mr Justice Kerr) has again declined to lift the automatic suspension in a procurement dispute because an expedited trial was possible. As well as evidencing the court’s increased willingness to do so, the judgment in Vodafone Limited v (1) Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs; and (2) The British Council [2021] EWHC 2793 (TCC) contains some interesting observations on trials of preliminary issues in procurement disputes.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 17th December 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Representative claimants generally entitled to CPO costs, tribunal rules – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 14th, 2021 in competition, costs, news, representative actions, tribunals by tracey

‘Representative claimants in collective actions are generally entitled to recover the costs of obtaining a collective proceedings order (CPO), the Competition Appeal Tribunal has ruled. It ordered three train operators accused of overcharging passengers to make a £780,000 interim payment on account.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 13th December 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

UK competition watchdog orders Facebook owner to sell gif website Giphy – The Guardian

Posted December 1st, 2021 in advertising, competition, internet, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Facebook parent company Meta has been ordered by the UK competition watchdog to sell the gif creation website Giphy, the first time the regulator has moved to block a deal struck by one of the Silicon Valley giants.’

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The Guardian, 30th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Tribunal to decide on motorist class action lawsuit against shipping cartel – The Independent

Posted November 29th, 2021 in appeals, class actions, compensation, competition, news, tribunals by tracey

‘Motorists who bought a new car between 2005 and 2015 will find out whether they should be able to automatically receive a payout from five of the world’s biggest shipping companies in a £150 million legal case. A three-day hearing at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London begins on Monday, to decide whether a collective proceedings order (CPO) can be launched on behalf of UK consumers and businesses, which would see payouts on about 17 million vehicles.’

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The Independent, 29th November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

English universities risk breaking law over offer withdrawals, say ministers – The Guardian

Posted November 29th, 2021 in competition, education, news, school children, universities by tracey

‘Universities in England risk breaking competition laws if they add loopholes letting them withdraw offers from students at the last minute if courses are oversubscribed, ministers and regulators have told vice-chancellors.’

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The Guardian, 29th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Court puts squeeze on orange juice cartel damages claims – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 22nd, 2021 in agriculture, class actions, competition, damages, food, foreign jurisdictions, jurisdiction, news by tracey

‘A Brazilian company accused of being involved in an illegal cartel will not have to face mass damages claims in the UK after the High Court in London ruled that it does not have jurisdiction to consider the case.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 19th November 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

George Peretz QC: The Subsidy Control Bill: Part I – A new public law regime – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted October 28th, 2021 in bills, competition, constitutional law, judicial review, news, state aids, tribunals by sally

‘The Subsidy Control Bill, now going through the House of Commons, creates the domestic replacement for the EU State aid regime. So it might be regarded as legislation of interest only to those who reside in the land of competition law: a distant land of which State aid law is a particularly exotic and remote peninsula. Any such view would, however, be profoundly wrong. On the contrary, the Bill sets up a new type of public litigation, covering a very wide range of public authority decisions, that should be of considerable interest to public lawyers and its application to legislation will be of interest to constitutional lawyers as well.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 28th October 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Motorola faces competition inquiry over UK emergency services network – The Guardian

Posted October 26th, 2021 in competition, emergency services, inquiries, news, public procurement, telecommunications by sally

‘The UK’s competition regulator is investigating Motorola over concerns that it has “cashed in” on its monopoly over mobile networks for the UK emergency services.’

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The Guardian, 26th October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Facebook fined a record £50m by UK competition watchdog – BBC News

Posted October 21st, 2021 in competition, fines, internet, news, takeovers by sally

‘Facebook has been fined £50.5m ($70m) by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which accuses it of deliberately breaking rules.’

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BBC News, 20th October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK Competition Appeal Tribunal certifies first excessive pricing class action – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 13th, 2021 in appeals, class actions, competition, damages, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has given the go-ahead to the UK’s first “excessive pricing” abuse of dominance claim, which could involve up to 2.3 million customers and damages of up to £469 million, plus interest.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 12th October 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

BT collective action ruling “could open the floodgates” – Legal Futures

Posted October 5th, 2021 in class actions, competition, consumer protection, news, telecommunications by sally

‘The Competition Appeal Tribunal’s (CAT) approval of a second opt-out collective action is likely to open the floodgates to more applications, it has been claimed.’

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Legal Futures, 4th October 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Watchdog launches probe into Leicester City and JD Sports over merchandise – The Independent

Posted October 1st, 2021 in competition, news, ombudsmen, sport by tracey

‘The UK competition watchdog has launched an investigation in Leicester City FC and retailer JD Sports over the sale of club merchandise.’

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The Independent, 30th September 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

BT faces £600m legal case over landline charges – The Guardian

Posted September 29th, 2021 in class actions, compensation, competition, consumer protection, news, telecommunications by sally

‘Almost 2.5 million BT customers could receive up to £500 each after a tribunal approved an attempt to launch a class action against the telecoms company over claims it overcharged them for their landline telephone services.’

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The Guardian, 28th September 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

“You know what we meant!” Supreme Court guidance on non-compete clauses – 3PB

Posted August 26th, 2021 in competition, news, non-disclosure agreements, restraint of trade, solicitors, Supreme Court, undertakings by sally

‘On 23 July 2021 the Supreme Court handed down its unanimous judgment on the issues of restraint of trade and solicitors’ undertakings. This article considers the central issue before the court, namely whether a non-compete undertaking within a non-disclosure agreement was an unreasonable restraint of trade and therefore unenforceable.’

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3PB, 9th August 2021

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

Tribunal finally grants first ever collective proceedings order – Legal Futures

Posted August 19th, 2021 in class actions, competition, consumer protection, news, tribunals by sally

‘The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) yesterday approved the first collective proceedings order (CPO), allowing the £14bn Mastercard opt-out class action to go forward at last.’

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Legal Futures, 19th August 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Competition watchdog to probe Central England Co-op funeral deal – The Independent

Posted August 16th, 2021 in bereavement, burials and cremation, competition, consumer protection, inquiries, news, reports by tracey

‘The UK competition regulator is to investigate the takeover of funeral homes by the Central England Co-op amid increased scrutiny of the industry.’

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The Independent, 16th August 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Facebook could be forced by UK watchdog to sell gif creator Giphy – The Guardian

Posted August 13th, 2021 in competition, internet, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘Facebook could be forced to sell gif creation website Giphy after an investigation by the UK competition regulator found its takeover could harm competition among social media companies and the digital advertising market.’

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The Guardian, 12th August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid: Watchdog to immediately investigate Covid PCR test cost – BBC News

Posted August 13th, 2021 in competition, consumer protection, coronavirus, holidays, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘The competition watchdog has said it will investigate the price of PCR Covid tests “immediately”. The health secretary had called for a review into “excessive” pricing and “exploitative practices” among test providers.’

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BBC News, 12th August 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Watchdog backs regulator’s plan to reduce UK energy firms’ returns – The Guardian

Posted August 12th, 2021 in appeals, competition, consumer protection, energy, environmental protection, news by sally

‘The competition watchdog has sided with Great Britain’s energy regulator after an industry rebellion over a clampdown on the returns energy network companies can make at the expense of customer bills.’

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The Guardian, 11th August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com