Competition Law - Art 101 & 102 Flashcards
TEPEA
Agreements between undertakings can be oral or written
Transocean Marine Paint
- non-binding decisions by associations of undertakings can be a breach of 101
- here justified because breaking into new markets
- use of rule of reason
ICI
example of concerted practices
- parallel behaviour; when ICI raised their prices so did their competitors
- horizontal; between competitors of same size
Brasserie de Haecht
- all beer outlets in Belgium tied to certain breweries
- created a barrier so no one else could break in
- did not have the object of affecting competition but did have the effect.
test for affecting interstate trade?
- mere potential to prevent/restrict/distort trade it is caught by Art 101(1)
- Maschinenbau
Pronuptia de Paris
- exclusion clause for franchising
- distorts normal trade pattern so affects interstate trade
Volk v Vervaecke
- sold practically nothing so anti-competitive agreement was de minimis
NAOMI
Notice on Agreements of Minor Importance
- less than 10% market share horizontally
- less than 15% market share vertically
Art 101(1)(a-e)
hard-core anticompetitive practices
Art 101(3)
- positive obligations to fulfil
- negative obligations to obey
R330/10
- block exemptions
- only apply to vertical agreements
- in combination can have no more than 30% market share
- no hardcore practices
United Brands
- can determine RPM by looking to demand substitutability
- bananas are separate from other fruit
- brand name can help determine RPM
- vertical agreement because UB dominated supply chain
- excessively high pricing where there was no competition
Hilti
- nailguns not interchangeable with hammer and nails so separate RPM
SSNIP
Small but Significant (5-10%) Non-transitory Increase in Price
Continental Cans
- producing cans is easy so easy supply substitutability so market dominance will not last
- part of 1 MS can be a satisfactory RGM
Michelin
- look to intended use to determine RPM
- court held their tryres were for a particular use and had a particular RPM
- RGM can be only 1 MS
Boosey & Hawkes
look to marketing strategies to determine RPM
- targeted Northern brass bands
BPB Industries
look to market power to decide RPM
define RGM
Art 102 - common market or a substantial part
United Brands:
- where objective conditions of competition
- applying to the product in question
- are the same for all traders
RTE
Radio Television Eire
- look to volume of trade in an area for RGM
- forced to give up monopoly of TV broadcast guides in Ireland
Define dominance in the RM
United Brands
- position of economic strength
- which enables it to prevent effective competition
- the power to behave independently
Tetrapak
market share can demonstrate dominance in RM - 90%
- Predatory pricing can be abusive behaviour
Hoffman-La-Roche
controlling distribution systems can demonstrate dominance in RM
Intel
anticompetitive or exploitative actions constitutes abusive behaviour
- loyalty bonuses