The European Commission announced that it made several unannounced inspections at several companies active in the manufacture, distribution, and retail of consumer electronics throughout the European Union. Although the Commission did not publicly disclose the names of the companies, according to the Associated Press, the companies include Samsung Group, Royal Phillips NV, and Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH. […]
Category Archives: Foreign Government Involvement
EU Inspects Electronic Manufacturers and Distributors Due To Suspicions of Online Price Manipulation
December 19, 2013 – 3:13 pm
Canada Files Price-Fixing Charges against Candy-Manufacturers and Executives
June 19, 2013 – 3:45 pm
Canadian antitrust authorities have charged candy manufacturers and distributors of fixing the price of chocolate candy. U.S. multidistrict litigation continues to examine the same issues. A Pennsylvania federal judge has certified a class of direct chocolate purchasers, and a putative class of indirect purchasers who bought chocolate for resale is seeking class certification.
DOJ Expands Its Investigation Into Auto Industry’s Price Fixing and Bid Rigging
February 26, 2013 – 2:23 pm
A criminal investigation into price-fixing and bid rigging in the auto parts industry between 2000 and 2010, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Japan Fair Trade Commission, and antitrust officials in Europe, has expanded, according to DOJ’s deputy assistant attorney, Scott Hammond. The probe, which previously involved a number of products including automatic wire […]
Vitamin C Price-fixing Multi-district Litigation to Move Forward
December 21, 2012 – 3:11 pm
In In re: Vitamin C Antitrust Litigation, Eastern District of New York Judge Brian M. Cogan refused to dismiss multidistrict litigation alleging that Chinese manufacturers fixed the price of vitamin C, holding that the sales fell within the import and domestic effects exceptions to the Foreign Trade Antitrust Improvements Act. As a result, that law […]
April 15, 2011 – 1:32 pm
The Fifth Circuit panel of Judges E. Grady Jolly, Jacques L. Wiener Jr., and Carl E. Stewart upheld a dismissal of two class action cases alleging that oil companies owned by foreign governments in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) violated U.S. antitrust law. The classes, U.S. gasoline retailers and oil purchasers, claimed that […]
Canadian Competition Authority Challenges Visa & MasterCard Merchant Rules
January 28, 2011 – 4:20 pm
The Canadian Competition Bureau filed an application with the Competition Tribunal seeking to stop Visa Canada Corp. and MasterCard International Inc. from enforcing agreements restraining competition on the fees that merchants pay to accept credit cards. Visa and MasterCard rules allegedly block retailers from encouraging customers to use cash or debit cards, which carry lower acceptance fees, instead […]
Court Refuses to Dismiss Price Fixing as Government Compelled
November 18, 2008 – 11:35 am
An Eastern District of New York district judge recently rejected a motion to dismiss a multi-district Section 1 case alleging price fixing among Chinese producers of vitiman C. The defendants argued, with support from an amicus brief filed by the Chinese government, that the cartel was compelled by government policy and thus government action beyond […]