Archives
Competition and Markets Authority determines TalkTalk and CityFibre appeals over BT leased lines
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has made a determination after TalkTalk and CityFibre have allegedly been overcharged for BT leased lines.
Leased lines are “high quality, dedicated, point-to-point data transmissions services” for essential communication services. BT leases out these lines to other telecommunication provides like TalkTalk and CityFibre, but the control they have other the prices has been disputed by the two users.
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A look back at the 2014 supply of medicines to care homes case
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are currently embroiled in a lot of investigations over the pricing of medicines, and it’s been something of a hot topic for quite some time. In 2014, two pharmaceutical companies were fined for breaching competition laws by entering into a cartel to reduce the competition of supplying medicines to care homes.
Lloyds’ Pharmacy and Tomms Pharmacy were the two companies involved in the cartel between May and November 2011, and they were justifiably investigated and fined as a result of their activities.
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The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) introduced some rules for the Showmen’s Guild to help tackle prohibited activities and improve competition for travelling fairs.
The Guild is the largest existing association of fairs, consisting of 90% of all funfairs and representing over 5,000 showmen members in the U.K.
However, the Guild enforces rules that can arguably make it difficult for non-guild members to set up their own fairs to compete with Guild members; so much so that it can impede national and EU competition laws.
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CMA look to take enforcement action against online gambling companies
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced on 23rd June 2017 that they will be taking action against a number of online gambling companies for alleged anti-competitive behaviour.
Online gambling companies are often relying on ‘free bet’ promotions a lot these days. The volume of advertising for ‘free bets’ on TV, Radio and the Web speaks for itself.
It’s obvious that people are being enticed to join up, and the CMA is concerned that companies aren’t explaining what can often be stringent terms and conditions gamblers are then tied to when they sign-up to their services…
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On 2nd April 2014, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) produced a report that identified some players in the private healthcare sector were engaging in behaviour that had an adverse effect of competition.
HCA Healthcare UK is one of the private hospitals that was investigated.
In this report, the CMA found that some consultants and healthcare service providers didn’t always publicise their performance or fees for clients. By doing this, clients were potentially prevented from being able to effectively ‘shop around’ by comparing public and private services and costs associated with the latter.
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CMA fines Pfizer and Flynn Pharma £90 million for abuse of dominant market position and price hiking
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has cracked down on excessive and unfair pricing allegations over Phenytoin Sodium capsules. Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Flynn Pharma are accused of abusing dominant positions in the sector to inflate profits; breaking U.K. and EU competition laws in the process.
The CMA’s investigations were reportedly hampered as Pfizer failed to provide information as requested by the authorities.
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CMA investigates care home sector
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recently opened an investigation in the care homes industry over concerns that the industry is breaching consumer laws.
On 13th June 2017, the competition watchdog opened an investigation into several care home providers for two primary reasons:
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Unfair Funfairs: update on CMA investigation in to the leisure industry
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating the leisure industry as the funfair sector has allegedly breached competition laws under Chapter I of the Competition Act (CA).
The Chapter I prohibition bans agreements made between two or more companies that prevent, restrict or distort competition within the U.K. The result of such agreements is that markets can adversely suffer, and consumers can be left with higher prices and reduced innovation and quality.
Where the CMA suspects there are illegal agreements in place, they’ll often investigate the issues to stamp out any problems.
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CMA issues furniture parts suppliers with fines totalling almost £3 million
The household goods, furniture and furnishings sector may be one of the last sectors anyone would consider to be involved in illegal cartels; but several suppliers of furniture parts were found to have breached competition laws by engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.
For this, the parties were fined a total of £2,818,000.
Our Competition Act prohibits behaviour that restricts competition in any market. Such behaviour can hinder healthy competition and distort product pricing as well as innovation. These can be very bad for the consumer.
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Light suppliers and retailers infringing competition laws issued with £2.7 million fine
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recently reached conclusions that suppliers of light fittings and retailers / resellers have breached competition laws i.e. Chapter I of the Competition Act (CA) and/or Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
The case was opened on 16th August 2016 when the CMA were suspicious that anti-competitive agreements were being made between a supplier of light fittings, National Lighting Company Limited (‘NLC’), and its resellers. The products being investigated were the Saxby and Endon brands of domestic light fittings which included lamp shades, table lamps and wall light fittings.
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