Anti-competitive practices are illegal activities that hinder the proper functioning of economic activity. They are particularly prevalent in increasingly competitive economic environments, where the temptation to collude on prices between competitors (horizontal price fixing) or within the value chain (vertical price fixing) is strong. European Commissioner Karel Van Miert emphasized in Brussels in 1998 that increased competition could lead some actors to adopt anti-competitive behaviors to counter this process, instead of adapting to new challenges. Therefore, the Commission is tasked with cracking down on these practices, as their negative impact on the economic efficiency of a highly integrated market is significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concerted actions, agreements, understandings, or coalitions aimed at restricting competition by limiting market access, manipulating prices, controlling production, or allocating markets are strictly prohibited by law. Similarly, the abuse of a dominant market position, particularly through discriminatory practices or unjustified refusals to sell, is strictly prohibited. Any commitments, agreements, or contractual clauses related to such practices are considered null and void.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, offering prices that are excessively low compared to the actual costs of production, processing, and marketing, with the aim of eliminating competitors from the market, is also illegal. The law provides for severe penalties, such as imprisonment and substantial fines, for anyone involved in anti-competitive practices. Disputes concerning the application of these rules are handled by the competent authorities, who may order emergency measures to put an end to these harmful practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","categories-glossary":[332],"class_list":["post-169202","dictionnaire-dico","type-dictionnaire-dico","status-publish","hentry","categories-glossary-intellectual-property-marketing-law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitionary.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dictionnaire-dico\/169202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitionary.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dictionnaire-dico"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitionary.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/dictionnaire-dico"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitionary.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categories-glossary","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitionary.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories-glossary?post=169202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}