Last month the Commerce Commission (Commission) issued a formal warning to Consolidated Alloys (N.Z.) Limited (Consolidated Alloys) for including an “anti-competitive clause” in a negotiated settlement with its competitor Edging Systems (NZ) Limited (Edging Systems). The clause was included in a settlement agreement to resolve a commercial dispute involving Edging Systems’ alleged breach of Consolidated …
On 6 August the Commerce Commission published its Statement of Preliminary Issues (SOPI) for Z Energy Limited’s application to acquire Chevron New Zealand. SOPIs are published for the vast majority of clearance applications and are intended to “outline the key competition issues [that the Commission] currently consider[s] to be important in deciding whether or not …
In our most recent newsletter, we discuss the ACCC’s announcement this week that it has commenced civil proceedings against eleven parties for alleged bid rigging conduct involving mining exploration licences in NSW. In the wake of this week’s allegations of corruption at FIFA, we also pose the question of whether sporting body monopolies lead to …
Andy Matthews & Gus Stewart recently contributed an article in the April 2015 edition of Antitrust News, the newsletter of the International Bar Association Legal Practice Division. The article covers: – New Zealand’s new ‘unfair contract terms’ regime comes into force – NZCC’s investigation into Air NZ’s ‘opt-out’ insurance results in a win for consumers …
The Commerce Commission (NZCC) has today declined an application from Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB), owners of the “Durex” brand, to purchase Johnson & Johnson’s “K-Y” brand and product assets. The acquisition had been approved by regulators in Australia, USA, Brazil, and Colombia, and a decision is scheduled to be made by the UK’s Competition and …
A recent article written by Gus Stewart and Andrew Matthews for the CPI Antitrust Chronicle. CPI Antitrust Chronicle – The intersection of advertising and antitrust in New Zealand (final) July 2014