The ACCC has secured its first enforcement outcome related solely to the concerted practices provisions of the competition law, in a case that shows the watchdog is willing to take action to prevent what it sees as anti-competitive practices that include sharing sensitive price information, write Gilbert + Tobin’s Jeremy Jose, Sarah Lynch and Katie Latham.
A judge has approved a $1 million penalty against Queensland crane company NQ Cranes for engaging in a conspiracy with a multinational rival to divide the Brisbane and Newcastle markets.
ASIC is seeking $7.5 million in penalties against failed ACBF Funeral Plans and parent company Youpla Group for misrepresenting to customers that it was Indigenous-owned and falsely claiming that its products were specifically beneficial to First Nations people.
Westpac has objected to several proposed notices going out to group members in a class action over ‘junk’ consumer credit insurance, which three of the Big Four banks have agreed to pay $126 million to settle.
In one of the year’s biggest class action settlements, PTTEP Australasia has agreed to pay $192.5 million to settle a representative action over a 2009 oil spill that affected 15,000 Indonesian seaweed farmers.
Avant Insurance has lost its bid to challenge a ruling which put it on the hook for indemnifying a plastic surgeon in class action proceedings over allegedly botched breast augmentations at a defunct NSW clinic.
Apple has foreshadowed a challenge in the event two law firms seek to work together on a consolidated class action that alleges both Apple and Google engaged in anti-competitive conduct in operating their app stores.
Eco-conscious Australian skincare company Sukin has been hit with a lawsuit alleging it misled consumers by selling products labelled with a carbon neutral certification it did not hold.
Titan DMS, which provides software to car dealers across Australia, has expanded cross claims in a legal dispute with leading competitor Pentana Solutions, alleging the rival engaged in misuse of market power by threatening dealers who want to switch providers.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has called for a suite of new laws to curb “widespread, entrenched, and systemic” consumer and competition issues on digital platforms.