In keeping with tradition, we are pleased to invite you to our annual Global Year-End Review of Import/Export & Trade Compliance Developments Conference. The conference will provide valuable insights on the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in the ever-changing landscape of international trade.
We are holding this conference in a split-hybrid format, with an in-person event in Santa Clara, CA, on 12 November and virtual panels on 19-21 November.
The Brazilian Secretariat of International Trade initiated a new antidumping investigation against Brazilian imports of pre-painted steels from China and India on 19 September 2024. Pre-painted steels are used for civil construction, automotive industry, white goods, packaging and others.
The ACCC commenced Federal Court proceedings on 23 September against Coles and Woolworths alleging that the two major supermarkets have misled consumers by using their âDown Downâ and âPrices Droppedâ pricing claims in cases where the prices were actually higher than, or the same as, the previous regular price.
This week, the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) issued three price-fixing cartel cases against 21 of the major producers of table eggs, including board members of the Table Eggs Chamber, which is part of the General Union of Chicken Producers. In those cases, the Cartel Members agreed on the selling price of white and red table eggs, violating Article 6 of the Egyptian Competition Law No. 3 of 2005. The ECA initiated criminal proceedings before the public prosecution office for the Cartel Members and did not settle the case.
Over the past year, antitrust regulators in the Middle East have implemented significant changes to the local competition law regimes, with a new competition law coming into effect in the United Arab Emirates and substantial changes being made to the applicable merger control regimes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Egypt. Competition law enforcement has also continued to intensify in the KSA and Egypt, as well as in other key emerging markets in the GCC. During this 2-hour seminar, we will provide an update on the latest key competition law developments and what to expect on the horizon as well as compliance tips and pointers.
A preliminary investigation by the Secretariat of the Swiss Competition Commission into information exchanges in the Swiss labor market has found indications of collusion on employee compensation and benefits among more than 200 large companies in various sectors. While the preliminary investigation was initially limited to the banking sector, it became apparent that information exchanges on wage-related topics also occurred in other sectors. Due to the large number of parties involved, the Swiss authority decided that developing best-practice guidelines would be more effective in remedying the situation than launching an in-depth investigation into the behavior of each company. Therefore, the Swiss authority closed the preliminary investigation without opening a formal investigation and without imposing any sanctions.
The General Authority for Competition in Saudi Arabia has recently issued new guidelines aimed at promoting competition in the supply and sale of school uniforms and related items. The guidelines cover all relevant equipment, including school uniforms, desks, and chairs, among other necessary supplies. These guidelines are part of the Authority’s continued effort to enhance consumer protection in the Saudi market and Competition Law in Saudi Arabia.
On 30 August 2024, the Australian Treasury released a consultation paper on the proposed monetary and market share thresholds that will trigger a requirement to notify an acquisition to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) under the Federal Government’s proposed new mandatory merger control regime. It is proposed that transactions which meet either of the thresholds must be notified to, and approved by, the ACCC, with penalties imposed for any failure to notify or for implementation of a notifiable merger without prior notification to the ACCC. The closing date for submissions is 20 September 2024.
A federal judge in Texas recently issued a nationwide injunction against the Federal Trade Commission’s rule banning most employee noncompetes. The injunction relieves employers from having to comply with the rule, meaning that employers can maintain noncompete agreements they have in place with employees. The FTC issued a statement indicating that it is considering its appeal options to remove the injunction, and noted that it remains able and willing to challenge the legality of noncompetes on a case-by-case basis, which was never in dispute.
The UK Government passed the long-awaited Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC) on 24 May 2024.
The DMCC will bring radical change to the enforcement of consumer law in the UK, introducing new powers for the CMA to issue direct fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover for breaches. This spotlight series will focus on the substantive changes to consumer law introduced by the DMCC, and how it compares to the position in the EU.