(67) In Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v George Weston Foods Ltd (2000) 22 ATPR [paragraph] 41-763, 40 992 ('George Weston'), Goldberg J had the relatively rare task of taking into account previous
price-fixing contraventions by George Weston Foods Ltd in 1981 and 1997.
Price-fixing cartels visit a litany of inefficiencies and related harms upon market economies.
In February 2007, the House of Lords threw out an attempt by JJB Sports to soften an OFT penalty handed down in August 2003 for
price-fixing of England and Manchester United shirts during 2000 and 2001.
Unscrupulous businessmen will be happy to hear this announcement of
price-fixing.
"These
price-fixing conspiracies affected millions of American consumers who use computers, cell phones and numerous other household electronics every day," says Thomas Barnett, assistant attorney general in charge of the Department's Antitrust Division during the Bush administration.
They face up to five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine for violations under section 188 of the Enterprise Act 2002, which made
price-fixing a criminal offence for the first time when it took effect in 2003.
It is the first time the Office of Fair Trading have offered cash for information and it follows their recent success in exposing a pounds 270million
price-fixing scandal.
According to Qantas' CEO, Geoff Dixon, the
price-fixing was levied via fuel surcharges in the international air cargo market between 2000 and 2006.
Similar
price-fixing actions in the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system have already denied veterans subject to it access to 81% of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 2000.
If a messenger model is used improperly, it can facilitate an unlawful
price-fixing agreement.
As a result, ticket purchasers may have paid more than they would have in the absence of the
price-fixing. ANA denies any liability, although it has pled guilty to fixing the prices of certain discounted tickets.
They may have entered into a
price-fixing agreement.