UK Competition Law aims to extinguish practices that undermine or restrict competition, which is detrimental to consumers and lessens competition.
UK competition law prohibits the following:
- Anti-competitive agreements between companies
- Abuse of a dominant market position by a company
Where individuals or businesses suffer harm due to others breaching competition law, you are entitled to seek compensation for any loss and, if necessary, you may seek an injunction to bring an end to the anti-competitive activity.
Before issuing proceeds at court, recourse should always be made to other methods of resolving the dispute. These include:
- Negotiation
- Mediation
- Statutory/non-statutory redress scheme
- Arbitration
When to bring a claim?
A claim for a breach of Competition Law (which is brought in the High Court in England and Wales) must be done within 6 years of the date when the cause of action arose (this will normally be the date when you have suffered loss).
A claim which is brought in the Competition Appeal Tribunal must be done within 6 years of the date when the claim arose if this was after 1st October 2015. If the claim arose before 1st October 2015 then the limitation period is 2 years and it is likely that you will be prevented from bring a claim as the two year window has passed.
At TV Edwards LLP, our Dispute Resolution solicitors have the experience and knowledge to advise and assist you with seeking such redress.
If alternative methods of resolving the dispute fail and you are forced to issue proceedings then proceedings can be issued against the defendant at either the High Court or the Competition Appeal Tribunal. TV Edwards can advise you on which court you should apply to and the advantages/disadvantages of issuing proceedings in either of these courts.
If you are seeking a solicitor to advise you or would generally like to find out more about our services, please contact our Dispute Resolution team at TV Edwards.
