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ARTICLE · 01 MAY 2020

Additional Guidance For Businesses On Competitor Collaboration During COVID-19 Pandemic

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
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The Competition Bureau has issued a statement directed at businesses that are considering collaborating with competitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing additional enforcement guidance and a process for ...

CanadaAntitrust/Competition Law
Blakes Competition & Antitrust Group
Blakes Competition & Antitrust Group
Blakes Foreign Investment Group
Blakes Foreign Investment Group
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The Competition Bureau (Bureau) has issued a statement directed at businesses that are considering collaborating with competitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing additional enforcement guidance1 and a process for obtaining collaboration-specific guidance from the Bureau.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The Bureau will generally refrain from scrutinizing competitor collaborations aimed at responding to COVID-19 issues provided they are limited in duration and scope, undertaken in good faith and do not go beyond what is needed.
  • The Bureau has set up a team to assess proposed competitor collaborations and assist the Commissioner of Competition (Commissioner) in providing parties with "informal guidance."

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