The Cityhook Saga Continues

Initially published in the March 2009 edition of Competition Law Insight.

Incredible as it may seem, seven years has now elapsed since Cityhook, a company only founded 10 years ago, complained to the OFT that many of its competitors and/or their trade association were guilty of anticompetitive conduct designed to force it out of the market.

The OFT investigated Cityhook's conduct at length (over four years in fact) before closing the case on administrative priority grounds.

After an unsuccessful appeal against the OFT's decision at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Cityhook took its case to the Administrative Court, which has now considered for the first time the scope of the OFT's discretion to close Competition Act investigations.