Philips Fined by Korea Fair Trade Commission for Price Fixing

The Fair Trade Commission of Korea has fined Philips, a Dutch company, for price fixing.  The Fair Trade Commission fined Philips KRW 1.5billion (USD 1.3 million) for, inter alia, prohibiting online retailers from offering discounts and certain products to potential buyers.

Philips, according to the Korea’s Fair Trade Commission is the top small appliance company in Korea with a 57% share of the electric toothbrush market, 61% share of the electric shaver market; 45% share of the iron market; and a 31% share of the coffee-maker market.

The Fair Trade Commission has contented that prices have not decreased after the implementation of the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement, because of price fixing by manufacturers. 

Philips is the first EU company to be fined by the Fair Trade Commission.

Other articles on this issue and the Korea Fair Trade Commission:

•  FTC to Investigate European Car Makers
• Fines by Fair Trade Commission Increases for Unfair Market Practices
• Nongyup Sues Fair Trade Commission at Seoul High Court
• Korean Fair Trade Commission to Investigate Chaebols (Samsung/LG)
• Price Fixing and FTAs in Korea

Also, search via the labels to the right (Korean Antitrust Law).
__________
Sean Hayes, IPG’s Co-Chair of the Korea Practice Team, may be contacted at: [email protected]

Similar Posts:

• Korea Merger Remedies by Korea Fair Trade Commission
• Fines by the Korea Fair Trade Commission Increases for Abuse of Market Position and Unfair Trade Practices in Korea
• Korea Fair Trade Commission To Investigate European Car Makers
• Korea Fair Trade Commission to Investigate Korean Chaebols
• Abuse of Market Dominance in Korea: Competition Law in Korea
• Nonghyup Sues Korea Fair Trade Commission at Seoul High Court
• Antitrust/Competition Consent Orders in Korea
• Korea Companies Defendants in Anti-Dumping Lawsuits Second to Only China: Check the Veracity of Data Produced by Korean Companies
• Korean Distributor Sales Territory or Customer Restrictions in Korea: Korean Distributor law Agreements in Korea
• Apple vs. Samsung: “Koreans are furious at China for copying our products. But when Korea does the same, Koreans defend the action. That is a highly distorted form of patriotism. When a company takes the wrong path, it is the public’s job to correct it.”