AKZO Chemie BV v Commission of the European Communities: ECJ 3 Jul 1991

Europa Regard for the rights of the defence requires that the undertaking concerned shall have been enabled to make known effectively its point of view on the documents relied upon by the Commission in making the findings on which its decision is based. In examining the possibly dominant position of an undertaking in a particular market, the possibilities of competition must be judged in the context of the market comprising the totality of the products which, with respect to their characteristics, are particularly suitable for satisfying constant needs and are only to a limited extent interchangeable with other products. Very large market shares are usually evidence of the existence of a dominant position. The concept of abuse is objective, relating to the behaviour of an undertaking in a dominant position which is such as to influence the structure of a market where, as a result of the very presence of the undertaking in question, the degree of competition is weakened and which, by recourse to methods different from those which condition normal competition in products or services on the basis of the transactions of commercial operators, has the effect of hindering the maintenance of the degree of competition still existing in the market or the growth of that competition.

Citations:

C-62/86, [1993] 5 CMLR 215, [1986] EUECJ C-62/86R, [1991] EUECJ C-62/86, [1991] ECR 1-3359

Links:

Bailii, Bailii

Jurisdiction:

European

Cited by:

CitedCarter Holt Harvey Building Products Group Ltd v The Commerce Commission PC 14-Jul-2004
(New Zealand) The company had been found guilty under the Act of abusing its dominant position. The appeal was restricted to whether the dominant position was being used in the way suggested. Would the company have introduced its price cuts if it . .
CitedChester City Council and Another v Arriva Plc and others ChD 15-Jun-2007
The claimant council alleged that the defendant had acted to abuse its dominant market position in the provision of bus services in the city.
Held: It was for the claimant to show that the defendant had a dominant position. It had not done so, . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.

European, Commercial

Updated: 03 February 2022; Ref: scu.134361