Tag Archives: Competition Act

COVID-19 (Corona Virus): Canadian Competition and Advertising Law Developments

The global spread of COVID-19 has had significant impacts in most major areas of law, including Canadian competition and advertising law. Both federal and provincial governments in Canada have been introducing unprecedented new legislation and orders relating to key aspects of competition and advertising law, … Read the rest of this entry »

The Price, the Whole Price and Nothing But the Price: StubHub Pays $1.3 Million Penalty Following Bureau Drip Pricing Probe

The Competition Bureau’s (Bureau) top priority for enforcement and advocacy is currently the digital economy (see, for example, here, here, here, here and here). And for online marketing practices, false or misleading prices, including drip-pricing (i.e., where additional fees for an online purchase are only … Read the rest of this entry »

Competition Bureau Investigates Novel Case Involving Political Parties’ Use of Personal Information

In an interesting and rather novel case, the Competition Bureau (Bureau) is reportedly investigating whether three major Canadian political parties (the Liberal, Conservative and NDP parties) violated the Competition Act in relation to their collection and use of Canadians’ personal information. According to media reports … Read the rest of this entry »

Influencer Advertising: Competition Act Compliance Now a Material Concern For Brands and Agencies

Over the past several years, competition enforcement agencies have been increasing their scrutiny of false and misleading influencer marketing.  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initially led the charge in terms of guidance and enforcement, which included its Endorsement Guides, Endorsement Guides FAQs and warning … Read the rest of this entry »

Ticketmaster Agrees to Pay $4 Million Penalty to Settle Drip Pricing Case (Upfront Pricing Case)

On June 27, 2019, the Competition Bureau (Bureau) announced that Ticketmaster L.L.C., TNow Entertainment Group, Inc. and Ticketmaster Canada LP have agreed to pay a $4 million penalty and $500,000 of the Bureau’s costs relating to allegedly misleading online ticket sale pricing claims. See Ticketmaster to … Read the rest of this entry »

Misleading Concert Prices Could Be Your Ticket to a Fine: Competition Bureau

On July 4, 2017, the Competition Bureau (Bureau) issued a statement warning sporting and entertainment vendors to ensure that their upfront pricing was accurate. In particular, the Bureau cautioned ticket sellers that engaging in “drip pricing” (i.e., only disclosing a portion of the price upfront … Read the rest of this entry »

$1.25 Million Settlement in Car Rental Drip Pricing Case

Yesterday the Competition Bureau announced that it had negotiated a $1.25 million settlement with two major Canadian car rental companies (Hertz Canada Limited and Dollar Thrifty) in relation to alleged “drip pricing” advertising practices. In particular, the Bureau had taken the position that the two … Read the rest of this entry »

Competition Bureau Cautions Businesses to Back Up Environmental Claims, Issues New Guidelines

Earlier today, the Competition Bureau (Bureau) issued a Business Alert warning businesses to ensure that their eco-related claims, such as using the terms “organic”, “green” and “eco-friendly”, comply with the federal Competition Act, particularly the false or misleading advertising and performance claim provisions. See: It’s … Read the rest of this entry »