Exclusive dealing
47 Exclusive dealing
Subject to this section, a corporation shall not, in trade or commerce, engage in the practice of exclusive dealing.
A corporation engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation:
supplies, or offers to supply, goods or services;
supplies, or offers to supply, goods or services at a particular price; or
gives or allows, or offers to give or allow, a discount, allowance, rebate or credit in relation to the supply or proposed supply of goods or services by the corporation;
on the condition that the person to whom the corporation supplies, or offers or proposes to supply, the goods or services or, if that person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate:
will not, or will not except to a limited extent, acquire goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;
will not, or will not except to a limited extent, re‑supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation; or
in the case where the corporation supplies or would supply goods or services, will not re‑supply the goods or services to any person, or will not, or will not except to a limited extent, re‑supply the goods or services:
to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or
in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places.
A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation refuses:
to supply goods or services to a person;
to supply goods or services to a person at a particular price; or
to give or allow a discount, allowance, rebate or credit in relation to the supply or proposed supply of goods or services to a person;
for the reason that the person or, if the person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate:
has acquired, or has not agreed not to acquire, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;
has re‑supplied, or has not agreed not to re‑supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation; or
has re‑supplied, or has not agreed not to re‑supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired from the corporation to any person, or has re‑supplied, or has not agreed not to re‑supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired from the corporation:
to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or
in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places.
A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation:
acquires, or offers to acquire, goods or services; or
acquires, or offers to acquire, goods or services at a particular price;
on the condition that the person from whom the corporation acquires or offers to acquire the goods or services or, if that person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate will not supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, to any person, or will not, or will not except to a limited extent, supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description:
to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or
in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places.
A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation refuses:
to acquire goods or services from a person; or
to acquire goods or services at a particular price from a person;
for the reason that the person or, if the person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate has supplied, or has not agreed not to supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description:
to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or
in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places.
A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation:
supplies, or offers to supply, goods or services;
supplies, or offers to supply, goods or services at a particular price; or
gives or allows, or offers to give or allow, a discount, allowance, rebate or credit in relation to the supply or proposed supply of goods or services by the corporation;
on the condition that the person to whom the corporation supplies or offers or proposes to supply the goods or services or, if that person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate will acquire goods or services of a particular kind or description directly or indirectly from another person not being a body corporate related to the corporation.
A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation refuses:
to supply goods or services to a person;
to supply goods or services at a particular price to a person; or
to give or allow a discount, allowance, rebate or credit in relation to the supply of goods or services to a person;
for the reason that the person or, if the person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate has not acquired, or has not agreed to acquire, goods or services of a particular kind or description directly or indirectly from another person not being a body corporate related to the corporation.
A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation grants or renews, or makes it known that it will not exercise a power or right to terminate, a lease of, or a licence in respect of, land or a building or part of a building on the condition that another party to the lease or licence or, if that other party is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate:
will not, or will not except to a limited extent:
acquire goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation; or
re‑supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;
will not supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, to any person, or will not, or will not except to a limited extent, supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description:
to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or
in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places; or
will acquire goods or services of a particular kind or description directly or indirectly from another person not being a body corporate related to the corporation.
A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation refuses to grant or renew, or exercises a power or right to terminate, a lease of, or a licence in respect of, land or a building or part of a building for the reason that another party to the lease or licence or, if that other party is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate:
has acquired, or has not agreed not to acquire, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;
has re‑supplied, or has not agreed not to re‑supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;
has supplied goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description:
to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or
in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places; or
has not acquired, or has not agreed to acquire, goods or services of a particular kind or description directly or indirectly from another person not being a body corporate related to the corporation.
Subsection (1) does not apply to the practice of exclusive dealing by a corporation unless:
the engaging by the corporation in the conduct that constitutes the practice of exclusive dealing has the purpose, or has or is likely to have the effect, of substantially lessening competition; or
the engaging by the corporation in the conduct that constitutes the practice of exclusive dealing, and the engaging by the corporation, or by a body corporate related to the corporation, in other conduct of the same or a similar kind, together have or are likely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition.
Subsections (8) and (9) do not apply with respect to:
conduct engaged in:
by a registered charity; and
for or in accordance with the purposes or objects of that registered charity; or
conduct engaged in in pursuance of a legally enforceable requirement made by a registered charity, being a requirement made for or in accordance with the purposes or objects of that registered charity.
Subsection (1) does not apply with respect to any conduct engaged in by a body corporate by way of restricting dealings by another body corporate if those bodies corporate are related to each other.
In this section:
a reference to a condition shall be read as a reference to any condition, whether direct or indirect and whether having legal or equitable force or not, and includes a reference to a condition the existence or nature of which is ascertainable only by inference from the conduct of persons or from other relevant circumstances;
a reference to competition, in relation to conduct to which a provision of this section other than subsection (8) or (9) applies, shall be read as a reference to competition in any market in which:
the corporation engaging in the conduct or any body corporate related to that corporation; or
any person whose business dealings are restricted, limited or otherwise circumscribed by the conduct or, if that person is a body corporate, any body corporate related to that body corporate;
supplies or acquires, or is likely to supply or acquire, goods or services or would, but for the conduct, supply or acquire, or be likely to supply or acquire, goods or services; and
a reference to competition, in relation to conduct to which subsection (8) or (9) applies, shall be read as a reference to competition in any market in which the corporation engaging in the conduct or any other corporation the business dealings of which are restricted, limited or otherwise circumscribed by the conduct, or any body corporate related to either of those corporations, supplies or acquires, or is likely to supply or acquire, goods or services or would, but for the conduct, supply or acquire, or be likely to supply or acquire, goods or services.
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