Austria’s Federal Competition Authority (Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde, BWB) said a court decision against information services provider Bureau van Dijk Editions Electroniques Sarl has become final, concluding proceedings over a long-running cartel in the market for subscriptions to corporate information databases.
According to the BWB, the Cartel Court found that Bureau van Dijk participated in illegal price-fixing agreements, customer allocation arrangements and exchanges of commercially sensitive information, including the sharing of price and customer lists. The conduct related to the distribution of subscriptions for databases containing company information and lasted from July 1, 2002, until Sept. 6, 2019.
The authority said the company applied for leniency status and cooperated extensively with investigators during the proceedings. Bureau van Dijk also acknowledged the facts and did not contest the allegations, allowing the authority to fully clarify the case.
As a result of that cooperation under Austria’s leniency programme, the BWB said it did not seek a financial penalty against the company. Instead, it asked the Cartel Court only to establish that an infringement had occurred.
Under Austria’s leniency regime, companies that actively assist in uncovering cartels may receive reduced fines or full immunity, provided their cooperation is truthful, comprehensive and prompt.
The case was registered before the Cartel Court under reference number 27 Kt 9/25p.
