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Russia: Code for antitrust violations is amended

By  |  April 8, 2015

Russia has amended its criminal code on cartels. This week President Vladimir Putin signed a Federal Law “introducing changes to Article 178 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.” Article 178 creates criminal liability for cartel activities that prevent, restrict, or eliminate competition.

The recent amendments introduce notable changes, including changing the title of the Article from “Preventing, restricting or eliminating competition” to simply “Restricting competition.”The amendment abolishes criminal liability for repeatedly abusing market dominance.

Under the amendment, there is no longer criminal liability for a firm’s unreasonable refusal to conclude an agreement with a competitor, or for refusal to remove a barrier to entry to a market.

 

Full Content: Lexology

 

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