On 7 March 2024, Rajah & Tann’s Competition & Trade Practice Group organised an in-person seminar titled “Competition/Antitrust in Southeast Asia Series: No 2 – When Managing Competition Law Concerns Means Ensuring Consumer Protection Too and Vice-Versa”.
Managing competition law compliance to avoid potential violations invariably means ensuring consumer protection as well. While this is not immediately apparent, both areas of the law do focus considerably on consumer welfare. At the seminar, the speakers explored the dynamics of competition law investigations that could just as well have resulted in consumer protection violations and vice-versa. Cases involving consumer-facing issues such as price transparency and the avoidance of price fixing, as well as more complex issues arising out of dark patterns, data portability and sustainability were also reviewed. At the end, they reminded businesses that they must navigate competition law and consumer protection hand-in-hand to ensure that the right business aims are effectively achieved.
The speakers comprised Kala Anandarajah, Head of the Competition & Antitrust and Trade Practice, and Alvin Tan, Joshua Seet and Tanya Tang from the same Practice.
