Competition Act 2002
Right of action for breaches of competition rules.
14.—(1) Any person who is aggrieved in consequence of any agreement, decision, concerted practice or abuse which is F26[prohibited under section 4 or 5, or by Article 101 or 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,] shall have a right of action under this subsection for relief against either or both of the following, namely—
(a) any undertaking which is or has at any material time been a party to such an agreement, decision or concerted practice or has done any act that constituted such an abuse,
(b) any director, manager or other officer of such an undertaking, or a person who purported to act in any such capacity, who authorised or consented to, as the case may be, the entry by the undertaking into, or the implementation by it of, the agreement or decision, the engaging by it in the concerted practice or the doing by it of the act that constituted the abuse.
(2) F27[…]
(3) Subject to subsection (4), an action under subsection (1) F27[…] may be brought in the Circuit Court or in the High Court.
(4) Where an action under subsection (1) is brought in the Circuit Court any relief by way of damages F28[…] shall not, except by consent of the necessary parties in such form as may be provided for by rules of court, be in excess of the limit of the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court in an action founded on tort.
(5) F26[The following reliefs, or any of them, may be granted to the plaintiff in an action under subsection (1)]:
(a) relief by way of injunction or F26[declaration (including a declaration in respect of a contravention of section 4 or 5 or Article 101 or 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union that has ceased)],
(b) damages F29[…].
(6) F27[…]
F26[(7) Without prejudice to subsection (5), where in an action under subsection (1) it is finally decided by the Court that an undertaking has, contrary to section 5, or Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, abused a dominant position, the Court may, by order, either—
(a) require the undertaking to discontinue the abuse, or
(b) require the undertaking to adopt such measures for the purpose of—
(i) its ceasing to be in a dominant position, or
(ii) securing an adjustment of that position,
as may be specified in the order (including measures consisting of the sale of assets of the undertaking) within such period as may be so specified.]
(8) Where in an action under subsection (1) F30[…] it is proved that the act complained of was done by an undertaking it shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved, that each (if any) director of the undertaking and person employed by it whose duties included making decisions that, to a significant extent, could have affected the management of the undertaking, and any other person who purported to act in any such capacity at the material time, consented to the doing of the said act.
(9) In an action under subsection (1) for damages, it shall be a good defence to prove that the act complained of was done pursuant to a determination made or a direction given by a statutory body.
F31[(10) In this section "injunction" means—
(a) an interim injunction,
(b) an interlocutory injunction, or
(c) an injunction of definite or indefinite duration.]
Annotations
Amendments:
F26
Substituted (3.07.2012) by Competition (Amendment) Act 2012 (18/2012), s. 3(a), (d), (e) and (g), S.I. No. 236 of 2012.
F27
Deleted (3.07.2012) by Competition (Amendment) Act 2012 (18/2012), s. 3(b), (c) and (f), S.I. No. 236 of 2012.
F28
Deleted (27.12.2016) by European Union (Actions for Damages for Infringements of Competition Law) Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 43 of 2017), reg. 4(4)(a), in effect as per reg. 1(2).
F29
Deleted (27.12.2016) by European Union (Actions for Damages for Infringements of Competition Law) Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 43 of 2017), reg. 4(4)(b), in effect as per reg. 1(2).
F30
Deleted (3.07.2012) by Competition (Amendment) Act 2012 (18/2012), s. 3(h), S.I. No. 236 of 2012.
F31
Inserted (3.07.2012) by Competition (Amendment) Act 2012 (18/2012), s. 3(i), S.I. No. 236 of 2012.