THE UK COMPETITION ACT 1998 AND THE IT INDUSTRY: A DISCUSSION OF THE UK’S NEW COMPETITION REGIME AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE IT SECTOR

Abstract

The Competition Act 1998 (the Act) finally came into force on 1 March 2000. The new Act replaces or amends the old Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976 (RTPA), Resale Prices Act 1976 (RPA) and Competition Act 1980 and introduces a new system based on the European model. The Act also introduces a new and stricter enforcement regime that will provide the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) with wide ranging new powers. This article considers the changes brought in by the Act and goes on to look at whether the new regime will have a greater impact on the IT sector than previous UK competition law.