The Federal Competition Authority (BWB) has imposed a fine of 90,000 euros on the cartel court Creditreform credit agency Kubicki KG requested. The company is said to have engaged in price fixing and customer allocation in the distribution of corporate information databases from July 2002 to April 2021.
The accusation is serious: According to the BWB, agreements that violate antitrust law occurred across Austria over a period of almost 19 years. Price and customer lists are said to have been exchanged between the companies involved – a classic violation of competition law.
Cooperation significantly reduces punishment
After the allegations became known, Creditreform worked with the authorities, made an acknowledgment and put the matter out of dispute. This cooperation and the company’s “minor role” in creating the databases led to a significant reduction in the sentence.
Creditreform’s economic performance was also included in the calculation. According to the antitrust law, fines of up to ten percent of annual sales would theoretically have been possible.
Key witness receives reduced sentence
In mid-May, the cartel court had already legally established the participation of another company in the agreements: Bureau van Dijk Editions Electroniques Sarl, as a key witness, received a reduced sentence because it had drawn the authorities’ attention to the cartel.
It remains unclear how many companies were involved in the agreements and which customers were affected by the manipulated prices. The cartel court still has to approve the BWB’s application – only then will the fine become legally binding.