Commission fines three high-end fashion companies
On 14 October 2025, the European Commission ("Commission") announced that it fined Gucci, Chloé and Loewe a total of EUR 157 million for restricting the ability of authorised retailers to set their own resale prices in both physical stores and online. The investigation found that the infringements spanned from April 2015 to April 2023 for Gucci, from December 2015 to April 2023 for Loewe, and from December 2019 to April 2023 for Chloé. The decision highlights the Commission's strong stance against vertical price-fixing practices in selective distribution systems across the EEA.
Commission conditionally approves Boeing's acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems
The Commission approved Boeings's proposed acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. under the EU Merger Regulation, subject to commitments addressing competition concerns in the supply of large commercial aircraft fuselages. The Commission's investigation concluded that the transaction, as initially notified, would have restricted competition in the global market for large commercial aircraft, given that Spirit supplies key fuselage components to Boeing's main rival, Airbus. To remedy these concerns, Boeing committed to divest Spirit's facilities that supply Airbus before completing the deal. The Commission considered that this structural remedy fully removes the horizontal overlap and ensures Airbus's continued access to fuselage supply on competitive terms, thereby safeguarding innovation and supply chain resilience in the aviation sector.
CADE fines CSN BRL 128.1 million for failure to comply with divestment order
Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defence ("CADE") imposed a BRL 128.1 million (approx. USD 23.7 million) fine on steelmaker Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) for failing to sell its shares in rival Usiminas within the deadlines established under a 2014 conduct agreement. The decision followed a court order requiring CADE to impose a fine after CSN did not complete the divestment as mandated. CADE's tribunal voted 4-2 to approve the sanction, emphasizing that it was enforcing the judiciary's determination. According to the record, CSN only divested the shares in 2025-more than a decade after the original CADE requirement-prompting the penalty for delayed compliance.
SIC fines professional soccer teams and sports association over labour restrictions
Colombia's competition authority, the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce ("SIC"), fined five professional soccer clubs and the sports association Dimayor a total of COP 8 billion (approx. USD 2 million) for engaging in labor-restrictive practices that limited players' mobility and bargaining rights. The investigation, launched in November 2021 following a complaint by the players' union Acolfuturo, identified three unlawful practices: the exchange of confidential information about players' contracts and disciplinary records; coordination among teams through a "gentlemen's agreement" to pressure non-cooperating clubs; and Dimayor's support of these exchanges. The SIC concluded that these practices undermined competition in the labor market for professional football players and violated Colombian antitrust law.
KFTC fines steel wire makers for price-fixing
The Korea Fair Trade Commission ("KFTC") imposed KRW 6.55 billion (approx. USD 4.6 million) in total fines on five steel wire manufacturers—Hankuk Steel Wire, Daeah Steel Wire, Chungwoo Steel, Hanil Steel, and Jinheung Steel, for colluding to fix prices between December 2016 and February 2022. The companies coordinated price increases when raw material costs rose and maintained prices when costs fell, effectively avoiding competition. The KFTC also ordered corrective measures. Individual fines ranged from KRW 236 million to KRW 2.15 billion depending on each company's role in the cartel. The regulator's decision reinforces its continued enforcement focus on collusion in the steel sector, a key input industry for South Korea's construction and manufacturing markets.
Visa and Mastercard settle U.S. merchants' antitrust class-action for USD 199.5 million
Visa and Mastercard have agreed to a combined settlement of USD 199.5 million to resolve a nearly decade-old class-action lawsuit brought by U.S. merchants. According to the agreement, Visa will pay USD 119.7 million while Mastercard will contribute USD 79.8 million. The case, initially filed in March 2016 in the Northern District of California and later transferred to the Eastern District of New York, alleged that the card networks coordinated to modify chargeback rules and shifted liability for fraudulent, counterfeit, or stolen card transactions onto merchants unless they upgraded to chip-enabled POS systems. The proposed settlement, filed with the court on 13 October 2025, awaits judicial approval. It adds to prior settlements with Discover and American Express that brought the total merchant compensation fund to USD 231.7 million.
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