Tort Arising from the Breach of Rules of Competition Law (Comparative Study)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Hossein Erfanmanesh
Seyyed Mohammad Tabatabainejad
Abstract
 Competition Law is a set of rules governing the regulation of free market and striking a proper balance among key factors in that market. Although the traditional approach has been based on criminal and administrative policies and sanctions, the new approach emphasizes on enforcement of civil liability, especially in form of tort. According to general rules of law, any person suffers from damage as a result of someone else’s unlawful act should have the right to claim the damage incurred. However, the particular nature of rules governing competition law in many cases has been associated with various challenges. This issue has brought about a number of uncertainties. In addition, due to the globalization of economy and international trade, and integration among the markets in different countries, the impacts of anti-competitive behaviors have been transboundarized. The application of private and public rules in this regard has brought about fundamental differences in various legal systems. In the European Union, the Directive on Antitrust Damages Actions has caused fundamental changes in Europe. This Article tries to investigate the challenges that may arise as a result of applying the general rules of civil liability to those of competition law.
Keywords
Competition Law
Tort
Imperative Rules
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