Competition Law

WSRO Policy on Competition Law

All WSRO members and guests must be careful that their discussions do not violate Competition Law in any of the jurisdictions in which they operate. It is therefore, essential that all discussions, both formal and informal, do not impart information that is not already publicly available and may be commercially sensitive.

WSRO Members must not use the forum provided by WSRO in order to coordinate their commercial activities or to influence the conduct of a competitor. Each WSRO Member must exercise its independent business judgment in pricing its products and services, dealing with its customers and suppliers, and choosing the markets in which it will compete. Any activity that could create, or appear to create, a restriction or distortion of competition must be strictly avoided.

Examples of legitimate conversation and discussion topics are:

• Publicly available research
• Government or regulatory policy
• Regulatory changes and compliance with those changes
• Industry lobbying or promotional activities
• Health and safety issues
• Industrial employment and training issues

Examples of issues that may not be discussed, except where information is already in the public domain, are:

• Individual company manufacturing or development costs
• Any information that relates in any way to current or future individual company prices, price changes, operating costs or terms of business
• Current or anticipated changes in company or industry production, capacity, or inventory
• Plans of companies concerning the design, production, distribution or marketing of particular products, including proposed territories and consumer
• Any information concerning actual or potential suppliers or customers that might have the effect of influencing business conduct towards them
• Accounts won or lost, particular customers or market share
• Any comments on the state of the current or future market, price trends, or production costs trends.
• Any commercially sensitive information

Members and guests are advised that it is their personal responsibility to ensure that, at all times, they both comply with all relevant laws and do not give the appearance of violating any laws.

All WSRO meetings will be minuted and will strictly follow the agenda announced beforehand.