On 31 March 2020 the Hong Kong Competition Commission (HKCC) commenced a public consultation on the commitments offered by three online travel agents (OTAs) to remove certain parity clauses in their existing and future contracts with accommodation providers in Hong Kong. The consultation period was extended yesterday to 23 April 2020. Significantly, this is the first time that the HKCC has published a notice proposing to accept commitments offered under section 60 of the Competition Ordinance (ordinance). The investigation The HKCC's investigation concerned certain parity clauses in the respective contracts of Booking.com, Expedia.com, and Trip.com with accommodation providers in Hong Kong. Three types of parity clauses – often called most favored nation (MFN) clauses – were examined:
The Hong Kong Competition Authority launches a public consultation on the commitments offered by three online travel agents to remove certain parity clauses in their contracts with accommodation providers (Booking.com / Expedia / Trip.com)
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