The Italian Competition Authority investigates online sales platforms for excessive pricing of hand sanitizers and respiratory protection masks in the face of COVID-19 outbreak

ICA: Coronavirus, the Authority intervenes in the sale of sanitizing products and masks*

Today the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (the Italian Antitrust Authority) sent a request for information to the main online sales platforms and other sales sites about the marketing of hand sanitizers and disposable respiratory protection masks.

This response was the result of numerous complaints lodged by consumers and associations concerning, on the one hand, claims relating to the alleged effectiveness of these products in terms of protection and/or counteraction against Coronavirus and, on the other, the unjustified and significant increase in the prices of these products recorded in recent days.

Companies will now have to communicate, within three days, the measures they have adopted to eliminate advertising slogans that could mislead consumers about the effectiveness of products in preventing/treating COVID 19 diseases as well as the measures they have implemented to avoid unjustified and disproportionate price increases.

*This is the original title of the press release. The title above has been amended in order to match the e-Competitions format. Individual authors are welcome to provide original independent commentaries on the case law. Articles are subject to approval by the Board of e-Competitions Bulletin before publication based on the Editorial Policy (click here).

Version PDF

Auteur

Citation

Italian Competition Authority, The Italian Competition Authority investigates online sales platforms for excessive pricing of hand sanitizers and respiratory protection masks in the face of COVID-19 outbreak, 27 février 2020, e-Competitions February 2020, Art. N° 93787

Visites 668

Tous les numéros

  • Latest News issue 
  • Tous les News issues
  • Latest Special issue 
  • Tous les Special issues