Insights
Indian competition law roundup: July 2019
July 1, 2019Horizontal Agreements
The CCI rejected at prima facie stage a complaint by Unilazer Ventures (Unilazer), a film content creation company, that a number of multiplex cinema operators and their association had colluded in relation to the imposition of a Virtual Print Fee (VPF), revenue sharing arrangements, delays in payment and the screening of advertisements/trailers.1 In relation to the imposition of a VPF, a fee paid by a film producer/distributor to film exhibitors to recoup part of the cost of digital projection equipment, the CCI found no evidence of an anti-competitive agreement or understanding; in the absence of concerted activity it was not for the CCI to determine the appropriate fee or the period for which it should be paid.
