WEKO opens investigation into stringed instruments
The Competition Commission (COMCO) has opened an investigation into the Zofingen-based instrument dealer Musik Olar AG. A search of the company's premises has been carried out due to concrete indications of the existence of unlawful competition agreements under antitrust law.
With regard to the distribution of stringed instruments, the competition authorities have concrete information that indicates the existence of agreements on minimum or fixed prices (so-called second-hand price fixing), writes the Federal Administration. In particular, guitars, basses and accessories of the brands Ibanez, Martin and Fulltone are affected.
According to this information, Musik Olar AG systematically exerted pressure on its resellers, primarily by directly influencing their pricing and discount policies.
There were also indications that the price fixing of the second hand had been achieved with the involvement of other market participants. The purpose of the investigation is to examine whether there are any unlawful competition agreements in the aforementioned sense.
