Should the UK Collective Action Regime be Extended Beyond Competition?

Louise Freeman’s commentary was included in a CDR News article covering the UK Parliament’s legislation to expand the scope of collective actions and looking at what the implications of that proposal would be for businesses operating in the UK, especially those in the digital sector.

Commenting on the current collective action regime, Louise explains that “[class actions] are complicated, they’re heavy and they’re multi-jurisdictional, so defendants have the right to have a really good look at them and test whether they’re valid before they move forward.” However, she also posits that “a big hold-up is the [Competition Appeal Tribunal] itself; it’s just not equipped for handling these claims and we’re seeing inevitable delays”.

Louise goes on to say that she “would have real concerns [about expanding the scope of class actions]” because she does not think “the CAT can cope with what it’s got at the moment, never mind adding a whole new set of class actions.”

Click here to read the full article.