Top court publicizes notable cases to highlight importance of fair competition

China's top court released five notable monopoly cases on Wednesday, reaffirming the importance of maintaining a fair competitive order in the market.

These cases cover various aspects such as transportation, active pharmaceutical ingredients, building materials, and chemicals, all of which are closely related to people's travel, healthcare, and housing costs, according to the Supreme People's Court.

It emphasizes the need to firmly prevent monopolistic practices in these fields and to compensate businesses that have been harmed, saying that the approach upholds market fairness and protects the vital interests of the public.

"The disclosure of these cases also highlights the clear stance of judicial bodies in fighting against monopolies and safeguarding people's livelihoods, with a legal benchmark set for regulating market competition in the sectors related to public welfare," it added.

For example, in one disclosed case, an internet company planned to launch a bike-sharing service in a city but found that the local administrative department and a big data center had granted an exclusive franchise to another provider.

Later, the internet company took the administrative department and the big data center to a local court, claiming that they were restricting competition and requesting judges to annul the franchise decision.

After failing in the first-stance case hearing, the company appealed to the Supreme People's Court.

Following the case review, the top court ruled in favor of the internet company, stating that the actions of the administrative body lacked legal basis and exceeded their authority.

It noted that the verdict will be beneficial in regulating the abuse of administrative power and restricting competition, and is also conducive to promoting genuine market access, advancing market development, and enhancing market vitality.