A recent decision issued by the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) imposed what I saw one of the heftiest penalty on a single entity for an infringement of Section 10 of the Competition Act 2010 – RM17mil. For some reason, this is much lower than the collective sum of RM33k in the earlier proposed decision on 7 tuition and day care centres for price fixing conduct, you can read my post on it here (which I am still waiting for any updates/ appeal/ decision *cough cough*).
The recent decision concerns the MyCC proposing to fine Dagang Net Sdn Bhd for abuse of its monopolistic decision (full proposed decision can be read here). Dagang Net seems to intend to challenge the Commission’s’ proposed decision and has also indicated to MyCC its intention to make an oral representation before the commission.
- The alleged infringement
Dagang Net Technologies Sdn Bhd is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Dagang NeXchange Berhad (“DNeX”) and has a dominant position for Trade Facilitation under the National Single Window. According to the website, its’ e-services for trade facilitation include as follow:
Dagang Net Technologies is in the business of eService Trade Facilitation in which the exchange of trade documents among businesses and approving authorities and agencies is done electronically. An initiative by the Government in 2009 was to launch the National Single Window in order to simplify clearance procedures, facilitate the electronic exchange of trade-related data, reduce the cost of doing business and thereby enhancing trade efficiency and national competitiveness. Dagang Net Technologies had a contract and is now extended to 31st August 2019 for the said trade facilitation business.
Under the proposed decision, Dagang Net had provisionally infringed section 10 CA 2010 which subsection 10(1) reads: “ An enterprise is prohibited from engaging, whether independently or collectively, in any conduct which amounts to an abuse of a dominant position in any market for goods or services.” The proposed decision assumes a “monopoly” position by Dagang Net with restrictive conducts such as refusing to supply and imposing barriers to entry.
2. Refusing to supply
Normally the first step is to identify the relevant market to determine its’ market position to determine if it really is in a monopoly position as claimed. However, based on this phrase taken from their website: “In Malaysia, the NSW for Trade Facilitation system is developed, operated and managed by Dagang Net Technologies Sdn Bhd (Dagang Net).” I think I am safe to say that it is in a monopoly position for most of the process.
(Disclaimer: I don’t have hard evidence to prove or determine if they are indeed abusing their dominant position but merely analysing if they are based on the proposed decision and stating out the relevant law to it. Ps, I am waiting for MyCC cases judgment to be substantial enough to be quoted in each other’s cases…)
On Refusing to Supply, the Commission claims: The investigation has provisionally found that “Dagang Net … (refused) to supply new and/or additional electronic mailboxes to end users who utilized front-end software from software solutions providers which were not considered to be Dagang Net’s authorised business partners.” It was established in Commercial Solvents v Commission that a refusal to supply could amount to an abuse of dominant position as the reasons given for the refusal is often anti-competitive such as affecting competition on another market, dealings with a rival firm etc.
However, Refusal to supply is also difficult hard to be claimed as anti-competitive because there are equally good reasons as well. In Bronner, Advocate General Jacobs pointed out that the right to choose one’s trading partners and freely to dispose of one’s property are generally recognised principles in the laws of the Member States and incursions on those rights require careful justification. Hence the laissez-faire economic system dictates that parties are free to contract with whomever they choose and the terms to contract on.
→ Dagang Net currently holds a monopoly position and parties, therefore, have no other party to obtain the required services.
Secondly, sometimes duplication of facilities of a network is not feasible and may result in a loss-making situation for both parties. This is why most of the more regulated industries in the country such as water in Selangor is provided only by Air Selangor, electricity is only by Tenaga Malaysia and others.
→ This is unclear as the NSW for Trade Facilitation is still relatively new and it is not an essential facility per say since corporations may still use the longer and more tedious manual process.
Thirdly and most importantly, stated also in Bronner, it decentivises corporations to innovate and improve if it means that they would need to share it to ‘free riders’. In the Guidance, an obligation to supply and provide information or service may undermine an undertakings’ incentive to invest and innovate, even for a fair remuneration.
→ As provided in Dagang’s website, “the NSW for Trade Facilitation system is developed…. by (Dagang Net)” hence by forcing it to supply more may be detrimental to Dagang Net who perhaps invested a lot into developing the system and platform in which the NSW now runs on.
3. Deeper analysis
Now, onto the facts of the case. The basis that the Commission had identified as the reason for refusal to supply is because the “end users who utilized front-end software from software solutions providers which were not considered to be Dagang Net’s authorised business partners”. On a plain reading with no other facts given, this is prima facie an abuse of dominant position because
(1) It restricts what end users can choose as being their front-end software,
(2) It wants to affect the competition in another market by using its’ monopoly position in the trade facilitation market and
(3) it may or may not be a situation of tying/ bundling where only if the end users used software solution providers which were Dagang Net’s authorised business partners would Dagang Net provide new or additional mailboxes.
In Commercial Solvent, the factors leading to the finding of abuse were (amongst others):
- Using its dominant position on the raw material market to affect competition in the derivatives market
- Refusing to supply to an existing customer because it wanted to compete it downstream and the refusal risked eliminating the customer from the downstream market.
This seems to be quite apt to the current situation where Dagang Net where it seems to refuse to supply to again, affect competition in the front-end software by only providing services where the entities use their business partners services and it risked eliminating competition downstream. The distinguishing factor, however, is that in Commercial Solvent, it had a subsidiary who was also competing in the downstream market as the complainant and it refused to supply so that the complainant could not continue to produce a drug-related to the treatment of tuberculosis but its’ subsidiary could. In Dagang Net, the downstream was by its business partners hence not the same entity. Regardless, it seems pretty convincing to me that Dagang Net wanted to restrict competition perhaps because it was obtaining monetary benefits.
3.1 Essential facility doctrine
Also, “With great power comes great responsibility” (yes, I just quoted Uncle Ben from Spiderman) A quote apt to describe what monopoly players should note about the market obligations and responsibilities their position puts them in. Entities in a dominant position generally have an unspoken special obligation to maintain, protect or improve competition.
Currently, Dagang Net holds an “essential facility”. In Sealink, ‘essential facilities’ were defined as ‘a facility or infrastructure without access to which competitors cannot provide services to their customers’. This definition provides only a starting point. The challenge is to uphold the right of the undertakings under contracts and ensuring competition levels is maintained. In determining whether a refusal to supply amounts to abuse, a few issues must be addressed:
- Is there a refusal to supply?
- Does the accused undertaking have a dominant position in an upstream market?
- Is the product to which access is sought indispensable to someone wishing to compete in the downstream market?
- Would a refusal to grant access lead to the elimination of effective competition in the downstream market?
- Is there an objective justification for the refusal to supply
And more.
Most often, this doctrine comes into play in the realm of patent and infrastructure. Dagang Net’s refusal to supply is very much like Bronner where it wanted to have access to the highly developed home-delivery distribution system of its much larger competitor, Mediaprint. The court preferred to use the term “indispensability” instead of “essential facility”. It stressed that the refusal must be likely to eliminate all competition from the undertaking requesting access, not merely making it harder to compete. Access must also be indispensable, not desirable or convenient and there must be no actual or potential substitute for the requested facility (Jones & Sufrin). It might be arguable that Dagang Net’s services were not “indispensable” because it was merely a simplification of the process from application to approval under the NSW system. Corporations and enterprises may still use the preceding method to obtain approval.
3.2 The balance between promoting competition and upholding contractual rights
On the contrary, other situations to consider are whether it is justifiable to force Dagang Net to provide new/ additional mailboxes for end-users who utilized front-end software who are not their business partners? There may be reasons such as to provide a more holistic and integrated to improve user experience because they are more familiar with business partners services and maybe some functions are catered to the needs of their business partners.
A prime example of streaming end-to-end processes is that you will never find an iPhone which runs on an Android system or an Android phone running on the iOS system. This is because Android phones are catered to maximise the user experience by only using the Android system whilst Apple users who prefer the iOS system will opt for the iPhone instead. One complements the other hence it makes sense to not deviate from the current business strategy.
Secondly, MyCC should not be concerned is because what Dagang Net holds is a contractual right given by the government for its’ exclusivity. In return for this exclusivity, Dagang Net may have invested a lot of money, manpower and time to develop the Trade Facilitation system in which forcing it to share with others might frustrate its’ incentives for further innovation.
However, it is not so straightforward and these arguments can fail. There is clear logic why the intervention of competition law to mandate shared access to a property is controversial. For example in Magill, only a hypothetical secondary market was affected but despite this, the courts ruled against its’ intellectual property rights and granted access. Magill is like the Genesis of Refusal to Supply under Competition law. Really, it all comes to where a balance can be obtained.
So… Can I say no?
Maybe (The most truthful answer you’ll get from every lawyer). In law, there is no hard and fast answer. This is even more where there are other elements such as economics and intellectual property rights into play. Competition law being the watchdog over the conduct of all industries will have to balance various stakeholders’ concerns and determine is a fair and just manner whether there was an infringement.
Monopoly or not, most corporations are profit-seeking but not all profits are obtained with an infringement of competition law. Here, I think there was an infringement if the Commission could prove that the infringement was due to the non-usage of business partners product. Additionally seeing as the monopoly position was ‘granted’ by the government, Dagang Net should not that it is not completely shielded by contract and impose restrictions to its’ whims and fancies.
I anticipate seeing more development in the case in the coming months/ years and also for the outcome of My E.G. Services Bhd & My E.G. Commerce Sdn Bhd’s infringement of Section 10 CA 2010.
Legally Malaysians 