Anti-Monopoly and Competition Law in Oman

Introduction

This article provides a brief overview of the legal framework of the Anti-Monopoly/Competition Law in Oman, its implementation, and consequences of businesses in violation of its provisions.

The Competition Protection and Monopoly Prevention Law (the “Competition Law”) was promulgated by Royal Decree 67/2014 in order to establish a control regime and prohibit agreements that would result in abuse of market dominance. The provisions of the law are applicable to all production, trading, or services activities, including any economic or commercial activities that are practiced inside or outside Oman and have an influence on the Omani market.

Under the Competition Law, the concept of the relevant market is defined as a market that is based on two elements: i) the relevant products, and ii) the geographical scope. The relevant products are the those regarded as interchangeable or substitutable from the point of view of the recipient of the service or commodity. This includes products that are provided by competitors in other markets that are accessible by the consumer. The geographical scope refers to the geographical area in which the conditions of competition are homogeneous, with both sellers and purchasers contributing towards the setting of prices. Interestingly, the geographical scope is not limited to Oman, as the Competition Law applies to any economic or commercial activity that has effects inside Oman.

Impact of the Competition Law on businesses

While the Competition Law does not apply to wholly owned government entities, it has significant implications for private-sector businesses that have a dominant market share.

Under the Competition Law, private-sector businesses with dominance in the market are prohibited from engaging in practices that would undermine, lessen, or prevent competition. A juristic or legal person is considered in a “dominant position” if it has control of, or has an influence over, more than 35% of the relevant market, including the acquisition of a market share. This market share is the sole determinant of a business’ dominant position; the Competition Law does not include any references to local turnover or other financial indicators.

If a business is considering taking acts that might result in market dominance, whether directly or indirectly, to avoid sanctions under the Competition Law it must submit a written application before undertaking these acts (see below).

The Competition Law also prohibits businesses or individuals from entering into agreements or contracts, whether inside or outside Oman, for the purpose of monopolising the import, production, distribution, sale, or purchase of any commodity.

Enforcement of the Competition Law  
The Public Authority for Consumer Protection (the “PACP”) implements the Competition Law. When a business applies for approval of an act, it must provide PCAP the information relevant to the specific situation. The PACP then has a period of time to consider the application; interestingly, if the period expires without a response, this is considered an approval of the act. However, the PACP may withdraw an approval after its issue in case it discovers that the information submitted by the applicant is incorrect or deceptive. In any case, any act that will result in a market share of more than 50% is prohibited and no such approval may be granted.

The PACP is rather strict in enforcing the Competition Law provisions and the consequences are wide- ranging as explained above. By virtue of Article 17 of the Competition Law, any person may submit a complaint to the PACP, including competitors and the general public. The PACP receives a large number of complaints and investigates them thoroughly. We are aware of a number of such proceedings and therefore we do not advise any entity to take such a risk, especially considering the severity of the penalties.

Consequences of violating the Competition Law  
A business’ failure to apply to the PACP for approval, followed by acts resulting in market dominance, may result in sanctions under the Competition Law. These range from imprisonment to administrative fines depending on the violation committed. Under the Competition Law, the PACP may also choose to refer a case to the Public Prosecution. The chairman and members of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, and the authorised managers of the violating business may face penalties depending on their awareness of the violation of the Competition Law. Finally, the Omani courts may force businesses to take measures in compliance with the Competition Law.

Unfortunately, the PACP current policy in respect to this issue is not to disclose details of the filings received and this, coupled with the fact that the Executive Regulations of the Competition Law have not been issued yet, contributes to the general uncertainty on the actual application of the Competition Law.