Competition Bureau reaches anti-competitive agreement with software developer
Posted Jan 17, 2018 04:46:48 PM.
Last Updated Jan 17, 2018 05:20:28 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – The Competition Bureau says it has reached an agreement with a Canadian developer of travel industry software alleged to have created barriers that prevented its competitors from participating in the marketplace.
The bureau says that Softvoyage Inc.’s well-established control of the market for content management software used by most tour operators allegedly saw the company start including exclusivity clauses in its contracts.
These exclusivity clauses would then allegedly force tour operators that were using Softvoyage’s software to use only the company’s software for the distribution and sale of their vacation packages, among other claims.
The bureau says this created a barrier to entry or prevented the viability of any current or potential competitors in the marketplace.
As part of its consent agreement with the bureau, Softvoyage will refrain from enforcing certain clauses or portions of its clauses contained in its contracts with its clients over a period of seven years.
The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
