Members of the McGuireWoods LLP Brussels office represented Federalberghi, the Italian association of hotel owners, in two competition complaints before The Italian Competition Authority regarding anti-competitive conduct by online booking agencies. In its first decision, the authority found that TripAdvisor was allowing false reviews on its website, which resulted in complaints by hoteliers who were receiving fake defamatory reviews. We achieved a positive outcome where TripAdvisor was ordered to pay a €500,000 fine.
Brussels partner Vassilis Akritidis led the McGuireWoods team that worked with competition specialist Edoardo Gambardo from the firm Santa Maria Studio Legale Associato in Milan on the Italian competition law side of the case.
Vassilis, who is head of McGuireWoods' international trade team in Europe, said, "This first decision of The Italian Competition Authority against TripAdvisor is a clear sign by the authority that anti-competitive conduct by online booking agencies will not be tolerated. I am very proud of our combined efforts in Brussels and Milan; we have a very happy client."
For more information, read articles on the case outcome in Financial Times and The Telegraph.
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