Unfair Competition and Its Impact on Consumer Rights
Automatically translated summary. The full text is available in Romanian.
A note by the Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup” explains what unfair competition is and how it affects consumers in the Republic of Moldova. Produced under the national consumer information campaign “Consumer rights are my rights!”, it outlines the legal framework and the main forms of unfair practices.
Competition drives innovation, efficiency and quality, but unfair practices distort the business environment, harm consumers and erode public trust in the fairness and transparency of commercial activity. In Moldova, the Law on Competition No. 183/2012 distinguishes five main forms of unfair competition.
The note describes three of them. Discrediting competitors may be direct, through false statements about a rival, or indirect, through false information about a company’s own activity or products. Unlawful acquisition or use of trade secrets does not mislead consumers directly, but over time it may reduce innovation, limit the variety of offers and raise prices. Confusion arises from illegally copying a product’s shape, packaging or advertising, or unlawfully using a trademark, company name or design. The full note, with concrete examples, is available for download. The project is funded by the European Union and Soros Foundation Moldova.
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