Practical Guide to Navigating the Exchange of Competitively Sensitive Information
Submitted by: Nicolene Schoeman-Louw, Schoemanlaw Inc. Save to Instapaper
Nicolene Schoeman-Louw | SchoemanLaw Inc
Category: Commercial Law | Contract Drafting
In today’s fast-moving business world, staying competitive often requires companies to gather market insights. However, when these insights involve sharing information with competitors, businesses need to tread carefully. The Competition Act 89 of 1998 (the "Act") sets strict guidelines on how Competitively Sensitive Information (“CSI”) can — and cannot — be shared. Let’s break it down.
What is Competitively Sensitive Information?
Section 1 of the Act defines CSI as:
"Information that is important to rivalry between competing Firms and likely to have an appreciable impact on one or more of the parameters of competition (for example price, output, product quality, product variety, or innovation)."
This can include:
- Prices
- Customer lists
- Production costs
- Turnover and sales figures
- Capacities and marketing plans
- Research and development (R&D) details
- Investments and technology insights
Essentially, if the information impacts how businesses compete, it’s likely classified as CSI.
When Can You Share Competitively Sensitive Information?
The Competition Commission, through its Guidelines on the Exchange of Competitively Sensitive Information, acknowledges that sharing certain types of data can benefit the market — but only under the right conditions. Examples include:
- Improving investment decisions
- Enhancing product positioning
- Facilitating industry entry for newcomers
- Benchmarking best practices
- Understanding market demand trends
Rule of Thumb - Safe-to-share data:
- Historical, aggregated market data
- Industry-wide health and safety practices
- Governance and compliance standards
Risky-to-share data:
- Current or future pricing strategies
- Customer-specific details
- Production capacities or costs
- Marketing and strategic plans
How Information is Shared Matters
Information exchanges can happen directly between competitors or through third parties like trade associations, accounting firms, or data aggregators. The Commission watches these exchanges closely — especially when they could enable collusion or coordinated behavior.
The key factors the Commission looks at when determining potential harm include:
- Timeliness: Sharing current or future plans is more harmful than historical data.
- Accessibility: How easily is the information accessed or distributed?
- Necessity: Is the information genuinely essential to achieving a legitimate business goal?
Legal Boundaries and Defenses
Section 4(1)(a) of the Act prohibits sharing CSI if it substantially lessens competition — unless a company can prove Procompetitive Gains that outweigh the harmful effects. In other words, if the information exchange leads to better products, lower costs, or innovation that benefits consumers, companies might have a valid defense.
Important reminder: The exchange of personal data is separately regulated by the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Always ensure data privacy compliance, too.
Conclusion
Exchanging market insights can be a powerful tool for businesses, but the line between competitive intelligence and unlawful collusion is thin. To stay on the right side of the law:
- Stick to historical, aggregated, or non-sensitive data.
- Avoid discussing pricing, customers, or future strategies with competitors.
- Consult a legal expert if you’re unsure — the penalties for getting it wrong can be severe.
Need guidance on compliance or competition law? Contact SchoemanLaw for practical, expert advice tailored to your business.
Nicolene Schoeman-Louw | SchoemanLaw Inc
Specialist Technology, Commercial and Contract Law
https://schoemanlaw.co.za/our-services/commercial-law/
https://schoemanlaw.co.za/our-services/contract-drafting/
Press Release Submitted By
- Agency/PR Company: SchoemanLaw Inc.
- Contact person: Nicolene Schoeman-Louw
- Contact #: 021 425 5604
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SchoemanLaw Inc Attorneys, Conveyancers and Notaries Public is a boutique law firm offering its clients access to high quality online legal documents and agreements, together with a wide range of legal services. The firm has an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset that distinguishes it from other law firms. We apply our first-hand understanding of the challenges facing entrepreneurs (regardless of their business size) to develop proven, practical solutions incorporating legal compliance, risk aversion and business sense. We achieve this by offering clients tailored, yet holistic support comprising of legal gap analysis, the design of tailored legal solutions and the practical implementation thereof through training and automation. With your personal interests in mind, our ultimate aim is to implement measures that protect the results of your hard work as effectively as possible.
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