21/10/2009 - Members of Brick Court Chambers advise on successful settlement decision

A number of members of Brick Court Chambers acted successfully for parties involved in the European Commission investigation into the activities of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS.) in the ship classification sector. The case was settled by way of a Commitments Decision, which involved no findings or admissions of liability and no payment of fines by IACS or any member of it.  The case is the first major settlement in a horizontal cooperation case following a series of dawn raids in 2008.  The case is also notable as it provides further guidance on the EU Commission's approach to standardisation-type issues, and in particular where safety issues underpin decisions that might also be considered to raise competition law issues.