A company which deals in sports and entertainment products such as posters and stickers has pleaded guilty to breaching competition law by creating a cartel through collusion on pricing to ensure that it did not undercut the prices offered by an online reseller on the Amazon website. Amazon was not a party to the illegal cartel activity.

What is unusual about the case is that the two companies involved achieved their ends through the use of computer software which automated repricing decisions.

The supplier was fined more than £160,000 following an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The fine levied was reduced by 20 per cent to reflect the company’s cooperation with the CMA investigation.