Canada’s Competition Act:
How It Impacts Your Purchase of Storage and Memory Products

In 1986, Parliament enacted major reforms of Canada's competition law and replaced the Combines Investigation Act with the Competition Act.

The Competition Act states that “Tied-Selling” provisions are NOT allowed in consumer warranties. Manufacturers cannot require consumers to purchase items or services in order to keep their warranty valid. This means that you cannot be required to add the system manufacturer's storage peripherals or memory to maintain the warranty on your system. Also, the system manufacturer cannot state that the system warranty is void if other "brands" of peripherals are used.

The Canadian Competition Tribunal enforces the Competition Act. The Tribunal is a specialized court combining expertise in economics and business with legal expertise which hears and decides all applications made under Parts VII.1 and VIII of the Competition Act as informally and as quickly as the circumstances and consideration of fairness allow.

Click here for an excerpt of the Competition Act as it applies to Tied Selling

Click here for a link to the Canadian Competition Tribunal website.