Bucuresti - 26 mai 2021
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Suciu Popa a reprezentat cu succes interesele Bolt intr-un litigiu in materia dreptului concurentei, obtinand recent respingerea unui veritabil class-action formulat de catre o asociatie a soferilor de taxi din Bucuresti, mai multe societati de taximetrie si multipli soferi de taxi avand ca obiect constatarea unor asa zise practici de concurenta neloiala, urmarind interzicerea utilizarii aplicatiei „Bolt” in Bucuresti.
In pofida faptului ca demersul reclamantilor a fost similar altuia initiat cu succes in Cluj impotriva unei alte societati de ride-hailing, argumentele invocate de Suciu Popa au fost retinute de instanta, actiunea impotriva Bolt fiind respinsa ca neintemeiata.
Solutia obtinuta constituie un adevarat precedent in materie si este cu atat mai importanta cu cat vine sa clarifice concepte precum substituibilitatea intre serviciile de ride-hailing si cele de taximetrie precum si raportul dintre legislatia sectoriala nationala si precedentele europene in materie. Aceste clarificari, care nu au fost pana acum adresate in practica instantelor judecatoresti, permit continuarea activitatilor de ride-hailing si contribuie pe mai departe la dezvoltarea sustenabila si responsabila a transportului in Bucuresti si alte zone urbane ultra aglomerate, precum si la promovarea unor servicii care prin plus valoarea adusa de optimizarile tehnologice sunt eficiente logistic, contribuind astfel si la reducerea poluarii.
Echipa dedicata acestui litigiu a fost formata din avocati din departamentele de Dreptul Concurentei si Litigii ale Suciu Popa, fiind condusa de Andrei Georgescu, Partner si Co-Head al Departamentului de Dreptul Concurentei si de Radu Chiran, Managing Associate in cadrul Departamentului de Litigii, cu implicarea lui Paul Manaila si Andrei Nicolae, Associates.
Suciu Popa este o firma de avocatura de top din Romania care ofera servicii integrate, in toate ariile de practica avocatiala. Asumandu-si angajamentul de a face diferenta pe piata serviciilor avocatiale de business, echipa Suciu Popa aduce plus-valoare clientilor printr-o intelegere profunda a nevoilor lor juridice.
Echipa Suciu Popa se bazeaza pe reputatia solida a partenerilor din firma, construita pe parcursul celor peste 20 de ani de activitate in reprezentarea unor clienti importanti, incluzand investitori strategici si fonduri de investitii, multinationale, autoritati publice si institutii financiare internationale, precum si in cele mai complexe tranzactii transfrontaliere, proiecte de investitii de referinta si litigii cu miza importanta.
Suciu Popa ofera servicii juridice complete in domeniul concurentei si litigiilor, fiind alegerea fireasca a companiilor pentru tranzactii internationale sau locale, intr-o varietate de mandate ce includ inspectii inopinate si investigatii ale Consiliului Concurentei, inclusiv in materia abuzului de pozitie dominanta si concurentei neloiale.
Suciu Popa obtains an important victory for Bolt, a top international actor present on the Romanian ride-hailing market
Suciu Popa successfully represented Bolt and obtained the full dismissal of an unfair competition claim before the Romanian courts. The claim consisted in a class-action filed by an association of taxi drivers, several taxi companies as well multiple individual taxi drivers, aimed at banning the use of the „Bolt” app in Bucharest, based on various alleged unfair competition allegations.
Despite claimants’ suit being similar to the one successfully filed in Cluj against another ride-hailing company, the arguments brought forward by Suciu Popa were upheld by the court, thereby resulting in the claim being fully dismissed by the court as ungrounded and lacking merits.
The court’s decision represents a veritable landmark in this sector and is all the more important, as it clarifies concepts such as substitutability of ride-hailing and taxi services, as well as the relation between local sector regulations and the relevant EU court precedents. Such clarifications are extremely important given their novelty, as well as the fact that they enable the continuation of ride-hailing services, thereby contributing to a sustainable and reliable development of transport in Bucharest and other very crowded urban areas, as well as to the promotion of services which, through their technical optimization driven added-value are logistically efficient and help reduce environmental impact.
The team handling this dispute comprised attorneys part of the Competition and Dispute Resolution departments of Suciu Popa, led by Partner Andrei Georgescu, Co-Head of the Competition Department and Managing Associate Radu Chiran from the Dispute Resolution Department, supported by Associates Paul Manaila and Andrei Nicolae.
Suciu Popa is a top independent full-service law firm in Romania. Assuming the role to make a difference on the Romanian legal market, the Suciu Popa team brings added value to clients through deep understanding of their legal and business needs. The team draws on the strong reputation of its partners, built during over 20 years of acting for blue-chip clients including major strategic investors and investment funds, local entrepreneurs and foreign corporations, public authorities and international financial institutions in some of the largest complex cross-border transactions, milestone investment projects and dispute resolution files.
Suciu Popa covers the entire ambit of services in the areas of competition & antitrust as well as dispute resolution, being the natural choice of international and local companies for international or local projects and transactions, in a variety of mandates including dawn-raids and investigations, including in relation to abuse of dominant position and unfair competition.
Comunicat de presă furnizat și asumat de Suciu Popa și Asociații
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Cuvinte cheie:
Suciu Popa Bolt Andrei Georgescu Radu Chiran Paul Manaila Andrei Nicolae