Public Consultation on CCCS Guidance Note for Business Collaborations 2021

The public consultation on the Business Collaboration Guidance Note ("Guidance Note") was held from 30 July 2021 to 27 August 2021.

The Guidance Note aims to clarify CCCS’s position on seven common types of business collaborations, and to provide supplementary guidance on how CCCS will generally assess whether such collaborations comply with section 34 of the Competition Act (Cap. 50B). In particular, the Guidance Note sets out factors and conditions, such as the nature and extent of the collaborations, and indicative market shares, under which  competition concerns are less likely to arise from the collaborations.

Consultation Materials:
  • The Draft Guidance Note (for public consultation purposes)

  • Consultation questions (In addition to inviting comments on the draft Business Collaboration Guidance Note itself):
    1. Are there other types of common collaborations that you think should be included in the Business Collaboration Guidance Note? If so, please state these collaborations and explain why they should be included.
    2. Is there other information and guidance, including specific guidance to trade associations, that you think should be included in the Business Collaboration Guidance Note? If so, please state and explain why they should be included.
    3. Are the examples and diagrams provided in the Business Collaboration Guidance Note sufficiently clear in providing guidance? If not, please highlight how they can be further improved.
    4. What type of post-issuance collaterals and engagements would be useful to supplement and provide further guidance to businesses on business collaborations? What would be the most effective format of these collaterals and engagement?

The following document contains CCCS's response to the public consultation:

Final Business Collaboration Guidance Note: