Competition policy

摘要

The Costa Rican government prohibits business practices that hinder free trade. Nevertheless, there are state-owned enterprises with monopolies in several sectors, including fixed-line telecommunications and energy generation. The Competition Law (Ley de Promocion de la Competencia y Defensa Efectiva del Consumidor) of 1994 outlaws anticompetitive practices, though state-owned enterprises are exempt. Article 11 defines monopolistic or anticompetitive practices as any form of the following: price fixing, including the determination of prices for distributors by producers; market manipulation by the limiting of production; the division or distribution of geographical markets by agreement among producers; and any act that impedes the entry or forces the exit of competitors in a product or geographical market. The existence of a monopoly per se is not illegal, but "monopolistic practices" that intentionally seek to limit competition or impede the entry or force the exit of competitors in a given market are illegal.