COLLUSION CLAIMS ACCC probing 'hard-core cartels' Australia's competition watchdog was investigating about 25 cases of alleged anti-competitive "hard-core cartel" activity, a conference was told today. Full report According to ACCC chairperson,Alan Fels,Sony's regional coding is fair game for cracking. http://theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/02/1030508179933.html "...Professor Fels said hard-core collusion, which could involve secret price fixing, bid rigging, market sharing and agreed restrictions on output, was flourishing internationally ""He used his speech to an Australian Institute of Criminology conference to continue his push for jail terms for executives involved in such illegal collusion. Prof Fels said it was unfair that people who cheated the social security or tax systems of tens of thousands of dollars could be jailed, yet senior executives who colluded to cause tens of millions of dollars of loss to the community did not face a prison term." "The law must not be blind to the colour of the collar," he said. Prof Fels said such offences could currently incur fines of up to $500,000 for an individual, or $10 million for a company, but there were no criminal sanctions. "Hard-core cartels are secret, they are difficult to detect, they allow the firms involved to corrupt the competitive process ... and enable those who engage in collusion to line their pockets with higher profits," he said. Prof Fels said that in the six years to 2001, the ACCC received 2,426 complaints about cartels and 400 investigations were conducted. The commission currently was investigating 20 to 25 cases that could potentially involve hard-core cartels. In a submission to a review of the Trade Practices Act by former High Court judge Sir Daryl Dawson, the ACCC has argued for jail penalties for executives found guilty of anti-competitive behaviour. It argues for new seven-year prison terms for executives caught organising illegal cartels, and maximum fines worth 10 per cent of company turnover. Business groups have attacked Prof Fels' move, and called for his powers to be curtailed. END. The US may be too far gone for an ACCC to work,it may need the Mongo alternative.