antitrust policy

PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION OF THE WEST (PUBWEST) - ANTITRUST POLICY

Publishers Association of the West, Inc., d/b/a PubWest® (“PubWest”) supports full and open competition among its members, and respects and embraces antitrust laws. Antitrust laws prohibit coordinated conduct among competitors as to, by example, price fixing, terms of trade, allocation of customers, markets or territories, and boycotts. Violating antitrust laws could subject PubWest, its members, and staff to criminal or civil enforcement actions by governmental authorities or private litigants. Because an unlawful agreement can be inferred from communications among competitors, PubWest’s members must not engage in discussions (formal or casual) about these topics.

PubWest has adopted the following guidelines (“DO NOT’S” AND “DO’S”) for all PubWest-sponsored activities:

DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING:

• Do not share competitively sensitive information, engage in formal or casual discussions, or enter into agreements that relate to or could result in:
• allocating customers, markets or territories;
• fixing or stabilizing prices, royalty rates or terms of trade, including return policies;
• limiting production;
• boycotting customers, suppliers or rivals;
• coordinating behavior in order to maintain prices or profit margins; or
• coordinating actions that would disadvantage certain members or competitors.

DO THE FOLLOWING:

• Object to or leave any meeting or gathering which abuts against the above DO NOT’S.
• Always use care in all of your discussions and conversations – even casual ones, so that they do not abut against the above DO NOT’S.
• Participate in PubWest, express your views, help with program planning, contribute your knowledge and experience to proper information exchange and education which help PubWest function as a strong trade association helpful to its members.

If you have questions or are aware of any antitrust violations in connection with PubWest’s activities, please immediately email: Michele Cobb, Executive Director – Publishers Association of the West.

Updated April 2021