"Ensuring Fair Play, Safeguarding Clients’ Legitimate Business Objectives"

Although Ethiopia only recently promulgated comprehensive antitrust/competition laws, the country has, since then, regularly revised these laws making this area of Ethiopian law a complex and constantly evolving one. These laws cover various areas such as merger pre-approvals, price-fixing, market allocation, monopolistic practices, advertisement regulations, and unfair competition. While the Ethiopian Trade Competition and Consumer Protection Authority is the primary regulatory body overseeing and enforcing Ethiopian competition laws, other regulatory entities including the Ethiopian Communication Authority and the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority also hold authority in this realm.

Our team's extensive experience, industry knowledge, and practical exposure working closely with the Ethiopian Trade Competition and Consumer Protection Authority, Ethiopian Communication Authority, and the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority equip us to effectively address our clients' most critical competition law challenges. The expertise of our team covers a wide spectrum of competition law matters, ranging from navigating premerger approval processes in competitive transactions, responding to government investigations, and representing clients in class action lawsuits or competitor disputes, to advising on intellectual property issues, collaborations with competitors, and other antitrust/competition concerns. Whether it involves defending against high-stakes government or civil litigation, obtaining transaction approvals, resolving advertisement disputes, or providing strategic guidance to navigate antitrust issues that could potentially derail legitimate business goals, we are well-prepared.

At Makkobilli Law Firm, we assist businesses in understanding and complying with these laws to mitigate the risk of violations. Additionally, we provide representation and defend legal interests of businesses against antitrust obstacles that could sidetrack legitimate business objectives. Please review some of the antitrust/competition services we offer below to explore how we can support your needs:

• Compliance: Helping businesses understand and comply with the complex and constantly evolving antitrust laws and regulations through our compliance counseling service.
• Mergers and Acquisitions: Assisting businesses in assessing the antitrust implications of mergers and acquisitions, preparing merger notification documents, and advising helping businesses navigate the regulatory approval process and ensuring that the transaction does not violate antitrust laws.
• Competition Investigations: Representing businesses in antitrust investigations by government agencies and helping them respond to inquiries, gather evidence, and defend against allegations of anticompetitive behavior.
• Litigation: Representing businesses in antitrust litigation before the Trade Competition and Consumer Protection Authority as well as Ethiopian Communication Authority Tribunals and Courts, including lawsuits alleging violations of antitrust laws.
• Counseling: Providing ongoing legal advice to businesses on antitrust compliance and risk management, helping businesses develop antitrust compliance programs, conduct internal audits, and address potential antitrust issues before they escalate into legal disputes.