Log cartel case: damage claims against German states enter decisive phase

A long-running dispute over alleged anti-competitive practices in the marketing of softwood logs by German state forestry enterprises is entering a decisive phase, with courts in several federal states preparing further rulings. At the centre of the case are damage claims of more than €800 million, brought on behalf of dozens of sawmills and financed by an international litigation funder. The claims allege that inflated log prices resulted from the joint marketing and cross-ownership structures used by state forestry enterprises, which were criticised by competition authorities more than 15 years ago. Background: cartel authority intervention ...