|
COMPETITION BUREAU
OF CANADA LAYS CHARGES AGAINST INTERNET REGISTRY OF CANADA
Ottawa, October 28,
2002 - The Competition Bureau announced today that charges were
laid in Toronto against the Internet Registry of Canada and
its principals under the Competition Act's misleading representations
and deceptive telemarketing provisions.
The Competition Bureau alleges
that the Internet Registry of Canada, which offered an Internet
domain name registration service, marketed its services by sending
mail solicitations that appeared to be invoices sent on behalf
of the Government of Canada or an officially sanctioned agency
registering domain names in Canada, to individuals and organisations
whose domain names were about to expire. The mailings allegedly
gave the impression that domain name holders were existing customers
of, and had to re-register their domain names with, the Internet
Registry of Canada which was not true.
Charged along with the company
were James Tetaka and Daniel Klemann. Mr. Tetaka was recently
charged with respect to another matter, Yellowbusiness.ca.,
which was also charged under the Competition Act with respect
to allegedly deceptive mail solicitations.
"These charges reflect the
Bureau's ongoing efforts to ensure that Canadian consumers are
protected from deceptive marketing practices," said Raymond
Pierce, Deputy Commissioner, Fair Business Practices Branch.
"We will continue to thoroughly investigate such cases,
particularly where the individuals responsible move from one
deceptive practice to another."
Consumers who suspect they have
been the victim of deceptive marketing practices or who want
information on the application of the Competition Act should
contact the Bureau's Information Centre at 1-800-348-5358, or
visit our Web site at www.cb-bc.gc.ca.
The Competition Bureau is an independent
law enforcement agency which ensures that all Canadians enjoy
the benefits of a competitive economy. It oversees the application
of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling
Act, the Textile Labelling Act and the Precious Metals Marking
Act.
|
