The audience and media present never expected that the first antitrust case in the coffee market, which had a high probability of ending in settlement or withdrawal of the lawsuit, would actually end with Starbucks' disastrous defeat and compensation, as countless legal experts had analyzed in detail beforehand.
Until the end of the trial, the plaintiff and defendant left the court one after another, and many men and women who listened to the case still had expressions of disbelief on their faces.
how can that be possible?
The draft I prepared earlier cannot be sent out now, I have to rewrite it when I go back...
However, this time it will definitely be the front page headline!
Whether it is the parties and audiences participating in the trial, or the legal experts who are paying attention to the case, everyone knows very well what this verdict marks.
The wind has changed.
On August 1, 2008, the Anti-Monopoly Law was officially implemented. The birth of this law is also known as an important milestone in the domestic market economy.
Five years later, because the National Development and Reform Commission suddenly launched an anti-monopoly effort, 2013 was also called the first year of anti-monopoly.
On the eve of a new round of comprehensive reform, antitrust has taken on unusual significance.
Judging from the current controversial typical antitrust cases in China, it is probably impossible to escape these three situations.
The first is antitrust disputes in the domestic fully competitive economic field.
For example, Qihoo 360 and Penguin took the lead in Internet antitrust.
This year, the Guangdong Provincial High Court issued a ruling that Penguin did not abuse its market dominance and did not support all 360’s claims.
At the beginning of this year, two liquor brands were fined 449 million yuan for suspected market manipulation, setting a new record for antitrust fines issued by the government.
The second is anti-monopoly against overseas companies and foreign brands.
The controversy between Coffee Justice and Starbucks falls into this category.
Third, on the eve of a new round of comprehensive reform, the problem of monopoly in basic industries has once again become prominent. The hot areas are the independence of the PetroChina pipeline network and the reform of the electric power system.
In addition, the National Development and Reform Commission recently stated that it will continue to urge China Telecom and China Unicom to continue to rectify monopoly issues in the field of broadband access, with a rectification period of 3 to 5 years.
At the same time that the Jiangcheng Intermediate People's Court pronounced a coffee monopoly on eucalyptus fermentation, the state also recently released a reform report to the public.
The report stated: "The shortcomings of monopoly in some industries have had an increasingly obvious negative impact on the overall economic and social development. It is urgent to vigorously promote industry reform. The focus of reform is to relax access, form a competitive market structure, and at the same time strengthen natural monopoly
link to form effective supervision.”
At this time, thoughtful people finally understood that if compared in terms of scale, the local company Coffee Justice may be more than weak, but when it comes to the control of policies and macro directions, Starbucks does not lose unfairly.
The lawsuit filed by Coffee Justice is right at the forefront of national policy, and it is supported by detailed and reliable evidence. How could it not win?
The anti-monopoly of overseas companies and foreign brands is essentially closely related to changes in the domestic economy.
That is to say, the unipolar state of manufacturing in China and exporting to the world has begun to evolve into the bipolar state of manufacturing in China and the world market.
In fact, when the economic development model is changing and many domestic companies are having a hard time, many foreign companies are bucking the trend and expanding in the Chinese market, making acquisitions frequently.
It has become increasingly necessary for the government to set clear boundaries for these foreign-funded enterprises through anti-monopoly.
The role of antitrust is first to prevent oligarchs from jointly manipulating prices and harming consumer interests. This phenomenon has already occurred, but it may not become mainstream.
What is even more harmful is that if the era of oligarchy gradually enters a stable state, or reaches the stage of solidification of interests, new competitors may be stifled in various ways, which fundamentally undermines the true meaning of free competition.
Therefore, when Starbucks' legal team went back to review the case, they unanimously believed that once the policy was issued, it basically represented the will of the country. Even if we fight again, we cannot win, and there is no need to continue to appeal to the High People's Court.
...
"Lawyer Fan, you have worked hard during this time."
Outside the trial court, the last person to leave was the plaintiff’s team of Coffee Justice and litigation lawyers. They still had many procedures and documents to fill out.
Wen Jue, who had won the victory, was obviously in a good mood. Even her steps on the high heels were a little brisk. If she were not in a court that represented fairness and justice, she might have started humming a song on the spot.
"What we should do, Mr. Wen, you don't have to be polite, it's all within our scope."
Fan Mengru's performance today was perfect. Whether it was controlling the rhythm of speeches on the court or presenting evidence to reverse the situation at critical moments, every move was like a textbook. Zhong Leyi, who was studying the whole process next to him, refused to blink for fear of forgetting.
key point.
She took two quick steps and held Wen Jue's hand, applying slight pressure on her palm, unable to conceal the excitement in her heart.
Five hundred thousand in legal fees is not a small sum.
After calculating how much of it he could share, Fan Mengru looked at Wen Jue with a gentler look.
God of Wealth, where can I find such a God of Wealth? Can we get a few more?
"Hey, Lawyer Zhong, thank you for your hard work. I heard that the key evidence for the comeback was unearthed by your team. There is something."
After Wen Jue let go of Fan Mengru's hand, he turned to Zhong Leyi behind him with his big watery eyes, and walked over to chat with a smile.
Except for the person involved, Zhong Leyi, no one knew who was behind Dexin Food's betrayal at the critical moment.
Of course, even the person involved did not know what kind of one-stop service Gu Yun said was the one-stop service. Why the core figure of Dexin Food agreed and what conditions he promised. Zhong Leyi was also confused.
inside.
At the end of the matter, she took the latest secretly photographed evidence and gave it to Fan Mengru, which used a magic touch to change the situation of the case.
"No, no, it's all thanks to everyone. I only made a small effort, which is not worth mentioning..."
Zhong Leyi was a little embarrassed to take credit, but she also didn't want to talk about Gu Yun, so she smiled and said no.
"In the evening, I will organize a celebration party on behalf of Coffee Justice. Can you both go?"
Wen Jue smiled and held Zhong Leyi's arm. The two were so close that the familiar scent of perfume flowed into Zhong Leyi's nose unconsciously even without taking a deep breath.
"Mr. Wen, I'll excuse you. I've been working overtime every day during this period. It's hard to catch my breath. I'm going on a blind date."
Fan Mengru waved her hand, she always seemed out of place at young people's dinner parties.
"I'm not going to Mr. Wen either. I want to spend time with my boyfriend tonight. Let's talk about it next time when we have a chance, right?"
I have never seen Wen Jue before, so why is this smell so familiar?
Zhong Leyi didn't have time to think clearly, and the reason for rejection slipped out of her mouth.
"My boyfriend, can you bring me with you?"
Wen Jue's eyes flashed, and he smiled softly and extended the invitation.
