RTPR successfully assisted Bookster in legal dispute with publishers

RTPR represented Bookster in the Competition Council's investigation, in which several publishers and their trade association were fined for attempting to drive Bookster out of the market through concerted, anti-competitive activities. The firm also won the case in which the publishers sought to ban Bookster as a whole.

The RTPR team that requested the Competition Council's intervention and supported Bookster before the authority was formed by partners Valentin Berea and Roxana Ionescu, and the court proceedings were led by the team coordinated by Prof. Lucian Mihai, together with lawyers Ana Popa (Nedelcu) and Raluca Tudoroiu.

Valentin Berea said: "We are pleased that our arguments have been heard by the Competition Council. This is a case that tells the story of many technological revolutions - traditional industry players getting together and trying to drive out the new business for fear of losing the interest of customers who will prefer the innovative service. In this case, the much easier access to reading offered by Bookster. The competition problem has been that publishers have acted in concert rather than deciding individually how to adapt their behaviour to new market conditions. Competition law is both a shield for the market and consumers, and a sword for players who are victims of anti-competitive behaviour. Our role as lawyers, as participants in the act of justice, is to help our clients defend their legitimate interests through each of these legal instruments".

According to Roxana Ionescu, "It was an atypical case for us because, unlike the usual mandates we receive, we had to build a case together with the Competition Council, not dismantle it. It was a complex process because it involved identifying the legal arguments, but above all the evidence that would convince the authority to open an investigation, and then using the means at its disposal to collect the additional evidence needed to prove the facts to the appropriate legal standard".

For his part, the entrepreneur Bogdan Georgescu, founder of the association "EDUCATION FOR ALL CHILDREN", owner of the Bookster Library at the time of the relevant facts, said: "I am extremely happy that justice has been done! Bookster was a project close to my heart and I saw it as a social mission. I thank my lawyers who believed in our case and represented me with professionalism and dedication".

RTPR is a leading law firm with an unrivalled reputation, consistently recommended by international legal publications. Its experience in the most complex matters across a wide range of sectors and industries has been recognised and praised by the most prestigious international legal guides such as Legal 500, Chambers & Partners and IFLR1000, which place the firm in the top tier of their rankings. At the same time, several of RTPR's lawyers are recognised as leading lawyers for their sector in the individual rankings.

Recently, RTPR was named "Law Firm of the Year in Romania" at the Chambers Europe Awards 2024, one of the most prestigious awards in the legal sector, confirming the firm's leading status in the field.