Publisher and distributor of specialized publications

In October 2006, a written notice was requested from the Competition Bureau by a company that was considering telephoning potential clients in various places throughout North America to offer them a free 30-day trial to read and review specialized reference and interpretation publications in such fields as business, the environment and occupational health and safety.

The company’s intention in doing so was to send a publication to the person in charge of the specific field covered by the publication sent to the potential customer. This person then had 30 days to decide whether to subscribe to that publication or cancel and return it, at their expense, to the company that sent it.

The company wanted to know the Competition Bureau’s position on the sales scripts that it intended to use and whether this practice raised concerns relating to the Competition Act (the Act).

The Competition Bureau was of the opinion that the sales scripts submitted by the company would not provide the Commissioner with sufficient grounds to commence an inquiry, and that the requirements under section 52.1(2) of the Act regarding disclosure were met.

However, it should be noted that the notice issued by the Competition Bureau concerned only the sales scripts brought to its attention; at no time did the Competition Bureau issue an opinion on any other practices that the company might use in the course of its operations, sales techniques and promotional campaigns.

The written notice was issued on November 8, 2006.

(3100567)