Toronto Real Estate Board v. Commissioner of Competition

Toronto Real Estate Board v. Commissioner of Competition
Court (s) Database
Federal Court of Appeal Decisions
Date
2017-12-01
Neutral citation
2017 FCA 236
File numbers
A-174-16
Notes
A correction was made on September 7, 2018.
Reported Decision
Decision Content
Date: 20171201
Docket: A-174-16
Citation: 2017 FCA 236
CORAM:
NADON J.A.
NEAR J.A.
RENNIE J.A.
BETWEEN:
THE TORONTO REAL ESTATE BOARD
Appellant
and
COMMISSIONER OF COMPETITION
Respondent
and
THE CANADIAN REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATION
Intervener
Heard at Toronto, Ontario, on December 5, 2016.
Judgment delivered at Ottawa, Ontario, on December 1, 2017.
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT BY:
NADON J.A.
RENNIE J.A.
CONCURRED IN BY:
NEAR J.A.
Date: 20171201
Docket: A-174-16
Citation: 2017 FCA 236
CORAM:
NADON J.A.
NEAR J.A.
RENNIE J.A.
BETWEEN:
THE TORONTO REAL ESTATE BOARD
Appellant
and
COMMISSIONER OF COMPETITION
Respondent
and
THE CANADIAN REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATION
Intervener
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
NADON and RENNIE JJ.A.
I. Introduction
[1] This is a statutory appeal from two decisions of the Competition Tribunal (the Tribunal) which held that certain information sharing practices of the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) prevented competition substantially in the supply of residential real estate brokerage services in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA): The Commissioner of Competition v. The Toronto Real Estate Board, 2016 Comp. Trib. 7 (Tribunal Reasons, TR) and The Commissioner of Competition v. The Toronto Real Estate Board, 2016 Comp. Trib. 8 (the Order).
[2] TREB maintains a database of information on current and previously available property listings in the GTA. TREB makes some of this information available to its members via an electronic data feed, which its members can then use to populate their websites. However, some data available in the database is not distributed via the data feed, and can only be viewed and distributed through more traditional channels. The Commissioner of Competition says this disadvantages innovative brokers who would prefer to establish virtual offices, resulting in a substantial prevention or lessening of competition in violation of subsection 79(1) of the Competition Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34 (Competition Act). TREB says that the restrictions do not have the effect of substantially preventing or lessening competition. Furthermore, TREB claims the restrictions are due to privacy concerns and that its brokers’ clients have not consented to such disclosure of their information. TREB also claims a copyright interest in the database it has compiled, and that under subsection 79(5) of the Competition Act, the assertion of an intellectual property right cannot be an anti-competitive act.
[3] For the reasons that follow, we would dismiss the appeal.
II. Background and Procedural History
[4] TREB, the appellant, is a not-for-profit corporation incorporated under the laws of Ontario. With approximately 46,000 members, it is Canada’s largest real estate board. TREB itself is not licensed to trade in real estate and does not do so.
[5] TREB operates an online system for collecting and distributing real estate information among its members. This “Multiple Listing Service” or MLS system is not accessible to the general public. Part of the MLS system is a database (the MLS database) of information on properties, including, inter alia: addresses, list prices, interior and exterior photographs, length of time for sale, whether the listing was withdrawn or expired, etc. The information is entered by TREB’s member brokers into the system and appears almost instantly on the MLS database. When inputting information, some fields are mandatory and others are optional. The MLS database contains both current listings and an archive of inactive listings going back to 1986. TREB’s members have full access to the database at any time.
[6] Many brokers operate sections of their websites where their clients can log in and view information, called “virtual office websites” or VOWs. TREB’s data feed delivers information to brokers to populate these sections of their websites. Importantly, not all information in the MLS database is included in the data feed. Certain data is excluded (the “disputed data”). However, TREB’s VOW Policy contains no restriction upon how its members can communicate the same disputed data to their clients through other delivery mechanisms. Consequentially, some information cannot be shared with clients in a VOW, but can be shared with them by other methods, such as in person, by email, or by fax.
[7] In May 2011, the Commissioner first applied to the Tribunal, under subsection 79(1) of the Competition Act, for an order prohibiting certain behaviours related to TREB’s restrictive distribution of digitized data. The Commissioner alleged that TREB’s policies excluded, prevented, or impeded the emergence of innovative business models and service offerings in respect of the supply of residential real estate brokerage services in the GTA.
[8] In April 2013, the Tribunal dismissed the Commissioner’s application, finding that the abuse of dominance provisions of the Competition Act could not apply to TREB because, as a trade organization, TREB did not compete with its members (The Commissioner of Competition v. The Toronto Real Estate Board, 2013 Comp. Trib. 9). However, on appeal in February 2014, this Court set aside the Tribunal’s order and referred the matter back for reconsideration, finding that subsection 79(1) of the Competition Act could apply to TREB (Commissioner of Competition v. Toronto Real Estate Board, 2014 FCA 29, 456 N.R. 373, leave to appeal to S.C.C. refused, 35799 (24 July 2014) (TREB FCA 1)).
[9] The matter was reconsidered by a different panel of the Tribunal in the fall of 2015. On April 27, 2016, the Tribunal issued its reasons on the merits and made an order granting, in part, the Commissioner’s application (The Commissioner of Competition v. The Toronto Real Estate Board, 2016 Comp. Trib. 7). The issue of remedy was the subject of a further hearing and order of the Tribunal on June 3, 2016 (The Commissioner of Competition v. The Toronto Real Estate Board, 2016 Comp. Trib. 8). Those two decisions are now on appeal before this Court.
[10] The intervener in this case is the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), a national organization representing the real estate industry in Canada. TREB is a member of CREA. CREA owns the MLS trademarks. The MLS system is operated by local boards (in this case, by TREB) under license from CREA.
III. The Tribunal Decision
[11] The Tribunal first addressed the abuse of dominance issue by defining the relevant market to be “the supply of MLS-based residential real estate brokerage services in the GTA” (Tribunal Reasons (TR) at para. 161). The Tribunal then addressed the three part test in subsection 79(1) of the Competition Act. For ease of reference, we reproduce the provision here:
Prohibition where abuse of dominant position
Ordonnance d’interdiction dans les cas d’abus de position dominante
79 (1) Where, on application by the Commissioner, the Tribunal finds that
79 (1) Lorsque, à la suite d’une demande du commissaire, il conclut à l’existence de la situation suivante :
(a) one or more persons substantially or completely control, throughout Canada or any area thereof, a class or species of business,
a) une ou plusieurs personnes contrôlent sensiblement ou complètement une catégorie ou espèce d’entreprises à la grandeur du Canada ou d’une de ses régions;
(b) that person or those persons have engaged in or are engaging in a practice of anti-competitive acts, and
b) cette personne ou ces personnes se livrent ou se sont livrées à une pratique d’agissements anti-concurrentiels;
(c) the practice has had, is having or is likely to have the effect of preventing or lessening competition substantially in a market,
c) la pratique a, a eu ou aura vraisemblablement pour effet d’empêcher ou de diminuer sensiblement la concurrence dans un marché,
the Tribunal may make an order prohibiting all or any of those persons from engaging in that practice.
le Tribunal peut rendre une ordonnance interdisant à ces personnes ou à l’une ou l’autre d’entre elles de se livrer à une telle pratique.
[12] The Tribunal found that TREB “substantially or completely controls the supply of MLS-based residential real estate brokerage services in the GTA” and therefore the terms of paragraph 79(1)(a) were met (TR at para. 162).
[13] With respect to paragraph 79(1)(b), the Tribunal found that TREB had engaged in, and continued to engage in a practice of anti-competitive acts (TR at para. 454). TREB took the position that its actions were motivated by concern for the privacy of real estate buyers’ and sellers’ information, and that this concern constituted a legitimate business justification for the VOW restrictions which had to be balanced against the evidence of anti-competitive intent (TR at paras. 21, 285 - 287, 321).
[14] In this context, the Tribunal found TREB’s concern with privacy to be unpersuasive. We will turn to this issue in greater detail later in these reasons; suffice to say at this point that, looking at the record before it, the Tribunal found little evidence that TREB’s VOW committee had considered or acted upon privacy concerns before establishing TREB’s VOW Policy (TR at paras. 321, 360, 390).
[15] Turning to paragraph 79(1)(c), the Tribunal found that the VOW restrictions prevented competition substantially in the market. After describing this branch of the test (TR at paras. 456 - 483), the Tribunal adopted a “but for” approach to this analysis, comparing the real world with the hypothetical world in which the VOW restrictions did not exist. Thus, in the Tribunal’s view, it was the burden of the Commissioner to adduce evidence to prove “a substantial difference between the level of actual or likely competition in the relevant market in the presence of the impugned practice and the level of competition that likely would have prevailed in the absence of that practice” (TR at para. 482).
[16] In describing the applicable test, the Tribunal made the point that the Commissioner could bring either quantitative or qualitative evidence, or both, to meet his burden. Because of its view that “dynamic competition is generally more difficult to measure and to quantify”, there may be a greater need for the Commissioner to rely on qualitative evidence. This is particularly so in innovation cases. However, the Tribunal also recognized “that it may be more difficult to meet this burden when the Commissioner relies largely on qualitative evidence” (TR at paras. 471, 470).
[17] After reviewing the parties’ submissions on the evidence with respect to a lessening of competition (TR at paras. 484 - 499), the Tribunal noted that “there is a high degree of competition in the Relevant Market, as reflected in considerable ongoing entry and exit, a significant degree of discounting activity with respect to net commissions, and a significant level of ongoing technological and other innovation, including with respect to quality and variety and through Internet-based data-sharing vehicles” (TR at para. 501).
[18] Nonetheless, in addressing the “but for” question, the Tribunal found that the VOW restrictions prevented competition in five ways: by increasing barriers to entry and expansion; by increasing costs imposed on VOWs; by reducing the range of brokerage services available in the market; by reducing the quality of brokerage service offerings; and by reducing innovation (TR at paras. 505 - 619).
[19] However, the Tribunal found that the Commissioner had failed to prove that the VOW restrictions were preventing competition in three other manners: by reducing downward pressure on broker commission rates; by reducing output; and by maintaining incentives for brokers to steer clients away from inefficient transactions (TR at paras. 620 - 638).
[20] After satisfying itself that the VOW restrictions were preventing competition in five ways, the Tribunal then addressed the substantiality of those anti-competitive effects. Turning first to magnitude and degree, the Tribunal framed the question as whether “full-information VOW brokerages likely would be hired by significantly more clients as a real estate brokerage but for the aggregate impact of the three components of TREB’s anti-competitive acts” as a result of being able to display the disputed data (TR at para. 646).
[21] TREB had argued that without conversion of website viewers into clients, the popularity of a website was irrelevant (TR at paras. 645, 648). However, the Tribunal found that website innovation could also be relevant if it spurred other competitors to compete (TR at para. 649).
[22] After noting that the Commissioner had failed to conduct an empirical assessment with regard to local markets where sold information (the final price at which a house sold) was available through VOWs and other local markets where such information was not available through VOWs, the Tribunal declined to draw the adverse inference against the Commissioner which TREB argued it should draw. The Tribunal noted that “as a statutory authority, the Commissioner has to be prudent with, and make difficult decisions regarding the allocation of, the limited public funds available for administering and enforcing the Act at any given time” (TR at para. 656).
[23] The Tribunal also considered, in refusing to draw the inference, the fact that the Commissioner’s expert, Dr. Vistnes, had advised the Commissioner that an empirical assessment would be costly, difficult, and of little value. Notwithstanding its refusal to draw the adverse inference sought by TREB, the Tribunal made it clear that the Commissioner continued to bear the burden of proving that the required elements of his application were met which “may well be a more challenging task in the absence of quantitative evidence” (TR at para. 656).
[24] The Tribunal then stated that it was prepared to draw an adverse inference against the Commissioner in regard to the testimony of two of its witnesses, Messrs. Nagel and McMullin, whose brokerages (respectively Redfin Corporation and Viewpoint Realty Services Inc.) conducted business in areas where the disputed data was available and in other areas where such data was not available (Nova Scotia and parts of the United States). Because neither witness presented evidence with regard to these other markets, the Tribunal inferred that the conversion rates of those websites would not be helpful to the Commissioner’s case. However, the Tribunal then noted that it would not give much weight to its inference because of Dr. Vistnes’ opinion that the low conversion rates could be the result of local differences in the relevant markets.
[25] The Tribunal also commented that “even a limited comparison between one local U.S. market where sold information is available and one local U.S. market where such information is not available may have been at least somewhat helpful”, adding that the same comment applied to Nova Scotia with respect to pending sold prices. The Tribunal also commented that the absence of such a comparison made its task with regard to the “substantiality” element of paragraph 79(1)(c) much more difficult. The Tribunal concluded by saying that the absence of such comparison “resulted in this case being much more of a ‘close call,’ than it otherwise may have been” (TR at para. 658).
[26] However, the Tribunal highlighted the little weight it gave to the low conversion rates:
[662] The Tribunal does not accord much significance to the fact that the low conversion rates of firms such as ViewPoint, Redfin and TheRedPin suggest that many consumers are evidently treating the information available on their websites as complements to the information available from the (different) broker they ultimately use to list or purchase their home. The fact remains that the innovative tools, features and other services available on those websites is assisting them to compete, and is forcing traditional brokerages to respond.
In other words, if we understand the Tribunal correctly, it was not prepared to, in effect, give any weight to the fact that the conversion rates of ViewPoint, Redfin, and TheRedPin were not significant. However, later in its reasons, the Tribunal makes the finding that if the disputed data were available to these firms in the GTA, they likely would have been successful in converting “an increasing and significant number of website users into clients”. Paragraph 676 reads:
[676] The Tribunal concludes that being able to obtain sold information from the VOW Data Feed, and to work with that data as they see fit, would likely enable full-information VOWs, including ViewPoint and those such as TheRedPin who would like to become full-information VOWs, to convert an increasing and significant number of website users into clients.
[27] Then, in dealing with the issue of qualitative evidence, the Tribunal made six observations based on the evidence adduced on behalf of the Commissioner:
[666] First … the Disputed Data is very important, if not critical, in assisting Internet-based brokerages to distinguish themselves from incumbent traditional brokerages. …
[667] Second, home purchasers and sellers value being able to obtain information with respect to sold prices, the conditional sale status of homes in the market, firm “pending sold” information, [withdrawn, expired, suspended or terminated] listings and cooperating broker commissions prior to meeting with their broker/agent, or in any event prior to finalizing the listing price of their homes or making an offer on a home.
[668] Third, an inability to display and use the Disputed Data to develop innovative products has been preventing, and is likely to continue to prevent, ViewPoint from entering the Relevant Market. This has also prevented Realosophy and TheRedPin from growing as much as they likely would have grown … this also prevented Sam & Andy from expanding within the Relevant Market, and prevented their brokerage customers from doing the same.
[669] Fourth, ViewPoint, Realosophy and TheRedPin are Internet-based innovative brokerages that, in aggregate, likely would have introduced a considerably broader range of brokerage services, increased the quality of some important services (such as CMAs), benefited from lower operating costs and considerably increased the overall level of innovation in the Relevant Market, “but for” the VOW Restrictions. …
[670] Fifth, the VOW Restrictions have erected barriers to the entry and expansion of innovative brokers in the Relevant Market …
…
[672] Sixth, the VOW Restrictions have stifled innovation in the supply of Internet-based real estate brokerage services in the GTA.
(emphasis in original)
[28] The Tribunal then discussed the importance of the disputed data fields to brokers and consumers, finding that sold data, pending and conditional solds, and withdrawn, expired, suspended or terminated listings were valued by home buyers and sellers (TR at paras. 675 - 685). In the Tribunal’s opinion, making cooperating broker commissions available would also increase transparency in the market and would allow brokers to distinguish themselves by providing more information (TR at paras. 686 - 690).
[29] The Tribunal then reviewed counterarguments to its above findings. The Tribunal did not find significant that some VOW operators in Nova Scotia, which does not have any VOW restrictions, had abandoned their VOWs (TR at para. 693). Likewise, the Tribunal did not find significant the fact that statistics from the National Association of Realtors in the United States indicated that customers did not value the disputed data fields that highly (TR at para. 694 - 696). The Tribunal noted that in the United States, where sold information was “widely displayed by competitor websites”, the National Association of Realtors had started displaying sold information on what appeared to be its official website (TR at para. 700). In addition, the Tribunal was satisfied that the fact that brokers displayed the disputed data when permitted indicated that that information was of value to home buyers; otherwise brokers would not display it (TR at para. 701).
[30] The Tribunal stated its conclusion on the magnitude of the effect of the VOW restrictions on competition in the following way:
[702] For the reasons set forth above, the Tribunal concludes that the VOW Restrictions have adversely affected non-price competition in the Relevant Market to a degree that is material. Indeed, the Tribunal concludes that the aggregate adverse impact of the VOW Restrictions on non-price competition has been substantial, having regard to the considerable negative effect on the range of brokerage services, the negative effect on the quality of service offerings, and the considerable adverse impact on innovation in the Relevant Market. In the absence of an order, this substantial adverse impact is likely to continue. The Tribunal has reached this conclusion despite the fact that, the quantitative evidence on commission rates does not indicate that net commissions for real estate brokerage services were, are or likely would be, materially higher than in the absence of the VOW Restrictions.
(emphasis added)
[31] Then, turning to duration and scope, the Tribunal found that, as the VOW restrictions had been in place since 2011, the duration was substantial. Likewise, as the effects were present throughout the GTA, a substantial part of the market was impacted (TR at paras. 703 - 704).
[32] Thus, the Tribunal found that all three of the subsection 79(1) requirements had been met and that the VOW restrictions were substantially preventing competition for residential real estate brokerage services in the GTA. At paragraphs 705 to 715 of its reasons, the Tribunal summarized its views on the three elements of subsection 79(1).
[33] Turning to copyright, the Tribunal found that TREB did not lead sufficient evidence to demonstrate copyright in the MLS database. Copyright in a database exists where the “selection or arrangement of data” is original (TR at para. 732). The Tribunal found that TREB’s evidence did not speak to skill and judgment in compiling the database, but rather illustrated that it was a more mechanical exercise. The Tribunal pointed to many facts including: TREB did not present witnesses on the arrangement of the data; a third party corrects errors in the database; contracts referencing copyright are not evidence that copyright exists; members provide the information which is uploaded “almost instantaneously” to the database; TREB’s database is in line with industry norms across Canada; and creating rules on accuracy and quality of the information does not reflect the originality of the work (TR at para. 737).
[34] In the alternative, the Tribunal found that, even if TREB had copyright in the database, it would not enjoy the protection offered by subsection 79(5) because TREB’s conduct amounted to more than the “mere exercise” of its intellectual property rights (TR at paras. 720 - 721, 746 - 758).
IV. Issues
[35] In order to dispose of this appeal, we must determine the three following issues:
Did the Tribunal err in finding that TREB had substantially reduced competition within the meaning of subsection 79(1) of the Competition Act?
Did the Tribunal err in failing to conclude that TREB’s privacy concerns or statutory obligations constituted a business justification within the scope of paragraph 79(1)(b)?
Does subsection 79(5) of the Competition Act preclude TREB and CREA from advancing a claim in copyright in the MLS database? If not, did the Tribunal err in its consideration of TREB’s claim of copyright?
V. Analysis
A. Standard of Review
[36] Before addressing the three issues, a few words on the standard of review are necessary.
[37] There is a statutory right of appeal to this Court from decisions of the Tribunal. Subsection 13(1) of the Competition Tribunal Act, R.S.C. 1985 (2nd Supp.), c. 19 (Competition Tribunal Act) provides that any decision or order can be appealed “as if it were a judgment of the Federal Court”. In Tervita Corporation v. Commissioner of Competition, 2013 FCA 28, [2014] 2 F.C.R. 352 (Tervita FCA), our Court held that questions of law arising from decisions of the Tribunal were to be reviewed on the standard of correctness (TR at paras. 53 - 59; see also Canada (Commissioner of Competition) v. Superior Propane Inc., 2001 FCA 104 at para. 88, [2001] 3 F.C. 185). That determination was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in Tervita Corp. v. Canada (Commissioner of Competition), 2015 SCC 3, [2015] 1 S.C.R. 161 (Tervita SCC).
[38] As to questions of mixed fact and law, the Supreme Court in Tervita SCC also upheld this Court’s determination in Tervita FCA that such questions were to be determined on the standard of reasonableness. With regard to questions of fact, leave of this Court is required (Competition Tribunal Act, s. 13(2)). In the present matter, no such leave was sought and consequently we cannot interfere with the Tribunal’s findings of fact (see CarGurus, Inc. v. Trader Corporation, 2017 FCA 181 at para. 17; Nadeau Poultry Farm Limited v. Groupe Westco Inc., 2011 FCA 188 at para. 47, 419 N.R. 333 (Nadeau Poultry Farm)).
B. Substantial Reduction in Competition
(1) TREB’s and CREA’s Submissions
[39] TREB submits that the Tribunal erred in finding that the test under subsection 79(1) of the Competition Act was made out. In its view, the Commissioner bore the burden of proving each element of the test and did not discharge that burden on any of the three elements.
[40] TREB asserts that since it does not control the relevant market, paragraph 79(1)(a) has not been established.
[41] TREB submits that it did not act with the necessary anti-competitive purpose, therefore the Tribunal erred in finding that paragraph 79(1)(b) was made out. In its view, the VOW Policy was meant to allow its members to offer VOWs and thus reach a greater range of potential buyers. The exclusion of some data from the data feed was made for legitimate privacy related reasons.
[42] With respect to paragraph 79(1)(c), TREB submits that the Tribunal erred in accepting speculative qualitative evidence. Actual quantitative evidence was available and should have been brought forward by the Commissioner. His failure to do so should have led the Tribunal to make an adverse inference against him. CREA, the intervener, agrees with TREB’s submissions on these three points.
[43] CREA further argues that the Tribunal read out, for all intents and purposes, the requirement of ‘substantiality’ from the subsection 79(1) test. In its view, statements by brokers are insufficient to establish that access to the disputed data would increase competition substantially. While access to the disputed data may help brokers improve their services, this is not equivalent to a competitive benefit. CREA points to other evidence it claims demonstrates that brokers operating with the current VOW data feed are equally or more competitive than those with access to more data. Furthermore, CREA asserts that there is no proven link between broker success and receiving more data.
(2) The Commissioner’s Submissions
[44] The Commissioner asserts that TREB’s policies regarding the disputed data comprise at least three acts that constitute an anti-competitive practice, as quoted by the Tribunal at paragraph 320 of its reasons:
i. The exclusion of the Disputed Data from TREB’s VOW Data Feed;
ii. Provisions in TREB’s VOW Policy and Rules that prohibit Members who want to provide services through a VOW from using the information included in the VOW Data Feed for any purpose other than display on a website; and
iii. Prohibiting TREB’s Members from displaying certain information, including the Disputed Data, on their VOWs… This prohibition is reinforced by terms in TREB’s Data Feed Agreement that limit the use of the MLS data in the VOW Data Feed to a purpose that is narrower than the corresponding provision in the [authorized user agreement] that applies to Members using the Stratus system...
[45] In other words, the Commissioner argues that it is anti-competitive to prohibit the disputed data from being distributed via the data feed.
[46] The Commissioner further submits that the Tribunal’s paragraph 79(1)(b) analysis is reasonable, entitled to deference, and supported by the evidence. The Tribunal applied the correct legal test, and its finding regarding TREB’s purpose in implementing the VOW restrictions is one of fact, and therefore not reviewable on this appeal. In the alternative, the Commissioner submits that the facts indicate that the Tribunal’s finding on this point was reasonable. The Tribunal looked at the evidence as a whole and determined that, while privacy concerns were mentioned at TREB’s VOW taskforce meetings, they were not a principal motivating factor. Furthermore, this finding turned on a credibility assessment of the testimony of Mr. Richardson, TREB’s CEO, which is entitled to deference.
[47] Regarding paragraph 79(1)(c), the Commissioner submits that the Tribunal once again applied the correct legal test. TREB and CREA misstate the law when they say that the Commissioner must provide quantitative evidence to prove a substantial lessening or prevention of competition. In the Commissioner’s view, this position is not supported by the case law. The Commissioner differentiates Tervita SCC, which found quantification necessary for a merger test under a different section of the Competition Act, namely subsection 96(1). Indeed, according to the Commissioner, non-price effects such as service quality, range of products, and innovation are not amenable to quantification. The Commissioner submits that TREB and CREA are de facto arguing that he has a legal burden to quantify the substantial lessening or preventing of competition. In addition, the Commissioner says that the Tribunal’s refusal to draw an adverse inference against him on this point is entitled to deference.
(3) The Abuse of Dominance Framework
[48] Subsection 79(1), which is reproduced at paragraph 11 above, sets out the three requirements necessary to establish an abuse of dominant position. The Commissioner bears the burden of establishing each of these elements (Canada (Commissioner of Competition) v. Canada Pipe Co., 2006 FCA 233 at para. 46, 268 D.L.R. (4th) 193, leave to appeal to S.C.C. refused, 31637 (10 May 2007) (Canada Pipe)).The burden of proof with respect to each element is the balance of probabilities (Canada Pipe at para. 46; TR at para. 34).
[49] Once the Commissioner establishes each element of subsection 79(1), the person or persons against whom the Commissioner’s proceedings are directed, in this case TREB, can avoid sanction if they demonstrate that the impugned practice falls under one of the statutory exemptions. The only provision relevant to this case is subsection 79(5) of the Competition Act, which states that “an act engaged in pursuant only to the exercise of any right or enjoyment of any interest” derived under certain legislation pertaining to intellectual or industrial property, including the Copyright Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42 (Copyright Act), is not an anti-competitive act.
[50] TREB says, in its written submissions, that it “does not control the relevant market(s)” (TREB’s Memorandum of Fact and Law at para. 66). However, this is the extent of its submissions on the issue. As TREB’s substantive arguments clearly focus on paragraphs 79(1)(b) and (c), we continue on to examine in more depth the requirements of those provisions.
(4) Paragraph 79(1)(b)
[51] Paragraph 79(1)(b) requires that the person or persons “have engaged in or are engaging in a practice of anti-competitive acts”. There is no dispute that TREB’s VOW policies constitute a practice. An indicative list of anti-competitive acts is provided in the Competition Act at section 78. None of those acts are directly relevant to this appeal. However, that list is non-exhaustive.
[52] This Court in Canada Pipe found that an anti-competitive act is defined by reference to its purpose. Drawing on the Tribunal’s decision in Director of Investigation and Research v. NutraSweet Co. (1990), 32 C.P.R. (3d) 1 (Comp. Trib.) (NutraSweet), this Court said that the requisite purpose is “an intended predatory, exclusionary or disciplinary negative effect on a competitor” (Canada Pipe at paras. 66, 74. See also NutraSweet at page 34).
[53] To be more precise, NutraSweet pointed out that the “purpose common to all acts [listed in section 78], save that found in paragraph 78(f), is an intended negative effect on a competitor that is predatory, exclusionary or disciplinary” (at page 34). Indeed, paragraph 78(1)(f) cannot apply to a competitor, as it reads:
78 (1) For the purposes of section 79, anti-competitive act, without restricting the generality of the term, includes any of the following acts:
…
(f) buying up of products to prevent the erosion of existing price levels;
[54] In TREB FCA 1, Sharlow J.A. determined that the ‘on the competitor’ language from NutraSweet and Canada Pipe could not mean ‘on a competitor of the person accused of anti-competitive practices’ (at paras. 19 - 20). On that premise, requiring a predatory, exclusionary, or disciplinary negative effect on a competitor in all cases would render paragraph 78(1)(f) meaningless. Paragraph (f) reflects a self-serving intent, not a relative one intended to harm a competitor. Yet it has been defined by Parliament to constitute an anti-competitive act.
[55] With this in mind, we believe that the Tribunal applied the correct framework with respect to paragraph 79(1)(b). The Tribunal stated that it was looking for a predatory, exclusionary, or disciplinary effect on a competitor (TR at para. 272). Acting on the direction given by TREB FCA 1, the Tribunal defined competitor to mean “a person who competes in the relevant market, or who is a potential entrant into that market” and not a “competitor” of TREB (TR at para. 277).
[56] The Tribunal correctly noted that subjective or objective intent could be used to demonstrate the requisite intent (TR at paras. 274, 283; Canada Pipe at para. 72). It closely scrutinized the evidence of TREB’s subjective intent (TR at paras. 319 - 431). The Tribunal also looked to the “reasonably foreseeable or expected objective effects of the act (from which intention may be deemed…)” (TR at paras. 432 - 451) as instructed by Canada Pipe at para. 67 (see also Tele-Direct (Publications) Inc. v. American Business Information, Inc., [1998] 2 F.C.R. 22; 154 D.L.R. (4th) 328 (FCA), leave to appeal refused, 26403 (21 May, 1998) (Tele-Direct)). The Tribunal conducted a balancing exercise between the exclusionary effects (evidenced by subjective intent) and TREB’s alleged legitimate business justifications (TR at paras. 319 - 431; Canada Pipe at para. 73).
[57] The application of this test to the facts is a question of mixed law and fact. Ultimately, the Tribunal found that “the evidence of subjective anti-competitive intent and reasonably foreseeable exclusionary effects outweighs the very limited evidence that was adduced in support of the alleged legitimate business justifications that TREB claims underpinned the development and implementation of the VOW Restrictions” (TR at para. 452). This is a very fact-driven analysis. The Tribunal weighed the evidence, heard competing witnesses, and made findings of credibility. We see no error that would make this analysis unreasonable.
(5) Paragraph 79(1)(c)
[58] Paragraph 79(1)(c) requires that “the practice has had, is having or is likely to have the effect of preventing or lessening competition substantially in a market” (underlining added). The market in question is not contested. The Tribunal defined the market to be “the supply of MLS-based residential real estate brokerage services in the GTA” (TR at para. 161). We now turn to address the five other elements, as underlined above, in turn.
(a) The Practice
[59] The Commissioner’s Notice of Application was filed in May 2011, before TREB’s current VOW Policy and Rules were in place. In November 2011, TREB enacted its new rules. The Commissioner accordingly amended her Statement of Claim. Nonetheless, the Statement of Claim remains broadly worded and does not specify which particular parts of TREB’s rules and policies the Commissioner is impugning.
[60] The alleged anti-competitive practices relate to what TREB does with some of the data from the MLS system and what TREB allows its members to do with this data. This “disputed data” is defined by the Tribunal, at paragraph 14 of its reasons, to include four types of information:
sold data
pending sold data
withdrawn, expired, suspended, or terminated listings (“WESTs”)
· offers of commission to the successful home buyer’s real estate broker, also called the cooperating broker.
The utility of this data is described in the Tribunal’s reasons at paragraphs 675 to 691, which fall within the “Substantiality” section of the reasons.
[61] The parties’ submissions and the evidence centred almost entirely on three particular practices, which the Tribunal collectively refers to as the “VOW Restrictions” (TR at para. 14). Those practices were the focus of the Tribunal’s reasons and, after separate written and oral submissions on remedy, these restrictions remained the focus of the Tribunal’s order. The following chart provides an overview of the restrictions, as listed in the Tribunal’s reasons at paragraph 14, and their sources.
Restriction
Source
The exclusion of the disputed data from the VOW Datafeed
Policy articles 17, 15, 24
The prohibition on the display of the disputed data on a VOW
Rule 823; Datafeed Agreement clause 6.3(a)
The prohibition on the use of the VOW Datafeed information for any purpose other than display on a website
Datafeed Agreement clause 6.2(f), (g)
[62] It is worth noting that the following TREB rules and policies are not affected by the Tribunal’s order.
Restriction
Source
An individual needs the permission of their broker of record to establish a VOW
Datafeed Agreement clause 6.3(g)
Before viewing listing information on a VOW, a consumer must enter a lawful broker-consumer relationship with the brokerage; this includes agreeing to terms and conditions acknowledging entering into such a relationship and declaring that the consumer has a bona fide interest in the purchase, sale or lease of residential real estate
Rules 805, 809(i), (iii)
Policy articles 1, 6, 7(iii)
Any listings other than TREB’s MLS listings must be labelled as such and searched separately by consumers
Rules 828, 829
(b) Temporal Requirement
[63] The temporal aspect of paragraph 79(1)(c) is not in issue. The effect on competition can be past, present, or future (Canada Pipe at para. 44) The Tribunal found that the VOW restrictions had anti-competitive effects in the past, present and future (TR at para. 706).
[64] A duration of two years will usually be sufficient to establish an effect (Tervita FCA at para. 85). Here, TREB’s VOW restrictions came into force in November 2011 and the Tribunal found the anti-competitive effects had been occurring for a substantial period of time (TR at paras. 703, 708).
(c) Preventing or Lessening
[65] Paragraph 79(1)(c) refers to either a prevention and/or lessening of competition. The Tribunal found a prevention of competition (TR at para. 705). This means that there is no past time that the Tribunal can look at to compare with the present: the Tribunal must look at the present state of competition compared to a hypothetical world in which the VOW restrictions did not exist. This approach is not contested.
(d) Competition
[66] Paragraph 79(1)(c) looks to the level of competition, as opposed to any effects of the behaviour