The Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic (PMU) imposed a fine of EUR 675,200 on United Classifieds s.r.o. for a serious breach of competition rules, namely for abuse of a dominant position on the online real estate advertising market.
We are pleased to share our law firm's success in the area of competition law, which has had a broad impact on improving the business environment and ensuring a level playing field for all market participants.
On 22 January 2025, the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic (PMU) imposed a fine of EUR 675,200 on United Classifieds s.r.o. for a serious breach of competition rules, namely for abuse of a dominant position on the online real estate advertising market.
United Classifieds s.r.o. is the operator of the largest and most famous Slovak advertising portals such as nehnutelnosti.sk, topreality.sk and reality.sk, which are key platforms on the online real estate advertising market. However, its actions have led to a significant disruption of the balance and healthy competitive conditions in this sector. Starting in 2020, the company began offering classifieds exclusively in the form of a package that covered all three major portals simultaneously, without the option of choosing a specific portal. This approach limited the freedom of advertisers, especially real estate agents, brokers and other real estate entrepreneurs, who would prefer to advertise on specific portals according to their target group. This unreasonable and inflexible business model harmed competition as advertisers could not take advantage of efficient and individually tailored advertising opportunities.
In addition, from 2020 to early 2022, United Classifieds s.r.o. implemented additional restrictions that worsened market conditions. Namely, the company significantly limited technical access to its portals for real estate agents who used competing software solutions for automated import of listings. This move resulted in unnecessarily high costs and reduced flexibility as estate agents were forced to manage their listings manually, increasing the administrative burden and slowing down the whole process. Such conduct also significantly distorted competition and gave an undue advantage to United Classifieds s.r.o., which thereby limited the ability of competitors to offer their services in an efficient manner.
This intervention by the Slovak Antimonopoly Office is of continuing importance as it aims to restore fair and transparent market conditions, which is essential to maintain the dynamism and quality of service in the online advertising sector. The PMU's decision has strengthened competition in the market, thereby helping to protect consumers and businesses from abusive practices that may have long-term negative consequences for the overall economy.
We are proud to assist our clients in protecting their rights and interests while contributing to a fair and transparent business environment.
We would like to thank our clients Združenie realitných kancelárii Slovenska (Association of real estate brokers) and BackOffice s.r.o. (software provider) for their trust and support, and we look forward to continued success in protecting their rights and interests.
