Poland: Issued ruling in UOKiK investigation into Dell for anti-competitive conduct

On 14 October 2024, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) concluded an investigation into Dell's sales practices, finding them potentially anti-competitive. The investigation focused on Dell's agreements with wholesale distributors and authorised sellers that could have restricted competition in the sale of IT infrastructure products and services, including cloud computing, storage, databases, and other software solutions. As a result, Dell has been obligated to revise its sales model to allow multiple authorised sellers to compete freely for the same customer without needing Dell's approval or disclosing the customer's identity. Additionally, Dell was fined PLN 6'000'000 for providing false information during the investigation. Dell has a six-month period to implement the new sales rules once the decision becomes final, with the requirement to report back on compliance. The ruling issued by UOKiK is subject to appeal.