The regulatory body has already issued a notice of illegality (accusation) to the company that owns the dominant portal, its parent company, and three management or directors, "considering that there is a reasonable possibility of a conviction being adopted."

The practices under investigation, which date back to the period between 2022 and 2024, allegedly restricted "access to the dominant online real estate advertising portal to some real estate agencies that used the management software (CRM) of a competitor," reveals the AdC, although without identifying the entities in question.

Contacted by Lusa, the Competition Authority explained that "unfortunately, the AdC cannot reveal the identities of those involved in proceedings."

At issue is the suspicion that such restrictions existed to "exclude this competitor from the market," since, according to the AdC, real estate CRM software is used by agencies to export advertisements to online portals and to manage their portfolio of properties and clients.

The investigation, which resulted from a complaint, began on December 20, 2023, and has already entered the instruction phase, during which companies and individuals involved can exercise their rights to a hearing and defense. After the conclusion of this process, the CADE (Administrative Council for Economic Defense) will adopt a final decision.

According to the AdC, abuse of dominant position occurs when "a company unlawfully uses the significant economic power it holds in a market, with a negative impact on competitors or consumers," thus obtaining "the ability to impose unfair conditions, crush margins, practice predatory pricing, refuse to supply goods or services, and discriminate against other companies," the statement explains.