sons, to fix or maintain the price of any goods or otherwise unlawfully to restrain trade; or to use any form of threat, intimidation, or coercion to induce any member of the industry or other person or persons to engage in any such planned common course of action, or to become a party to any such understanding, agreement, combination, or conspiracy. [Rule 17]

§ 92.18 Prohibited exclusive deals.

It is an unfair trade practice for any member of the industry to lease, or contract to sell or sell any industry product, or to fix a price charged therefor, or discount from, or rebate upon, such price, on the condition, agreement, or understanding that the lessee or purchaser thereof shall not use or deal in the products of a competitor or competitors of such industry member, where the effect of such lease, sale or contract for sale, or such condition, agreement, or understanding, may be substantially to lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in any line of commerce. [Rule 18] § 92.19 Prohibited sales below cost.

(a) The practice of selling products of the industry at a price less than the cost thereof to the seller, with the purpose or intent, and where the effect is, or where there is a reasonable probability that the effect will be, to substantially injure, suppress, or stifle competition or tend to create a monopoly, is an unfair trade practice.

(b) This section is not to be construed as prohibiting all sales below cost, but only such selling below the seller's cost as is resorted to and pursued with the wrongful intent or purpose referred to and where the effect is, or where there is reasonable probability that the effect will be, to substantially injure, suppress, or stifle competition or to create a monopoly. Among the situations in which the requisite purpose or intent would ordinarily be lacking are cases in which such sales were: (1) Made under judicial process; or (2) made in bona fide discontinuance of business in the goods concerned.

(c) As used in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, the term "cost" means the respective seller's cost and not an average cost in the industry whether such average cost be determined by an industry cost survey or some other method. It consists of the total outlay or expenditure by the seller in the acquisi

tion, production, and distribution of the products involved, and comprises all elements of cost such as labor, material, depreciation, taxes (except taxes on net income and such other taxes as are not properly applicable to cost), and general overhead expenses, incurred by the seller in the acquistion, manufacture, processing, preparation for marketing, sale, and delivery of the products. Not to be included are dividends or interest on borrowed or invested capital, or nonoperating losses, such as fire losses and losses from the sale or exchange of capital assets. Operating cost should not be reduced by items of nonoperating income, such as income from investment, and gain on the sale of capital assets.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as relieving an industry member from compliance with any of the requirements of the Robinson-Patman Act. [Rule 19]

§ 92.20 Prohibited discrimination.3

(a) Prohibited discriminatory prices, rebates, refunds, discounts, credits, etc., which effect unlawful price discrimination. It is an unfair trade practice for any member of the industry engaged in commerce, in the course of such commerce, to grant or allow, secretly or openly, directly or indirectly, any rebate, refund, discount, credit, or other form of price differential, where such rebate, refund, discount, credit, or other form of price differential, effects a discrimination in price between different purchasers of goods of like grade and quality, where either or any of the purchases involved therein are in commerce, and where the effect thereof may be substantially to lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in any line of commerce, or to injure, destroy, or prevent competition with any person who either grants or knowingly receives the benefit of such

3 As use in this section, the word "commerce" means "trade or commerce among the several States and with foreign nations, or between the District of Columbia or any Territory of the United States and any State, Territory, or foreign nation, or between any insular possessions or other places under the jurisdiction of the United States, or between any such possession or place and any State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia or any foreign nation, or within the District of Columbia or any Territory or any insular possession or other place under the jurisdiction of the United States."

discrimination, or with customers of either of them: Provided, however:

(1) That the goods involved in any such transaction are sold for use, consumption, or resale within any place under the jurisdiction of the United States, and are not purchased by schools, colleges, universities, public libraries, churches, hospitals, and charitable institutions not operated for profit, as supplies for their own use;

(2) That nothing contained in this paragraph shall prevent differentials which make only due allowance for differences in the cost of manufacture, sale, or delivery resulting from the differing methods or quantities in which such commodities are to such purchasers sold or delivered;

NOTE: Cost justification to be based on net savings in cost of manufacture, sale or delivery. Cost justification under subparagraph (2) of this paragraph depends upon net savings in cost based on all facts relevant to the transactions under the terms of such subparagraph. For example, if a seller regularly grants a discount based upon the purchase of a specified quantity by a single order for a single delivery, and this discount is Justified by cost differences, it does not follow that the same discount can be cost justifiled if granted to a purchaser of the same quantity by multiple orders or for multiple deliveries.

(3) That nothing contained in this section shall prevent persons engaged in selling goods, wares, or merchandise in commerce from selecting their own customers in bona fide transactions and not in restraint of trade;

(4) That nothing contained in this paragraph shall prevent price changes from time to time where made in response to changing conditions affecting the market for or the marketability of the goods concerned, such as but not limited to, distress sales under court process, or sales in good faith in discontinuance of business in the goods concerned;

(5) That nothing contained in this section shall prevent the meeting in good faith of an equally low price of a competitor.

NOTE: Subsection (b) of Section 2 of the Clayton Act, as amended, reads as follows: "Upon proof being made, at any hearing on a complaint under this section, that there has been discrimination in price or services or facilities furnished, the burden of rebutting the prima facie case thus made by showing justification shall be upon the per

son charged with a violation of this section, and unless justification shall be affirmatively shown, the Commission is authorized to issue an order terminating the discrimination: Provided, however, That nothing herein contained shall prevent a seller rebutting the prima facie case thus made by showing that his lower price or the furnishing of services or facilities to any purchaser or purchasers was made in good faith to meet an equally low price of a competitor, or the services or facilities furnished by a competitor."

(b) Examples of prohibited price differential practices. The following are examples of price differential practices to be considered as subject to the prohibitions of paragraph (a) of this section when involving goods of like grade and quality which are sold for use, consumption, or resale within any place under the jurisdiction of the United States, and which are not purchased by schools, colleges, universities, public libraries, churches, hospitals, and charitable institutions not operated for profit, as supplies for their own use, and when:

(1) The commerce requirements specified in paragraph (a) of this section are present; and

(2) The price differential has a reasonable probability of substantially lessening competition or tending to create a monopoly in any line of commerce, or of injurying, destroying, or preventing competition with the industry member or with the customer receiving the benefit of the price differential, or with customers of either of them; and

(3) The price differential is not justified by cost savings (see paragraph (a) (2) of this section); and

(4) The price differential is not made in response to changing conditions affecting the market for or the marketability of the goods concerned (see paragraph (a) (4) of this section); and

(5) The lower price was not made to meet in good faith and equally low price of a competitor (see paragraph (a) (5) of this section).

Example No. 1. The granting of a discount on a purchase made by a customer which is not granted on purchases made by all other customers, or which is not granted in the same amount on the purchases of all other customers.

Example No. 2. At the end of a given period an industry member grants a discount to a customer equivalent to a fixed percentage of the total of such customer's purchases during the period and fails to grant a discount of the same percentage to all other customers on their purchases during such period.

Example No. 3. An industry member sells goods to one or more of his customers at a higher price than he charges other customers for like merchandise. It is immaterial whether or not such discrimination is attended by misrepresentation as to the grade and quality of the products sold.

Example No. 4. Terms of 2/10th prox. are granted by an industry member to some customers on goods purchased by them from the industry member. Another customer or customers are, nevertheless, allowed to take an additional discount when making payment to the industry member within the time prescribed.

NOTE: As previously indicated, the foregoing are examples of practices to be considered violative of the prohibitions of paragraph (a) of this section when involving goods of like grade and quality and when not subject to the other exemptions, exclusions, or defenses set forth in this paragraph.

(c) Prohibited brokerage and commissions. It is an unfair trade practice for any member of the industry engaged in commerce, in the course of such commerce, to pay or grant, or to receive or accept, anything of value as a commission, brokerage, or other compensation, or any allowance or discount in lieu thereof, except for services rendered in connection with the sale or purchase of goods, wares, or merchandise, either to the other party to such transaction or to an agent, representative, or other intermediary therein where such intermediary is acting in fact for or in behalf, or is subject to the direct or indirect control, of any party to such transaction other than the person by whom such compensation is so granted or paid.

(d) Prohibited advertising or promotional allowances, etc. It is an unfair trade practice for any member of the industry engaged in commerce to pay or contract for the payment of advertising or promotional allowances or any other thing of value to or for the benefit of a customer of such member in the course of such commerce as compensation or in consideration for any services or facilities furnished by or through such customer in connection with the processing, handling, sale, or offering for sale of any products or commodities manufactured, sold, or offered for sale by such member, unless such payment or consideration is available on proportionally equal terms to all other customers competing in the distribution of such products or commodities.

(e) Prohibited discriminatory services or facilities. It is an unfair trade prac

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tice for any member of the industry engaged in commerce to discriminate in favor of one purchaser against another purchaser or purchasers of a commodity bought for resale, with or without processing, by contracting to furnish or furnishing, or by contributing to the furnishing of, any services or facilities connected with the processing, handling, sale, or offering for sale of such commodity so purchased upon terms not accorded to all competing purchasers on proportionally equal terms.

NOTE: See subsection (b) of section 2 of the Clayton Act, as amended, which is set. forth in the note concluding paragraph (a) of this section.

(f) Inducing or receiving an illegal discrimination in price. It is an unfair trade practice for any person engaged in commerce, in the course of such commerce, knowingly to induce or receive a discrimination in price which is prohibited by the foregoing provision of paragraphs (a) to (e) of this section. [Rule 201

It is an unfair trade practice to make or publish, or cause to be made or published, directly or indirectly, any false, misleading or deceptive statement or representation, by way of advertisement or otherwise, concerning the grade, quality, quantity, use, size, material, content, substance, origin, preparation, manufacture or distribution of any product of the industry, or in any other material respect.

§ 97.3 Misrepresentation as to character of business.

For any person, firm or corporation to hold himself or itself out to the public as a manufacturer or wholesaler when such is not the fact, or in any other manner to misrepresent the character, extent or type of his or its business, is an unfair trade practice.

§ 97.4 Substitution of products.

The practice of shipping or delivering products which do not conform to samples submitted, to specifications upon which the sale is consummated, or to representations made prior to securing the order, without the consent of the pur

or

The imitation or simulation of the trade-marks, trade names, labels brands of competitors, with the tendency and capacity or effect of misleading or deceiving purchasers, prospective purchasers or the consuming public, is an unfair trade practice.

§ 97.7 False invoicing.

Withholding from or inserting in an invoice, billing or statement any material information by reason of which omission or insertion a false record is made, wholly or in part, of the transaction which such invoice or billing or statement purports to represent, with the effect of thereby misleading or deceiving purchasers, prospective purchasers or the consuming public, is an unfair trade practice.

§ 97.8 False and misleading price quo

tations.

The publishing or circulating by any member of the industry of false or misleading price quotations, price lists, terms or conditions of sale, with the tendency and capacity or effect of misleading or deceiving purchasers, prospective purchasers or the consuming public, is an unfair trade practice.

§ 97.9 Inducing breach of contract.

Inducing or attempting to induce the breach of existing lawful contracts between competitors and their customers or their suppliers by any false or deceptive means whatsoever, or interfering with or obstructing the performance of any such contractual duties or services by any such means, with the purpose and effect of unduly hampering, injuring, or prejudicing competitors in their businesses, is an unfair trade practice.

§ 97.10 Enticing away employees of competitors.

Willfully enticing away the employees of competitors, with the purpose and effect of unduly hampering, injuring or prejudicing competitors in their businesses, is an unfair trade practice.

§ 97.11 Defamation of competitors or disparagement of their products.

The defamation of competitors by falsely imputing to them dishonorable conduct, inability to perform contracts, questionable credit standing, or by other false representations, or the false disparagement of the grade, quality or manufacture of the products of competitors, or of their business methods, selling prices, values, credit terms, policies or services, or conditions of employment, is an unfair trade practice.

The circulation of threats of suit for infringement of patents or trademarks among customers or prospective customers of competitors, not made in good faith but for the purpose or with the effect of harassing or intimidating such customers or prospective customers, or of unduly hampering, injuring or prejudicing competitors in their businesses, is an unfair trade practice.

§ 97.13 Procurement of competitors' confidential information by unfair means and wrongful use thereof.

It is an unfair trade practice for any member of the industry to obtain information concerning the business of a competitor, by bribery of an employee or agent of such competitor, by false and misleading statements or representations, by the impersonation of one in authority, or by any other unfair means, and to use the information so obtained in such a manner as to injure said competitor in his business or to suppress competition or unreasonably restrain trade.

§ 97.14 Commercial bribery.

It is an unfair trade practice for a member of the industry directly or indirectly to give, or offer to give, or permit or cause to be given, money or anything of value to agents, employees or representatives of customers or prospective customers, or to agents, employees or representatives of competitors' customers or prospective customers, without the

The practice of coercing the purchase of one or more products as a prerequisite to the purchase of one or more other products, where the effect may be to substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly or to unreasonably restrain trade, is an unfair trade practice.

§ 97.16 Consignment shipping.

It is an unfair trade practice for any member of the industry to use the practice of shipping goods to dealers or distributors on consignment or pretended consignment for the purpose and with the effect of artificially clogging trade outlets and unduly restricting competitors' use of said trade outlets in getting their goods to consumers through regular channels of distribution, or with such purpose to entirely close said trade outlets to such competitors so as to substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly or to unreasonably restrain trade: Provided, however, That nothing in this section shall be construed or used as restricting or preventing consignment shipping or marketing of commodities in good faith, and without artificial interference with competitors' use of the usual channels of distribution in such manner as thereby to suppress competition or restrain trade.

§ 97.17 Selling below cost.

(a) The practice of selling industry products below the seller's cost, when pursued with wrongful intent of thereby injuring a competitor and where the effect of such practice is to unreasonably restrain trade, tend to create a monopoly, or substantially lessen competition, is an unfair trade practice.

(b) This section is not to be construed as prohibiting all sales below cost, but only such selling below the seller's cost as is resorted to and pursued as a monopolistic practice with the wrongful intent