Sodastream (Soda Club) forsøgte i 2006 at hindre et andet firmai 1 at fylde deres kulsyreflasker ved at hævde, at flasken var deres ejendom og ikke kundens (gennem aftaler som alle kunder skulle godkende).
Det gik ikke i Tyskland, og det kan meget vel blive normen i andre EU-lande. Der er behov for konkurence her, både for miljøets skyld (flasken burde fyldes i butiken, det tager 20 sekunder med en kulsyrepumpe) og for prisens skyld, som kunne halveres. Man bør dog bemærke, at prisen for kulsyret vand lavet hjemme bare er en brøkdel af prisen for købt dansk vand. I det perspektiv er kulsyren allerede idag relativt billig. Men det kan blive bedre.
Her er fakta på engelsk fra
Bundeskartellamt
April 13, 2006
Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court confirms immediate enforceability in the Soda-Club case
Soda-Club GmbH, Wiesbaden (“Soda-Club”) may not use its dominant position abusively. Soda-Club had prevented competing suppliers from refilling Co² cartridges for water carbonating machines by claiming its ownership of the cartridges.
In February 2006 the Bundeskartellamt prohibited this conduct. Soda Club opposed the Bundeskartellamt’s immediately enforceable decision by applying to the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court for interim measures. In provisional proceedings the court has now confirmed the Bundeskartellamt’s decision in all material respects. Soda-Club is dominant in the market for refilling CO² cartridges. Hindering competitors from refilling CO² cartridges represents an abuse of this dominant position. By this conduct Soda-Club prevents consumers from taking advantage of alternative refilling possibilities. Only the obligation to point out on labels on the company’s own cartridges that it is admissible to have them refilled by competitors was seen by the Higher Regional Court as a disproportionate measure.
Although Soda-Club can still appeal against the Higher Regional Court’s decision to the Federal Supreme Court, the Higher Regional Court’s decision implies that the numerous small and medium-sized bottling plants can now start to compete with Soda-Club and refill all cartridges circulating in the market.