Unfair competition is a legal concept that refers to unfair or deceptive business practices undertaken by a company to gain an unfair advantage over its competitors. These practices are often contrary to business ethics and can cause financial or reputational damage to other market players. The notion of unfair competition varies from country to country according to its legislation and case law, but some practices commonly considered unfair include :

• Deception : Providing false or misleading information about a product or service with the aim of deceiving consumers or diverting customers away from a competitor.
• Economic parasitism : Taking undue advantage of a competitor’s reputation, clientele or advertising investment, without any significant commercial effort.
• Denigration : Disseminating false or disparaging information about a competitor or its products with the aim of discrediting its reputation.
• Violation of trade secrets : Illegally accessing a competitor’s confidential information or trade secrets, then using them to one’s own advantage.
• Misleading comparative advertising : deceptively comparing one’s products or services with those of a competitor in order to mislead consumers.
• Counterfeiting : Illegally using a competitor’s intellectual property, such as trademarks, patents or copyrights.
• Unfair commercial practices : Engaging in commercial practices that prejudice fair competition, such as selling at a loss, price discrimination or exploiting a dominant market position.