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India ad agencies antitrust scrutiny has shocked the

industry

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Publicis is asking court to help access antitrust case

records

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India watchdog summoned Publicis exec in August, document

shows

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Dentsu ( DNTUF ) blew the whistle in 2024, triggering India case

By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Publicis has sued India's

antitrust watchdog for denying access to case files in a

high-profile price-fixing investigation of ad agencies, after

the French group failed to get the probe stalled until it could

review the documents, court filings show.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) shook India's

near-$30 billion media and entertainment sector in March with

dawn raids at WPP's ( WPP ) GroupM, Dentsu ( DNTUF ), Publicis

, Omnicom ( OMC ) and many other agencies over

suspected collusion over publicity rates and discounts.

Details of cartel cases are kept confidential in India, but

Reuters has reported that the CCI's initial assessment found the

firms used a WhatsApp group to coordinate and agree on pricing,

entered into secret pacts, and colluded with broadcasters to

deny business to agencies that didn't comply.

Concerned the CCI has not responded to its requests in

recent months to provide access to case files, Publicis

approached the Delhi High Court on August 11 asking judges to

order the watchdog to accede to its requests, according to its

non-public filing reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.

Publicis and its employees in India are "unable to

understand the allegations against them and prepare a defence in

the absence of the case records", it said in the filing.

The CCI did not respond to Reuters queries, and the court is

likely to hear Publicis' case next week.

The filing was made by TLG India, which its court papers

said "is the legal entity that houses majority of the

advertising business of the Publicis group in India".

The antitrust investigation was triggered by Dentsu ( DNTUF )

disclosing alleged industry malpractices to the CCI in February

2024 under the regulator's leniency program, which allows lesser

penalties for firms that share evidence of malpractice.

Publicis is the first company to file a lawsuit related to

the high-profile CCI investigation in court.

Filings showed the company urged the CCI in July that

"further investigation remain in abeyance till" it is granted

inspection of case records.

CCI investigations typically take several months. The

regulator has powers to impose financial penalties on the media

agencies of up to three times their profit or 10% of an Indian

entity's global turnover, whichever is higher, for each year of

wrongdoing.

Publicis' court filing also showed the CCI in July asked for

a brief note from the company about its business model, and how

operations are coordinated with the parent entity.

On August 4, the CCI issued summons to Publicis' South Asia

chief Anupriya Acharya to appear before investigators, and

provide documents such as copies of key contracts involving

Publicis and its Indian entities, including on revenue sharing.

Acharya did not respond to Reuters queries, and Publicis has

asked the court to quash the summon.