Flop of the week: Even cheaper than dumping
The low price of 100 francs for a combined annual subscription to the Solothurner Tagblatt and Sonntagszeitung—a price that certainly does not cover costs—is legal. At the very least, such “subscription dumping” does not violate the Unfair Competition Act.
The low and certainly not cost-covering price of CHF 100 for a combined annual subscription to the Solothurner Tagblatt/Sonntagszeitung is legal. At least such subscription dumping does not violate the law against unfair competition. At least that is what the Solothurn-Lebern district court ruled at the end of 2008 and dismissed a lawsuit brought by Vogt-Schild against Tamedia. Dumping in the Mittelland can therefore continue with the court's blessing. In fact, another round has already begun - but this time in the advertising sector. The Solothurner Tagblatt has been offering its obituaries free of charge without interruption since 2002, and will do so again in 2009. That's even cheaper than dumping. Nowhere in the Solothurner Tagblatt's rate documentation is there any mention of "free obituaries". It simply reads "price on request". But anyone who actually sends an inquiry to Tamedia or Espace Media will be told clearly and directly: the obituaries are still free of charge in the eighth year.
