The Czech competition authority has penalized SHERLOG Technology and O2 Czech Republic for participating in a cartel agreement related to vehicle monitoring and electronic logbooks. The fines amount to 18,357,000 CZK for SHERLOG and 262,320,000 CZK for O2, with SHERLOG also facing a six-month ban on public procurement.

The investigation revealed that from December 7, 2012, to June 9, 2022, the companies divided customers and coordinated their service offerings through mutual communication. This included arrangements for public procurement bids, which constituted a violation of competition laws.

The authority's inquiry began in 2022, leading to on-site inspections at both companies. It was found that their collaboration on the O2 Car Control service extended beyond normal business practices, significantly restricting SHERLOG's ability to market its competing product, SHERLOG Trace.

Evidence showed that the companies actively communicated about business opportunities and coordinated their efforts to secure customers, undermining competition. The authority classified their agreement as a prohibited customer allocation agreement.

The duration of the anti-competitive conduct was a key factor in determining the fines. While SHERLOG received a ban on public procurement due to its involvement, O2 was spared from such a penalty to avoid adverse effects on competition in the telecommunications sector.