Katarzyna Menszig-Wiese LL.M., PhD

Attorney-at-lawManaging Associate

Bio

Katarzyna Menszig-Wiese is a leading member of the Competition Law Team at the Law Firm. Her responsibilities involve identifying antitrust risks and reviewing and correcting B2B contracts and standard consumer contracts, also in terms of compliance with the requirements of the provisions on payment backlogs including the terms and conditions, also in terms of compliance with the requirements of the provisions on payment backlogsdrafting procedural documents in proceedings before the President of the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), and assessing the use of new technologies in business for compliance with competition law. She also uses her expertise to assist entrepreneurs in public consultations of legislative proposals and prepares analyses of their impact on market participants. Katarzyna joined the firm in 2013, and advises Clients from a range of industries, including FMCG, fuel, e-commerce, and pharmaceuticals. She acquired invaluable professional experience during a traineeship at the European Commission in Brussels, which she completed in 2015.

Katarzyna is actively involved in academic work – she has authored more than ten publications on Polish and European antitrust law and intellectual property law. She has taught courses in competition law for students of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the Jagiellonian University for several years. She also shares her knowledge by commenting on current changes in competition law and consumer law for the media.

An LL.M. graduate from Heidelberg University (Germany), Katarzyna holds a Ph.D. in law from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. She is admitted to the bar in Kraków.

She has a perfect command of both general and legal English and German (level C2) enabling Katarzyna to advise foreign Clients.


Related news

Blog 10
15 Dec 2023

Consumer law: AI is reviewing your contract templates online right now

At the end of September, the CJEU delivered a ruling stating that where the wording of a provision in a consumer agreement template is equivalent to that of a clause listed as an abusive clause in the register of abusive clauses, this is by itself grounds for invalidation of that provision. This argument, which incidentally has caused some controversy, is no small matter for traders that enter into agreements with consumers. Since the beginning of 2023, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has been using AI to perform searches for abusive clauses. The AI tool used by UOKiK has learnt to red-flag contractual clauses, using the information in the register of abusive clauses and other sources.

13 Sep 2023

Limits on a non-compete clause in a franchising agreement: looming risks for franchisors

In midsummer, a new legislative proposal concerning franchising agreements emerged, causing concern for many franchisors. Although some of the most controversial ideas were dropped, the final version of the bill does not seem to recognize the risks involved in limiting the use of non-compete clauses in such agreements.

08 Jun 2023

Will the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) provide support in the pursuit of claims for breach of competition law?

Although the Act on Private Enforcement of Competition Law has been in force in Poland for almost six years, cases of this kind are only now gaining momentum. The Polish competition authority recently, somewhat unexpectedly, made a statement that may encourage victims to take legal action.

02 Mar 2023

The risks connected with shifting the moment an agreement is concluded: why Amazon is facing fines for breaching consumer rights in Poland

The latest enforcement activities of the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) have proven yet again that UOKiK does not shy away from investigating and bringing charges against the major market players. Last month, the authority announced it was bringing charges against Amazon EU SARL.

20 Dec 2022

Tip for doing business in Poland – respect consumer protection rules!

When launching a service in a new jurisdiction, it is advisable to double-check compliance with consumer protection rules. Some countries might have a more stringent approach to certain issues than others. This is exactly the case in Poland. The local competition authority (UOKiK) sees consumer protection as a priority, and does not shy away from enforcing the law in cases where – in its opinion – contracting terms do not live up to the expected standard.

25 Oct 2022

Conditions for respecting warranties under scrutiny by the Polish Competition Authority

Certain motor vehicle importers who trade in well-known models in Poland have changed their approach toward automobile repairs under warranty as a consequence of the activities of the Polish Competition Authority (UOKiK).

29 Jul 2022

Dominant or not, you need to be super-cautious in the food supply chain!

The use of unfair trade practices in the food supply chain is banned throughout Europe. Meanwhile, Poland was at the forefront of enforcement even before directive (EU) 2019/633[1] was passed by the European legislator. Thus it comes as little surprise that the Polish competition authority (UOKiK), which is the competent authority for monitoring compliance with these rules, takes an exceptionally stringent approach.

27 Jul 2022

Advertising of dietary supplements: the more charges, the harsher the penalty?

At the end of April, the President of UOKiK announced initiation of proceedings for practices infringing the collective consumer interest against a trader dealing in dietary supplements. The list of allegations is considerable. And for each of these — under a new debatable fining method — the authority can impose a separate severe financial penalty.

26 May 2022

IT providers beware! A new antitrust enforcement trend is looming!

The Polish Competition Authority (UOKiK) has announced the launch of exceptional antimonopoly proceedings against cartel facilitators. The authority claims to have gathered evidence that the undertakings, which are IT providers, facilitated an anticompetitive agreement between pharmaceutical wholesalers by providing them with IT tools. Allegedly, these tools enabled the wholesalers to exchange sensitive business information, for example on prices and rebates, to the detriment of fair competition.

18 May 2021

Vertical restraints under UOKIK scrutiny

Recently there has been a visible surge in the number of antitrust cases regarding various vertical agreements between undertakings on the Polish market. Anticompetitive practices of this kind are often scrutinized by the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK). What these cases have in common is the fact that the restrictions imposed on distributors concern their online business activity.

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