Suspected anti-competitive conduct in relation to the supply of Solidworks computer-aided design and computer-aided engineering software and related products and services
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating suspected anti-competitive conduct relating to Solidworks software which may infringe Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998.
Case timetable
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| June 2026 to December 2026 | Initial investigation: information gathering |
| June 2026 | Investigation opened |
Case information
On 30 June 2026, the CMA launched an investigation under Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998 (CA98), in relation to the supply of Solidworks computer-aided design and computer-aided engineering software, and related products and services in the UK.
The businesses currently under investigation are:
-
Dassault Systemes UK Limited
-
Solid Solutions Management Limited
-
Visiativ Solutions UK Limited
The CMA has not reached a view as to whether there is sufficient evidence of an infringement of competition law for it to issue a statement of objections to any party or parties.
Not all cases result in the CMA issuing a statement of objections and no assumption should be made at this stage that the CA98 has been infringed.
If the CMA ultimately proceeds to issuing a statement of objections, it will provide the addressee(s) of that statement of objections with an opportunity to make written and oral representations, before it makes a final decision on whether the law has been broken. Further detail on the CMA’s procedures in CA98 cases is available in our CMA8 guidance.
Personal data
The CMA may collect, use and share personal data for its investigations, including investigations under the CA98. This includes processing personal data for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
For more information about how the CMA handles personal information, please read the CMA’s personal information charter.
Contacts
- Assistant Project Director, Samantha Morrison: samantha.morrison@cma.gov.uk
- Project Director, Brian Jackson: brian.jackson@cma.gov.uk
- Senior Responsible Officer, Lourenco Ventura: lourenco.ventura@cma.gov.uk
Any media enquiries should be directed to a member of our press office.
Anyone with information about suspected anti-competitive activity is encouraged to contact the CMA’s cartel hotline.
Section 25B of CA98 imposes a duty on anyone who knows or suspects that the CMA is carrying out an investigation under CA98 to preserve relevant documents and information. Such a person must not falsify, conceal, destroy or otherwise dispose of a document which the person knows or suspects is or would be relevant to the investigation (or cause or permit this to be done). The CMA may fine the person if they fail to comply with this duty, without reasonable excuse.