Guidance

Compliance Principles for anti-virus software firms

Practical advice for anti-virus software businesses that use auto-renewing contracts in the UK.

Documents

Details

The Principles are designed to provide practical advice for anti-virus software businesses that use automatically renewing contracts with UK consumers, to help them to ensure that they comply with consumer protection law.

The Principles focus on contracts that auto-renew onto a subsequent contract of one year or more, where the CMA considers that consumers especially require protection to prevent them from being locked into an unwanted contract. However, a number of the Principles will also be relevant where anti-virus businesses offer shorter auto-renewing contracts (for example, where the contract auto-renews on a monthly basis).

The Principles cover each stage of a customer’s journey from initial sign up, during the contract and once the contract has automatically renewed. The Principles provide detail of how they apply and include practical examples of measures ‘more likely to comply’ and those ’unlikely to comply’.

The Principles recognise that there could be a number of ways to achieve compliance with the law, and the examples given are illustrative and non-exhaustive. They are based on the CMA’s interpretation of the law, and in particular what the CMA considers is required for a business to be professionally diligent under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

While the Principles are designed to provide practical help to anti-virus businesses, they are not legal advice and responsibility for complying with the law remains with businesses themselves.

Published 19 October 2021