Rights of private action
86.—(1)  Any person who suffers loss or damage directly as a result of an infringement of the section 34 prohibition, the section 47 prohibition or the section 54 prohibition has a right of action for relief in civil proceedings in a court under this section against any undertaking which is or which has at the material time been a party to such infringement.
(2)  No action to which subsection (1) applies may be brought —
(a)until after a decision referred to in subsection (3) has established that the section 34 prohibition, the section 47 prohibition or the section 54 prohibition has been infringed; and
(b)during the period referred to in subsection (4).
(3)  The decisions which may be relied upon for the purposes of an action under this section are —
(a)the Commission’s decision under section 68;
(b)the Board’s decision under section 73 (on an appeal from the Commission’s decision under section 71);
(c)the decision of the General Division of the High Court under section 74 (on an appeal from the Board’s decision under that section); and
(d)the decision of the appellate court under section 74 (on an appeal from the decision of the General Division of the High Court under that section).
[40/2019]
(4)  The periods during which an action may not be brought under this section are —
(a)in the case of a decision of the Commission, the period during which an appeal may be made to the Board under section 71(1);
(b)in the case of a decision of the Commission which is the subject of an appeal to the Board as referred to in paragraph (a), the period following the decision of the Board during which a further appeal may be made under section 74 to the General Division of the High Court; and
(c)in the case of a decision of the General Division of the High Court which is the subject of a further appeal, the period during which such an appeal may be made under section 74.
[40/2019]
(5)  Where any appeal referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of subsection (4) is made, the period specified in that paragraph includes the period before the appeal is determined.
(6)  No action to which subsection (1) applies may be brought after the end of 2 years after the relevant period specified in subsection (4).
(7)  In determining a claim under this section, the court shall accept as final and conclusive any decision referred to in subsection (3) which establishes that the prohibition in question has been infringed.
(8)  The court may grant to the plaintiff in an action under subsection (1) all or any of the following reliefs:
(a)relief by way of injunction or declaration;
(b)damages;
(c)such other relief as the court thinks fit.
(9)  Nothing in this section confers on any party to an agreement which infringes the section 34 prohibition a right of action for relief.