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Alaska Statutes.

Title 45. Trade and Commerce

Chapter 50. Competitive Practices, Regulation of Competition, and Consumer Protection

Section 810. Violations.

previous: Section 800. Disclosures to Be Made By Distributors and Refiners Before Conclusion of Agreement.
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AS 45.50.810. Violations.

(a) A person may not, directly or indirectly, through officers, employees, or agents,

(1) require the dealer at the time of entering into the lease agreement to relieve any person from liability imposed by AS 45.50.800 - 45.50.850;

(2) require the dealer to agree to waive the right to a jury trial or any right of counterclaim the dealer may have;

(3) restrict or inhibit directly or indirectly the right of free association for any lawful purpose of the dealer;

(4) except as to the initial inventory, require a dealer to purchase or otherwise lease goods or services of a refiner or distributor or from an approved source of supply unless and to the extent that the refiner or distributor satisfies the burden of proving that such restricted purchasing agreements are reasonably necessary for lawful purposes justified on business grounds and do not substantially affect competition; in determining whether a requirement to purchase is lawful, the court shall be guided by the decisions of the courts of the United States in interpreting and applying the antitrust laws and the Federal Trade Commission Act of the United States;

(5) impose unreasonable standards of performance on the dealer;

(6) require a dealer to participate financially in the use of any premium coupon or giveaway or rebate in the operation of the business; however, a distributor may require the dealer to distribute premiums, coupons, or giveaways to customers that are provided to the dealer at the expense of the refiner or distributor or when the promotion is self-liquidating;

(7) fail to deal with the dealer in good faith;

(8) require the dealer to keep the retail outlet open for business more than 12 consecutive hours a day or more than six days a week; however, this paragraph may not be construed to prevent a retail outlet from being open when required to be open to conform to a state or federal law or regulation; or

(9) require a dealer to purchase or rent a product or service for more than a fair and reasonable price.

(b) A refiner or distributor may not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, agent, or employee, terminate, cancel, or fail to renew a dealer lease without first giving written notice setting out all of the reasons for the termination or cancellation, or intent not to renew to the dealer at least 45 days in advance of the termination, cancellation, or failure to renew except when

(1) the alleged grounds are voluntary abandonment by the dealer of the lessee relationship, the above notice may be given five days in advance of the termination, cancellation, or failure to renew;

(2) the alleged grounds are the conviction of the dealer in a court of competent jurisdiction of a felony;

(3) the lease specifically establishes a period of notice of less than 45 days in which either party may terminate the lease.

(c) Except as provided in (d) of this section, a refiner or distributor may not terminate, cancel, or fail to renew a dealer lease without good cause. Good cause shall include without limitation:

(1) the failure of a dealer to comply with the lawful material provisions of a lease between the distributor or refiner and the dealer and to cure each default after being given written notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure the default;

(2) an adjudication that the dealer is a bankrupt or insolvent or if the dealer makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors or a similar disposition of assets of franchise business or voluntarily abandons the business or is convicted of or pleads guilty or no contest to a charge of violating any law relating to any business;

(3) the good faith business decision of the lessor that the lessor no longer requires a retail outlet at that location for the marketing of gasoline; and

(4) the dealer's failure to sign the new agreement if at the time of renewal of the lease the distributor or refiner and the dealer cannot agree upon new terms and the terms offered by the refiner or distributor do not violate any other laws of the state or of the United States and the terms are essentially the same as those offered to other dealers in similar retail outlets and do not discriminate against the subject dealer.

(d) A refiner or distributor shall be permitted to provide in the lease for its termination without cause during a reasonable trial period, not to exceed one year, if the dealer involved has not already been a dealer of a refiner or distributor for that period of time.

(e) A refiner or distributor may not engage in price discrimination between dealers if the effect of the discrimination may be substantially to lessen competition unless that discrimination is based upon quantity purchased or transportation costs or capital investment of the dealer. Nothing in this section prevents a refiner or distributor from offering a lower price or furnishing a service or facility to a dealer when the offer is made in good faith to meet an equally low price of a competitor, or the services or facilities furnished by that competitor.