NAFEMS Anti-Trust Compliance Policy

Updated September 25th 2025

1. DEFINITIONS

1.1. “NAFEMS Activities” means physical or electronic NAFEMS events, meetings, communications, and publications.

1.2. “NAFEMS Participants” means NAFEMS members, officers, employees, contractors, and participants in NAFEMS Activities.

1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE

2.1. NAFEMS is committed to full compliance with all applicable anti-trust and competition laws in every country where it operates. This Anti-Trust Compliance Policy is designed to ensure that all NAFEMS Participants conduct themselves in a manner that avoids any activity or conduct that could give rise to a violation of such laws.

2.2. The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for compliance with anti-trust and competition laws and to provide a framework for lawful collaboration and exchange of ideas among NAFEMS Participants.

2.3. This policy applies to all NAFEMS Participants involved in NAFEMS Activities.

1. PROHIBITED CONDUCT

The following activities are strictly prohibited under this policy:

3.1. Discussing or agreeing upon prices, pricing strategies, discounts, or other terms of sale, whether current or future.

3.2. Exchanging competitively sensitive information regarding customers, markets, costs, or production levels.

3.3. Entering into agreements or understandings with competitors to divide or allocate customers, territories, or markets.

3.4. Engaging in discussions that may lead to bid rigging or coordination on tenders and procurement opportunities.

3.5. Taking actions that may result in a restraint of trade or otherwise suppress competition.

1. PERMITTED ACTIVITIES

While compliance with competition laws is mandatory, NAFEMS encourages lawful collaboration that advances the engineering simulation community. Examples of acceptable conduct include:

4.1. Sharing technical standards, best practices, and methodologies that are not competitively sensitive.

4.2. Participating in benchmarking or research activities that are appropriately anonymized and aggregated.

4.3. Discussing regulatory developments, academic research, and public policy, provided such discussions do not touch on confidential commercial strategies.

1. ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCE

5.1. By participating in NAFEMS Activities, NAFEMS Participants acknowledge their understanding of and commitment to comply with this Anti-Trust Compliance Policy.

5.2. NAFEMS will take all necessary steps to enforce this policy, including excluding NAFEMS Participants from NAFEMS Activities where a violation is suspected.

5.3. Serious breaches may result in notification to legal authorities, or other appropriate action.

5.4. NAFEMS Participants are encouraged to report any suspected anti-trust violations to NAFEMS.