Opinion ID: 1303239
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Existence of Arrangement

Text: A tying arrangement has been defined as an agreement by a party to sell one product, but only on the condition that the buyer also purchase a different, or tied, product, or at least agree that it will not purchase that product from another supplier. Northern Pac. R. Co. v. United States, 356 U.S. 1, 78 S.Ct. 514, 2 L.Ed.2d 545 (1958). A tying arrangement `need not be expressly embodied in written contracts. Such arrangements may be deduced from a course of conduct.' Associated Press v. Taft-Ingalls Corporation, 340 F.2d 753, 765 (6th Cir.1965), cert. denied, 382 U.S. 820, 86 S.Ct. 47, 15 L.Ed.2d 66. Accord Osborn v. Sinclair Refining Company, 286 F.2d 832 (4th Cir.1960), cert. denied, 366 U.S. 963, 81 S.Ct. 1924, 6 L.Ed.2d 1255 (1961). Although Heath professes its willingness to sell parts to its end users for repairs to be made either by the user or any repair service the user desires, it may be inferred from the instance in which Heath refused to deliver parts for repairs to be made by Precision that Heath does not always act as it claims. To the contrary, the record reasonably supports an inference that Heath compels its end users who do not wish to make repairs themselves to resort either to Heath's repair services or to one or more particular non-Heath service providers. Thus, the record reasonably supports an inference that there exists a tying arrangement or contract requiring that in order to obtain parts, purchasers of Heath equipment either perform their own repairs or purchase Heath repair services or a repair service specified by Heath.