noun
1.
a. : business competition effected by an act that is deceptive and in effect a fraud on the public or that otherwise violates the legal or equitable rights of a competitor or the public
b. : an improper or inequitable obtaining by one competitor of the benefits belonging to another
passing off on the public the goods of one person as those of another is a form of unfair competition
2. : a competitive practice contrary to the ethical standards of business or in violation of existing law as interpreted by a federal trade commission or a state agency