The European Commission (“Commission”) issued its first opinion regarding the compatibility of a sustainability agreement with competition rules for the agricultural sector on July 14. The Commission’s opinion is a milestone...more
In an important judgment handed down on 29 June 2023 (Case C-211/22), the Court of Justice of the European Union (the "CJEU") ruled that a vertical agreement to fix minimum prices does not necessarily constitute a restriction...more
P. Latombe, who is not only a Member of the French Parliament, but also seated at the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL)'s Commission, lodged a request for annulment of the DPF on 6 September 2023 before the Court of...more
On March 16, in a preliminary ruling requested by the Paris Court of Appeal regarding Towercast’s appeal of the French Competition Authority’s decision in the TDF case, the Court of Justice of the European Union decided ...more
On 19 November 2020, the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) ruled on the French ban of cannabidiol (“CBD”) extracted from whole hemp plants in a case relating to the marketing and distribution of hemp oil containing CBD (case...more
On 19 March 2020, the European Commission adopted a temporary framework that allows Member States to grant certain State aid to businesses to help them face the economic and financial consequences of the Coronavirus...more
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) recently ruled that a jurisdiction clause does not need to refer expressly to disputes arising from a breach of competition law where damages are claimed based on Art. 102 TFEU (i.e., for...more
The current rules in France concerning the control over foreign direct investments arose from the deregulation of international capital flows which occurred worldwide, and especially in the United States and the European...more
When is pricing discriminatory? We reported in January 2017 on how a Portuguese Court had asked the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) to provide guidance on when “discriminatory pricing applied to equivalent...more
In a decision dated 18 October 2017, the French Competition Authority (FCA) imposed a record fine on the “resilient floor covering cartel” (one of the seven biggest fines in the history of the FCA), totalling 302 million EUR....more
EU opens investigation into UK tax scheme for multinationals - The EU State aid rules are designed to stop Governments and local authorities giving companies a selective advantage, as doing so would create an unequal...more
On the 13th September 2017 Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President, unveiled a framework for investment screening for certain foreign mergers in his “State of the Union” address to the European Parliament. ...more
French cosmetics company Caudalie had previously made headlines in a case decided on February 2nd 2016. In that case, Caudalie had applied for an injunction against an online marketplace to compel it to cease selling Caudalie...more
On 14 June 2017, the EU Commission announced that it was opening an investigation into Sanrio, owner of the Hello Kitty brand. Sanrio have been accused by the Commission of an infringement of Article 101 TFEU, the prohibition...more
Single Market Withdrawal: A New Challenge to Brexit for the UK Government - Should Parliament have a say over whether Britain could remain in the European Economic Area?...more
EU: Regulatory Scrutiny of Online Hotel Booking Continues - The 13 July 2016 saw the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announce that it had sent a questionnaire to a large sample of hotels throughout the UK. As...more
BREXIT – BUSINESS AS USUAL...AT LEAST FOR NOW - What do you need to know? Despite the UK's vote to leave the European Union ("EU"), companies doing business in the UK can still continue to trade with the EU in...more
Welcome to March's edition of our EU & Competition Law Bulletin covering recent legal developments impacting upon you and your business: - ..United Kindgdom: Large pay for delay fine imposed by CMA. ..Germany and...more
EU and national leniency applications independent rules ECJ - On the 20 January 2016, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) handed down its ruling on a preliminary reference made by the Italian Council of State on the...more
Smartphone chip manufacturer accused of an abuse of dominance - On the 8th December 2015, Qualcomm, the world’s largest supplier of smartphone chipsets, was publicly accused by the European Commission of abusing its...more
The French 3 Percent Distribution Tax: Claiming a Refund - Since December 2012, French companies have been liable for a 3 percent tax on distributions to their shareholders (3 Percent Tax), but practitioners have widely...more