24 September 2020
Le Châtelain Hotel, Brussels,
(Or Choose to Attend The Virtual Conference)
Vertical Restraints & Distribution Conference
Review the future of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation and share practical strategies with fellow manufacturers, distributors and retailers to overcome today’s challenges
Whether you join us in person or virtually, benefit from critical insights and share practical solutions with your peers across Europe
Join regulators, in-house counsel and top legal minds:
WHY ATTEND VERTICAL Restraints & Distribution CONFERENCE?
Verticals Block Exemption Regulation
The current Verticals Block Exemption Regulation is due to expire in May 2022 and so the European Commission has started consulting on what to do next, especially in light of the challenges brought by the explosion of e-Commerce.
During this conference you will have an opportunity to review VBER from the:
- European Commission's perspective
- Industry perspective
- Consumer perspective
Trends in National Enforcement
Analyse lessons learnt from recent enforcement by national competition authorities including their responses to distribution challenges during COVID-19 pandemic. Jurisdictions covered:
- Germany
- UK
- France
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Switzerland
- Spain
Selective Distribution
Join our interactive panel session to review what is and isn't permissible in selective distribution arrangements:
- Where are we now after Coty and Guess?
- Enforcement in selective distribution
- Why corporates might want to control a supply chain?
- Platform bans: what is acceptable?
- Implications for compliance
Dual Distribution
Come to grips with one of the most thorny issues in vertical restraints by examining key questions in dual distribution:
- Hybrid role of platforms: what are the concerns?
- When is a vertical relationship horizontal?
- Risks of information exchange
- Algorithms, price comparison websites and information gathering companies
- Are platforms sellers or agents?
Resale Price Maintenance (RPM)
The European Commission fined Asus, Denon & Marantz, Philips and Pioneer €111 million, after granting significant reductions for cooperating with the Commission, for imposing fixed or minimum resale price maintenance (RPM) on their respective retailers. It is noteworthy that this was the first time the Commission imposed fines for RPM cases in around 15 years. Join us to analyse:
- How are the authorities approaching RPM?
- Practical consequences for compliance
In-House Perspectives
This session will allow you to engage in a meaningful conversation, gather rich insight and make connections with your fellow in-house lawyers within a lively and informal setting. Key themes include:
- Platforms
- Commercial agents
- Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clauses
- Advertising challenges after Guess decision
- Geoblocking
IF YOU CHOOSE TO JOIN US DIGITALLY:
At this time of uncertainty, we will be offering you the opportunity to join Vertical Restraints & Distribution conference digitally as well as in person.
For the digital conference, our innovative app will be your venue; it is where the conference is hosted for remote attendees, and where the speakers, sponsors and delegates spend their time before, during and after the event. Let the AI-matchmaking algorithm search the virtual crowd to find your next valuable connection.
Associate Sponsor
Promotional Partner
Knowledge Partner
Media Partner
Sponsorship Opportunities
We have a number of exclusive and innovative sponsorship and speaking options, to help you demonstrate thought leadership.
For more information please contact Anna Grigorieva-Cowan on Anna.Cowan@informa.com or call +44 (0) 20 7017 4177.