VBER 2022: EU Competition Law for Vertical Agreements

Dr. Benedikt Rohrßen is a German attorney-at-law and a partner at the international law firm Taylor Wessing. He leads the firm’s Commercial Agreements & Distribution practice group. Benedikt specialises in the design and long-term strategic development of distribution and franchise systems, with a particular penchant for digital distribution and distribution-related competition law.In addition, Benedikt serves on the editorial board of the Zeitschrift für Vertriebsrecht (Journal for Distribution Law), as a lecturer on commercial, distribution and competition law at the Munich Business School, as a lecturer on franchise law at the Deutsches Franchise Institut (Berlin) and is involved in various international organizations, including the T.R.A.D.E. Commission of the International Young Lawyers’ Association (as whose President he served until September 2022), the International Distribution Institute, the International Bar Association and the European Competition Lawyers’ Association. Numerous publications, lectures and webinars attest to his proven expertise at the crossroads of distribution and competition law – including, beyond commenting on German commercial agency law, more than 30 contributions on franchising, selective distribution and antitrust/competition law in various law journals such as ZVertriebsR, GRUR-Prax, IWRZ, BB and IHR since 2016.

• 1. EU Competition Law at a Glance.- 2. VBER 2022 – The Safe Harbour for Distribution Agreements.- 3. Articles 3 and 8 VBER: Market Share Thresholds.- 4. Article 4 VBER: Hardcore Restrictions – Black Clauses.- 5. Article 5 VBER: Excluded Restrictions – Grey Clauses.- 6. Article 6 and 7 VBER: Withdrawal/Non-application.- 7. Franchise Systems.- 8. Dual Distribution and Other Dualisms.- 9. Digital Distribution: Online Sales and Online Platforms.- 10. Practical Implementation of the VBER 2022.- Appendix.- Index.