Case C-479/04: Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 12 September 2006 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Østre Landsret (Denmark)) — Laserdisken ApS v Kulturministeriet (Directive 2001/29/EC — Harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society — Article 4 — Distribution rights — Rule of exhaustion — Legal basis — International agreements — Competition policy — Principle of proportionality — Freedom of expression — Principle of equal treatment — Articles 151 EC and 153 EC)
Date: 2006-11-18
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: approximation of laws, copyright, information society, interpretation of the law

C 281/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

18.11.2006

2. Article 10 EC, read in conjunction with Article 11(1) of Directive
97/13, requires the national court to ascertain whether legislation
which is clearly incompatible with Community law, such as that
on which the fee assessments at issue in the main proceedings are
based, constitutes manifest unlawfulness within the meaning of the
national law concerned. If that is the case, it is for the national
court to draw the necessary conclusions under its national law with
regard to the withdrawal of those assessments.

Operative part of the judgment

to affect

1. Consideration of the first question does not reveal any information
such as
the validity of Article 4(2) of Directive
2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of
22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copy-
right and related rights in the information society.

(1) OJ C 273, 6.11.2004.

OJ C 284, 20.11.2006.

Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 12 September
2006 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Østre
Landsret (Denmark)) — Laserdisken ApS v Kulturminis-
teriet

(Case C-479/04) (1)

(Directive 2001/29/EC — Harmonisation of certain aspects
of copyright and related rights in the information society —
Article 4 — Distribution rights — Rule of exhaustion —
Legal basis — International agreements — Competition
policy — Principle of proportionality — Freedom of expres-
sion — Principle of equal treatment — Articles 151 EC and
153 EC)

(2006/C 281/15)

Language of the case: Danish

2. Article 4(2) of Directive 2001/29 is

interpreted as
precluding national rules providing for exhaustion of the distribu-
tion right in respect of the original or copies of a work placed on
the market outside the European Community by the rightholder or
with his consent.

to be

(1) OJ C 31, 05.02.2005.

Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 14 September
2006 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the College
van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven — Netherlands) –J. Slob
v Productschap Zuivel

(Case C-496/04) (1)

(Milk and milk products — Direct sales — Reference quanti-
ties — Overruns — Additional levy on milk — Obligation
on producers to keep stock accounts — Article 7(1) and (3)
of Regulation (EEC) No 536/93 — Supplementary national
measures — Competence of the Member States)

(2006/C 281/16)

Language of the case: Dutch

Referring court

Østre Landsret (Denmark)

Parties to the main proceedings

College van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven

Referring court

Applicant: Laserdisken ApS

Defendant: Kulturministeriet

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Østre Landsret — Validity
and interpretation of Article 4(2) of Directive 2001/29/EC of
the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001
on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and
related rights in the information society (OJ 2001 L 167, p. 10)
— Exhaustion of the rightholder's rights only as of the first sale
or first other transfer of ownership in the Community by the
rightholder or with his consent — Imports from third countries
of DVDs of cinematographic works.

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: J. Slob

Defendant: Productschap Zuivel

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — College van Beroep voor
het Bedrijfsleven — Interpretation of Article 7(1)(f) and (3) of
Commission Regulation (EEC) No 536/93 of 9 March 1993
laying down detailed rules on the application of the additional
levy on milk and milk products (OJ 1993 L 57, p.12) — Scope