Case C-132/19 P: Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 9 December 2020 — Groupe Canal + v European Commission, French Republic, Union des producteurs de cinéma (UPC), C More Entertainment AB, European Film Agency Directors — EFAD’s, European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) (Appeal — Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Television distribution — Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 — Article 9 and Article 16(1) — Decision making commitments binding — Absolute territorial protection — Misuse of powers — Preliminary assessment — No obligation on the European Commission to take account of considerations relating to the application of Article 101(3) TFEU — Agreements intended to partition national markets — No obligation on the Commission to analyse the relevant national markets one by one — Proportionality — Adverse effect on the contractual rights of third parties)
Date: 2020-12-09
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: EU competition policy, cartel, control of restrictive practices, geo-blocking, market-sharing agreement, pay television, principle of proportionality, restriction on competition, sanction (EU)








C_2021044EN.01000501.xml










8.2.2021   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 44/5






Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 9 December 2020 — Groupe Canal + v European Commission, French Republic, Union des producteurs de cinéma (UPC), C More Entertainment AB, European Film Agency Directors — EFAD’s, European Consumer Organisation (BEUC)
(Case C-132/19 P) (1)

(Appeal - Competition - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices - Television distribution - Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 - Article 9 and Article 16(1) - Decision making commitments binding - Absolute territorial protection - Misuse of powers - Preliminary assessment - No obligation on the European Commission to take account of considerations relating to the application of Article 101(3) TFEU - Agreements intended to partition national markets - No obligation on the Commission to analyse the relevant national markets one by one - Proportionality - Adverse effect on the contractual rights of third parties)
(2021/C 44/05)
Language of the case: French

Parties


Appellant: Groupe Canal + (represented by: P. Wilhelm, P. Gassenbach and O. de Juvigny, avocats)

Other parties to the proceedings: European Commission (represented by: A. Dawes, C. Urraca Caviedes and L. Wildpanner, acting as Agents), French Republic (represented by: E. de Moustier and M. P. Dodeller, acting as Agents), Union des producteurs de cinéma (UPC) (represented by: E. Lauvaux, avocat), C More Entertainment AB, European Film Agency Directors — EFAD’s (represented by: O. Sasserath, avocat), European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) (represented by: A. Fratini, avvocatessa)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Annuls the judgment of the General Court of the European Union of 12 December 2018, Groupe Canal + v Commission (T-873/16, EU:T:2018:904);










2.


Annuls the decision of the European Commission of 26 July 2016 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case AT.40023 — Cross-border access to pay-TV);










3.


Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Groupe Canal + SA, the European Film Agency Directors — EFADs, the Union des producteurs de cinéma (UPC) in the present appeal and the proceedings at first instance and those incurred by C More Entertainment AB in the proceedings at first instance;










4.


Orders the French Republic to bear its own costs;










5.


Orders the European Consumers’ Organisation (BEUC) to bear its own costs.






(1)  OJ C 131, 8.4.2019.