VBB on Belgian Business Law | Volume 2020, NO 6
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VBB on Belgian Business Law | Volume 2020, NO 6 “Van Bael & Bellis’ Belgian competition law practice [...]○○. is a well-established force in high-stakes, reputationally- sensitive antitrust investigations” June 2020 Legal 500 2019 VBB on Belgian Business Law Highlights DATA PROTECTION INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COMMERCIAL LAW Belgian and EU Advice on Data Pro- EU General Court Annuls Invalidity Leuven Enterprise Court Confirms tection Compliance for Covid-19 Decision concerning Louis Vuitton’s Arbitrability of Exclusive Distribution Measures Checkerboard Pattern Trade Mark Agreements Governed by Foreign Page 10 Page 16 Law ENERGY LABOUR LAW Page 3 Court of Justice of European Union Implementation of European Direc- COMPETITION LAW Finds Flemish Regulatory Frame- tive On Posting Of Workers In Bel- Belgian Competition Authority work Governing Wind Turbines on gian Law Rejects Requests for Interim Meas- Land To Be in Breach of EU Environ- Page 18 ures in Professional Football mental Law LITIGATION Page 6 Page 14 European Parliament and Council CONSUMER LAW INSOLVENCY Reach Political Agreement on EU Supreme Court Prioritises Remedies End of Temporary Covid-19 Protec- Collective Representative Actions Available to Consumers Following tion Measures for Enterprises Page 20 Sale of Defective Products Page 15 Page 8 Topics covered in this issue COMMERCIAL LAW ...............................................................................................................3 “Van Bael & Bellis excels in COMPETITION LAW ..............................................................................................................6 M&A work, and often provides CONSUMER LAW ....................................................................................................................8 domestic Belgian law advice on cross-border transactions.” DATA PROTECTION ................................................................................................................9 ENERGY ...................................................................................................................................... 14 IFLR1000, 2019 INSOLVENCY .......................................................................................................................... 15 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY .......................................................................................... 16 LABOUR LAW ........................................................................................................................ 18 LITIGATION ..............................................................................................................................20 Van Bael & Bellis on Belgian Business Law should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances. [email protected] The content is intended for general informational purposes only. Readers should consult attorneys at the firm concerning www.vbb.com any specific legal questions or the relevance of the subjects discussed herein to particular factual circumstances. VBB on Belgian Business Law | Volume 2020, NO 6 Table of contents COMMERCIAL LAW 3 European Data Protection Supervisor Opinion on EU Digital Data Strategy ..........................................................................12 Leuven Enterprise Court Confirms Arbitrability of Exclusive Distribution Agreements Governed by European Data Protection Board Publishes Register on Foreign Law ............................................................................................... 3 One-Stop-Shop Decisions ..............................................................13 Court of Justice of European Union Holds that ENERGY 14 Commercial Agents Need Not Have Power to Set Prices .............................................................................................................. 4 Court of Justice of European Union Finds Flemish Regulatory Framework Governing Wind Turbines on COMPETITION LAW 6 Land To Be in Breach of EU Environmental Law ..............14 Belgian Competition Authority Rejects Requests for INSOLVENCY 15 Interim Measures in Professional Football .............................6 End of Temporary Covid-19 Protection Measures for Belgian Competition Authority Finds Agreement Enterprises ................................................................................................15 between Brussels Airlines and Thomas Cook Belgium To Be Anticompetitive .........................................................................6 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 16 Belgian Competition Authority Launches In-Depth EU General Court Annuls Invalidity Decision Investigation of Car Dealership Acquisition .......................... 7 concerning Louis Vuitton’s Checkerboard Pattern Trade Belgian Competition Authority Launches Investigation Mark ..............................................................................................................16 into Alleged Anticompetitive Practices in Private Security Sector ........................................................................................ 7 LABOUR LAW 18 Implementation of European Directive On Posting Of CONSUMER LAW 8 Workers In Belgian Law ...................................................................18 Supreme Court Prioritises Remedies Available to Consumers Following Sale of Defective Products ...........8 LITIGATION 20 European Parliament and Council Reach Political DATA PROTECTION 9 Agreement on EU Collective Representative European Commission Reviews First Two Years of Actions ........................................................................................................ 20 Application of GDPR .............................................................................9 Belgian and EU Advice on Data Protection Compliance for Covid-19 Measures ......................................................................10 Belgian Data Protection Authority Fines Non- Profit Organisation for Unlawful Direct Marketing Practices......................................................................................................11 EU Council Presidency Publishes Progress Report on ePrivacy Regulation ............................................................................12 Van Bael & Bellis on Belgian Business Law should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances. The content is intended for general informational purposes only. Readers should consult attorneys at the firm concerning any specific legal questions or the relevance of the subjects discussed herein to particular factual circumstances. Chaussée de La Hulpe 166 Phone : +32 (0)2 647 73 50 [email protected] © 2020 Van Bael & Bellis Terhulpsesteenweg Fax : +32 (0)2 640 64 99 www.vbb.com B-1170 Brussels – Belgium VBB on Belgian Business Law | Volume 2020, NO 6 COMMERCIAL LAW Leuven Enterprise Court Confirms Arbitrability of Exclusive Distribution Agreements Governed by Foreign Law On 19 May 2020, the Leuven Enterprise Court (the Leuven The US supplier raised a jurisdiction defence, claiming Court) held that, following the reform of the Belgian arbi- that the Leuven Court had no jurisdiction to hear the case. tration rules in 2013, arbitration clauses in exclusive dis- Without examining all of the supplier’s arguments (in par- tribution agreements are valid, even if these agreements ticular the argument that the distribution agreement of 1 are governed by foreign law (judgment of 19 May 2020 in April 2018 is not a distribution agreement within the mean- case A/20/00034, Akron NV v. Amphenol (Maryland) Inc.). ing of Title 3 of Book X, CEL – this argument was consid- ered to involve the merits of the case), the Leuven Court The judgment was given in a dispute between a US sup- confirmed that it lacked jurisdiction. It reached this con- plier and its former Belgian distributor following the sup- clusion based on the following considerations. plier’s decision to terminate unilaterally a distribution agreement of 1 April 2018 for serious misconduct. While First, it noted that, since the entry into force of the New the distribution agreement contained an arbitration clause Arbitration Law in 2013, Article 1676, §1 of the Judicial Code pursuant to which any dispute had to be resolved by arbi- provides that any dispute of a pecuniary nature can be sub- tration proceedings in the US in accordance with the Com- mitted to arbitration. Article 1676, §4 of the Judicial Code mercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Asso- adds that this rule is “without prejudice to the exceptions pro- ciation, the distributor had initiated proceedings before the vided by law”. However, as the legislative preparatory works Leuven Court and claimed damages based on Title 3 of of the New Arbitration Law favour a broad interpretation Book X of the Code of Economic Law (CEL) which contains of the arbitrability criterion, the Leuven Court concluded the Belgian mandatory rules governing the unilateral ter- that Article X.39 CEL does not qualify as such an exception mination of exclusive or quasi-exclusive distribution agree- since this provision does not expressly exclude disputes in ments of indefinite duration. relation to the termination of distribution agreements from arbitration. Moreover, such disputes are indisputably of a Article X.39 CEL provides that “[t]he distributor may, upon pecuniary nature. termination of a distribution agreement effective within the entire Belgian territory or a part thereof, in any event sum- Second, the Leuven Court stressed that the requirements mon