BITs between member states breach EU law
The Court of Justice has rejected the advocate general’s opinion and ruled in the Achmea case that investment arbitration, the option provided for in treaties between member states for foreign investors to commence arbitration against a state where it has invested, violates the autonomy of EU law.
Repair clause in disputes over replacement parts
The new ruling by the Court of Justice on the “repair clause” gives more freedom to manufacturers of non-original replacement parts.
Prohibition of online sales of luxury products?
Can an authorized retailer be prohibited from selling online or on a third-party online platform?
Transferring the registered office of a Polish company abroad does not require the company to be liquidated in Poland
The Court of Justice has ruled that under the EU principle of freedom of establishment, transfer of the registered office of a Polish company abroad within the European Economic Area cannot be conditioned on conducting liquidation of the company in Poland.
Coordination of commercial policy and exhaustion of trademark rights
The advocate general at the Court of Justice has issued his opinion on parallel Schweppes trademarks functioning in different EEA countries and registered for separate proprietors.
Are bilateral investment treaties between member states compatible with EU law?
CJEU Advocate General Melchior Wathelet issued his opinion in C-284/16 Achmea on 19 September 2017. He takes the view that the existence of bilateral investment treaties between member states is compatible with EU law.
A contractor’s experience means work actually done with the contractor’s involvement: A controversial ruling?
The Court of Justice held in Esaprojekt sp. z o.o. v Województwo Łódzkie (Case C-387/14) that a contractor entering a tender individually cannot rely on the experience of a group of contractors it was a member of in performing another public contract if the contractor was not actively and specifically involved in performance of the contract. The ruling, issued in the context of a Polish tender, is widely regarded in Poland as controversial. But is the conclusion by the Court of Justice requiring experience to be based on actual experience really debatable?
Uber: transport services, not e-commerce?
According to the advocate general’s opinions in C-434/15 Elite Taxi and C-320/16 Uber France, Uber does not provide information society services, but local transport services which may be regulated by EU member states.
If a national licensing system is inconsistent with EU law, sanctions cannot be imposed for violating that system
In a judgment issued on 22 June 2017 the Court of Justice took a negative view of the Hungarian system of licences for operation of online gaming. The judgment was preceded by an opinion by Advocate General Maciej Szpunar providing an excellent example of reasoning in cases involving restrictions imposed by EU member states on the freedom to provide services.
When the agent’s principal drives clients away
The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that a commercial agent may retain the right to a commission if the client intentionally refuses to perform the contract because the principal’s attitude has caused the client to lose confidence in the principal. The ruling also clarifies doubts surrounding the effect that partial non-performance of the contract has on the agent’s commission.
Troublesome multiple royalties
The award of multiple hypothetical royalties provided for in Poland’s Copyright Act is the subject of numerous debates and various rulings by the Constitutional Tribunal and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Relying on third-party capacity to make the shortlist
Based on a recent judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the provisions of the Polish Public Procurement Law permitting reliance on third-party capacity to demonstrate fulfilment of selection criteria are consistent with EU law.
