Distribution agreements

: ban on internet sales: towards a more economic based approach

Abstract

The awareness of the constant and impetuous development of technology and the internet has led the European Union’s agenda to target a considerable part of its efforts to strengthening the Digital Single Market. Bearing in mind that objective, on May 2015 the Commission launched a sector inquiry into the e-commerce of consumer goods and digital content as part of its Digital Single Market strategy, and has since been working actively towards this objective. Escorting closely this recent stream, the aim of this master’s thesis is to analyse one of the big concerns that the digital revolution has brought to European competition law, online sales and their regulation. Focusing particularly on the distribution agreements, this essay will be devoted to the study of the distribution law in an online context. Structurally inserted in the main area of vertical restraints, distribution agreements ought to be analysed under the remit of what both article 101 TFEU and Block Exemption Regulation dispose. Therefore, these are going to be the cornerstones of this study, along with the case law of European and national courts, which constitute a crucial tool to understand and, foremost, develop this subject, allowing for a better interpretation adapted to the necessities of the market.

Date of Award	11 Sept 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Sofia Oliveira Pais (Supervisor)