Abstract

The impact of competition law on the scope of permissible restrictions in e-commerce is the subject of ongoing interest of the competition authorities. In recent years, the European Commission issued a number of decisions regarding restrictions such as imposition of minimum or fixed resale prices, including those monitored by algorithms, or the ban on using branding phrases in online contextual advertising. The German antitrust authority, in turn, firmly commented the ban on restricting distributors’ cooperation with price comparison websites. In turn, the CJEU confirmed admissibility of restrictions imposed in selective distribution on sales on online platforms. These – and many more – issues of regulation of e-commerce under competition law will be a subject of further discussions of stakeholders and the European Commission under evaluation of vertical block exemption.