Webinar: The life of a distribution contract - New Belgian civil and competition law perspectives

A complete overhaul of 200+ year-old legislation is not a daily occurrence. The entry into force on 1 January 2023 of the new Belgian regime on contractual obligations is therefore nothing less than a landmark event, which will have a significant impact on the contractual practice of your business. In addition, after 12 years, the competition law regime applicable to distribution contracts was also significantly amended on 1 June 2022 with the adoption of the new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation.

Time for an update!

On 1 December, our experts will guide you through the main changes of the new legislation and explain how these changes will impact your contracts, from the negotiation of the agreement until its termination and beyond.

Feel free to send us your questions ahead of the webinar by writing them directly in the registration form. The speakers will try to answer as many of them as they can during the presentation.

Programme

11:00 - 11:15

Introduction and setting the scene

  • The Belgian Civil Code: a revolution in Belgian contract law

  • The prohibition on anti-competitive agreements and the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation: how does it work? Where does it apply? 
11:15 - 12:00

Legal framework throughout the life of a distribution contract

  • Before the conclusion of the contract
    • Do’s and don’ts during negotiations

  • Conclusion of a contract
    • Structuring the contract: the revised regime of standard terms
    • Distribution formulas

  • During the course of the contract
    • Introduction of hardship in a distribution context
    • Hardcore restrictions: retail price maintenance, territorial and customer restrictions
    • Excluded restrictions: non-compete clauses and price parity

  • Termination of the contract
    • Anticipatory breach and other novelties in contract termination

  • After the termination of a contract
    • Post-term non-compete clauses
    • Post-contractual effects under the new Civil Code
12:00 - 12:15  Q & A

 

Participation in the event is free of charge, but prior registration is required. The webinar will be in English and you will receive your joining link closer to the time.

Members of the Belgian Institute of Company lawyers (IBJ-IJE) (Instituut Voor Bedrijfsjuristen / Institut des Juristes d'Entreprise) will receive one continuous education point for attending this webinar.

This event is not intended for representatives of other law firms or consultancy companies. We appreciate your understanding.

New Belgian Civil Code – Impact of this revolution in contract law on franchising agreements

Read the full article here

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