The EU Court of Justice holds that practices designed to buttress the collective resale price maintenance of Dutch and Belgian books infringed competition law (VBVB / VBBB)

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT 17 JANUARY 1984' Vereniging ter Bevordering van het Vlaamse Boekwezen, VBVB, and Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Belangen des Boekhandels, VBBB v Commission of the European Communities Joined Cases 43 and 63/82* 1. Where certain undertakings have notified to the Commission an agreement which contains exclusive dealing provisions, they cannot maintain· that'for a long time past such provisions have no longer been applied and should therefore be regarded as having lapsed. The only means of complying with the rules of competition contained in the Treaty is to make a formal amendment to the agreement and to 'notify it in the manner required by Regulation No 17. Where there is no such amendment, the only course open to the Commission is to appraise the agreement