Exclusive distribution: The Paris Court of Appeal rules that the provisions of the Commercial Code relating to price transparency and unfair commercial practices apply to the automotive distribution sector (Mazda / Montchapet Automobiles)

*This article is an automatic translation of the original article, provided here for your convenience. Read the original article. The judgment under comment deserves particular attention in that it illustrates a worrying phenomenon: the increasing pollution of the entire distribution law by provisions which were originally intended for the large-scale distribution sector alone. In the present case, two companies belonging to the same distribution group operated several motor vehicle dealerships under different contracts with the manufacturer Mazda. At the end of 2014, Mazda had notified the termination of the contracts by giving a two-year notice period during which the relationship between the parties gradually deteriorated. On appeal, the dealers complained that the supplier had