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ARTICLE · 06 SEPTEMBER 2019

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The EU Commission focuses on the misuse of intellectual property rights in latest e-commerce competition enforcement

European UnionAntitrust/Competition Law
Robert Bell
Robert Bell

The EU Commission focuses on the misuse of intellectual property rights in latest e-commerce competition enforcement

The EU Commission has flexed its muscles yet again to enforce the competition rules in the e-commerce sector, announcing on 9th July 2019 that it had fined Sanrio €6.2 million for banning traders from selling licensed products featuring Hello Kitty or other characters owned by Sanrio into other countries within the EEA (Commission Press Release IP/19/3950).

E-commerce and the digital markets are fast becoming one of the EU Commission's top priorities in enforcement activities as the pan-European regulator gets to grips with the digital distribution revolution.

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