Commission Opens Formal Investigations Into Licensing And Distribution Practices

EC Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: "The Commission is investigating whether Nike, Sanrio and Universal Studios are restricting cross border and online sales of merchandising products. We are going to examine whether the licensing and distribution practices of these three companies may be denying consumers access to wider choice and better deals in the Single Market".

The investigations concern the licensing and distribution of merchandising products. These are products, such as clothes, shoes, phone accessories, bags or toys, on which an image or text is applied during the manufacturing process. The aim is to increase the products' attractiveness for consumers, who are