On 6 December 2017 the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) issued its long-awaited preliminary ruling in the case of Coty Germany GmbH v Parfümerie Akzente Gmbh, on issues referred from a Frankfurt court concerning the distribution of luxury goods. The ruling follows the approach recommended in the opinion of CJEU Advocate General Wahl, issued in July this year. The CJEU generally – but not always – follows the Advocate General’s non-binding opinion. In summary, the CJEU confirmed that:
1. Suppliers may use a selective distribution system designed primarily to preserve an “aura of luxury” for luxury goods, if the following two conditions are met:
a. Authorised resellers must be chosen on the basis of objective, qualitative criteria.
b. These criteria must be laid down uniformly for all potential resellers and applied in a non-discriminatory manner.