The purpose of this paper is to provide a full account of the new european rules on distribution agreements adopted in april 2010 ie regulation 330 2010 and its concomitant guidelines on vertical restraints in doing so the paper covers all aspects of the law in this field with the notable exception of agency agreements and discusses the development of the law since the 1960s to the . Vertical restraints under eu competition law conceptual foundations and practical framework nicolas petit and david henry i introduction each manufacturer seeking to convey goods or services to customers faces a basic standard choice1 it may either distribute them directly through downstream vertical integration integrated distribution or it may entrust this task to specialised agents . Assessment of vertical agreements under the eu competition rules the standards set forth in these guidelines cannot be applied mechanically but must be applied with due consideration for the specific circumstances of each case each case must be evaluated in the light of its own facts 1 these guidelines replace the commission notice guidelines on vertical restraints oj c 291 1310 . Commission notice guidelines on vertical restraints official journal c 291 13102000 p 1 44 related documents brochure the competition rules for supply and distribution agreements press release commission finalises new competition rules for distribution ip 00 520 24052000. Title vertical restraints and distribution agreements under eu competition law edited by charles gheur and nicolas petit foreword by jacques hj bourgeois added author gheur charles petit nicolas 1978