Contracts

In a decision dated April 5, 2018, the Commercial Chamber of the Cour de Cassation (French Supreme court) confirmed that failure by a party to achieve the sales targets set forth in a contract does not alone suffice to justify the termination of an established business relationship without prior notice. The trial judges must indeed […]

Ordinance n°2016-131 of February 10, 2016 for the reform of contract law, the general regime of obligations and proof of obligations came into force on October 1, 2016. This reform was primarily aimed at codifying established and settled case-law principles but it also introduced new legal concepts and obligations. Law n° 2018-287 dated April 20, […]

While it did not drastically alter the changes brought about by Ordinance n° 2016-131 of February 10, 2016, the Ratification Law n° 2018-287 of April 20, 2018 did modify some aspects of French contract law and introduced a distinction between substantive amendments that will become effective as from the entry into force of the Ratification […]

In a judgment dated February 16, 2018, the Paris Court of Appeals recalled that the party which suffers from a significant imbalance in the rights and obligations of the contractual parties, within the meaning of Article L. 442-6, I, 2° of the French Commercial Code, must be able to demonstrate that it had no real […]

In a decision dated February 7, 2018, the Cour de Cassation (French Supreme Court) overturned existing case-law by holding that the limitation of liability clause survives the rescission of a sale transaction despite the retroactive cancellation of the sale contract. By ruling so, the Cour de Cassation aligned its case-law with the new provisions introduced […]

In an opinion dated September 21, 2017 and released in early November, the Commission d’examen des pratiques commerciales (Commercial Practices Review Committee, hereinafter the “CEPC”)[1] ruled on the lawfulness of the payment of year-end rebates provided for in an annual agreement between a supplier and a distributor whereas the requirements applicable for such payment were […]