Judgment of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 12 April 2013 —
SACEM v Commission

(Case T‑422/08)

Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Copyright relating to public performance of musical works via the internet, satellite and cable retransmission — Decision finding an infringement of Article 81 EC — Sharing of the geographic market — Bilateral agreements between national collecting societies — Concerted practices precluding the possibility of granting multi-territory and multi-repertoire licences — Proof — Presumption of innocence

1.                     Actions for annulment — Review of legality — Criteria — Account taken only of the factual and legal elements existing at the date on which the contested measure was adopted (Art. 230 EC) (see para. 70)

2.                     Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Adverse effect on competition — Reciprocal representation agreements between national copyright management societies — Exclusive membership clauses with collective copyright management societies linked to the nationality of authors — Anti-competitive object — Market-sharing arrangement — Partitioning of the market — Particularly serious infringements — Prohibition (Art. 81(1) EC) (see para. 75)

3.                     Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Adverse effect on competition — Criteria for assessment — Anti-competitive object — Sufficient — Distinction between infringements by subject matter and by effect (Art. 81(1) EC) (see paras 76-78)

4.                     Competition — Administrative procedure — Powers of the Commission — Finding of an infringement which has been terminated — Legitimate interest in making the finding — Danger of a return to the incriminated practice requiring clarification of the legal position (Art. 81(1) EC; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 7(2)) (see para. 80)

5.                     Competition — Administrative procedure — Commission decision finding an infringement — Burden of proving the infringement borne by the Commission — Extent of the burden of proof (Art. 81(1) EC; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 2) (see paras 93, 141)

6.                     Union law — Principles — Fundamental rights — Presumption of innocence — Procedures in competition matters — Decision finding an infringement but not imposing a fine — Applicability (Art. 81(1) EC; Art. 6(2) EU; Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 48(1)) (see paras 94-98)

7.                     Competition — Administrative procedure — Commission decision finding an infringement — Means of proof — Reliance on a body of evidence — Degree of evidential value necessary as regards items of evidence viewed in isolation — Evidence based solely on the conduct of undertakings — Evidential obligations of undertakings disputing the reality of the infringement — Obligations of the Commission challenging the plausibility of the explanations proposed by the undertakings (Art. 81(1) EC; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 2) (see paras 99-102, 163)

8.                     Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Prohibition — Agreements which continue to produce their effects after they have formally ceased to be in force — Application of Article 81 EC (Art. 81(1) EC) (see para. 126)

9.                     Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Concerted practice — Parallel conduct — Presumption that a concertation exists — Limits — Refusal by national copyright management societies to allow a user established in another Member State direct access to their repertoire — Adverse effect on competition (Art. 81(1) EC) (see para. 140)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment in part of Commission Decision C(2008) 3435 final of 16 July 2008 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/C2/38.698 — CISAC).

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the European Commission’s request for measures of organisation of procedure;

2. Annuls Article 3 of Commission Decision C(2008) 3435 final of 16 July 2008 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/C2/38.698 — CISAC), in so far as it concerns SACEM;

3. Annuls Article 4(2) and (3) of Commission Decision C(2008) 3435 final, to the extent that they refer to Article 3 of that decision, in so far as they concern SACEM;

4. Dismisses the remainder of the action;

5. Orders SACEM to bear half of its own costs, with the exception of the costs occasioned by the interventions in support of the Commission;

6. Orders the French Republic to bear its own costs;

7. Orders Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (SGAE) to bear half of its own costs;

8. Orders the Commission to bear its own costs, to pay half of those incurred by SACEM, with the exception of the costs occasioned by the interventions in support of the Commission, and to pay half of those incurred by SGAE;

9. Orders the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by SACEM in connection with IFPI’s intervention;

10. Orders RTL Group SA, CLT-UFA, Music Choice Europe Ltd, ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, Modern Times Group MTG AB, Viasat Broadcasting UK Ltd and Verband Privater Rundfunk und Telemedien eV to bear their own costs and to pay those incurred by SACEM in connection with their interventions;

11. Orders SACEM, the Commission, RTL Group, CLT-UFA and Music Choice Europe to each bear their own costs relating to the interim relief proceedings.