Judgment of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 12 April 2013 — Performing Right Society v Commission

(Case T‑421/08)

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. 76)

2.                     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 92, 139, 194)

3.                     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 93-97)

4.                     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 98-102, 108, 161)

5.                     Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Prohibition — Agreements which continue to produce their effects after they have formally ceased to be in force — Application Article 81 EC (Art. 81(1) EC) (see para. 124)

6.                     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. 138)

7.                     Judicial proceedings — Intervention — Application designed to support or reject the pleas of one of the parties — Application also seeking annulment of a provision not covered by the pleas of one of the parties — Partial inadmissibility (Statute of the Court of Justice, Arts 40, fourth para, and 53, first para.; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 116(4)) (see paras 185, 186)

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 Performing Right Society Ltd;

3. Annuls Article 4(2) of Commission Decision C(2008) 3435 final, in so far as it refers to Article 3 of that decision, as regards Performing Right Society;

4. Dismisses the remainder of the action;

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

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

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

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

9. 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 Performing Right Society in connection with their interventions.