
United Brands Company v. Commission of the European Communities
Court of Justice of the European Union
Case 27/76 (1978)
Relevant factsFree
The Commission (defendant) found that UBC (plaintiff), Europe's main banana supplier, abused its dominant market position by prohibiting distributors from reselling still-green bananas and by cutting off supply to distributor Olesen after Olesen advertised for a UBC competitor; UBC challenged the Commission's decision, arguing the relevant product market was fresh fruit generally rather than bananas specifically.
IssueFree
Whether, under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, a company in a dominant market position may abuse that position by taking actions that restrict competition.
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