2026 Lexology Panoramic Guide on Distribution & Agency in Germany

Our Taylor Wessing Commercial Team has contributed to the 2026 Lexology Panoramic Guide on Distribution & Agency in Germany.

This Q&A guide covers crucial aspects of distribution and agency law relating to the German market, especially:

• regulations governing direct distribution;
• financial and tax considerations on foreign businesses’ operations;
• distribution structures available to suppliers;
• regulation of relationships between suppliers and distributors;
• restrictions on the distribution of competing products;
• relevant consumer protection laws;
• restrictions on contractual choice of law, courts or arbitration tribunals;
• dispute resolution, mediation and arbitration procedures; as well as
• key developments, concerning i.a. 
  • the EU competition law enforcement and ECJ case law under the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER), 
  • new decisions on franchising and dual distribution (especially as regards the rules on information exchange), and 
  • the new regulatory framework reshaping the landscape of product distribution and compliance requirements (including the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, the EU Deforestation Regulation, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability with the forthcoming REACH reforms, as well as the product related regulations such as the EU Battery Regulation, the General Product Safety Regulation, the Machinery Regulation, the Product Liability Directive, the Regulation on packaging and packaging waste, the EU Batteries Regulation and, last but not least, the AI Act).
    
     

Download the guide as PDF

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