In 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU, Court) delivered a judgment in CDC v. Akzo Nobel finding that broadly worded jurisdiction clauses do not extend to competition-related tortious damages claims. Even though the Court did not address arbitration clauses, a spill over into the area may take place. Both prior to and after the CJEU’s judgment Member States’ courts dealt with the issue of scope of broad arbitration clauses arriving at conflicting outcomes. The most recent decision was delivered in September 2017 by the Dortmund Regional Court. This article analyses the judgment in CDC v. Akzo Nobel, relevant national courts’ judgments, and how the resulting uncertainty may be mitigated.
Journal of International Arbitration