Vertical Restraints Versus Horizontal Agreements In The Manufacturer – Distributor Relationship

By John Jiong Gong and Vanessa Yanhua Zhang –

Since the enforcement of the Anti-Monopoly Law (“AML”) in China, there have been several high-profile antitrust litigations involving vertical restraints in the manufacturer-distributor relationship. In China vertical restraints are also called vertical monopoly agreements in the context of the AML. In 2013, the Shanghai Higher Court set precedence of applying the “rule of reason” doctrine in the cases involving vertical monopoly agree