Background information
In October 2016, the Fédération des Industries Nautiques (FIN) terminated its contract with Reed Expo since 1998 to organise the Nautic and Cannes Yachting Festival. While the end of the collaboration for the Paris Boat Show did not pose a legal problem, the one concerning the Cannes event caused a long legal procedure. From the outset, FIN brought an action before the Paris Court of First Instance against Article 9.3 of the contract, which provided that in the event of termination, for whatever reason, Reed Expo would operate the Cannes Yachting Festival until 2041. While Reed introduced a summary judgment in November 2016 to request the forced execution of the contract, the FIN referred the matter to the Competition Authority, considering that the clause constituted an "abuse of economic dependence", jeopardising the economic balances of the sector. Both were rejected, as the administrative and criminal authorities considered that no emergency measures were necessary. Since the beginning of the procedure, Reed Expo has organised the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Cannes Yachting Festival.
The TGI confirms the cancellation of the contract on the Cannes Yachting Festival
In its decision of 8 January 2019, the 4th Chamber of the Paris Court of First Instance delivered the first judgment on the merits of the case between the FIN and Reed Expo. By press release, the Federation of Nautical Industries welcomes the fact that the courts have judged it "to be admissible in all its applications The difficulty of the race did not dampen the enthusiasm of the participants since a next edition is already planned. It will take place in 2022 and 20 sailors of 10 different nationalities are already engaged for a departure on 22 September 2022 (7 British, 3 Australians, 2 French, 2 American, 1 Austrian, 1 Canadian, 1 Irish, 1 Italian, 1 New Zealander, 1 Norwegian). Of the 20 future participants, 12 already have a loan boat. section 9.3 of the contract between the NIF and REED null and void ", resulting in the termination of the contract. She points out that "the the court even expressly prohibited REED from presenting itself to anyone as the organizer of the Yachting Festival Before I came here, I had at least 60 marks on my hands in the surfing field. I have gone through all levels from technical to technical. I also have experience in textiles at Kanabeach. After that, I set off on an adventure with a view to making a good living, but I wanted to come back to a subject I liked. That's when I created Anonym SUP with 4 friends. We chose the name because we had all been men of the shadows for many surf brands. Personally, I fell into the paddle in 2007, in parallel with longboarding or bodysurfing, because it was a more family and "non-selfish" activity.
What are the consequences for the Cannes Yachting Festival?
The consequences for the Cannes boat show remain uncertain, while major changes have been announced for 2019 with the move of the yachts to Port Canto. Reed Expo can still appeal the decision. As both parties are not yet available to answer BoatIndustry's questions, we do not know their intentions, but will not fail to inform you as soon as possible.
