Technology Transfer Block Exemption (TTBER)
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Current position & sources
Sources checked:
Regulation 316/2014 expired on 30 April 2026. The current technology transfer block exemption is Regulation 2026/877, in force from 1 May 2026. This page retains the historical instrument and explains the limited transition for existing agreements.
- Technology licensing agreementsEuropean Commission
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/877EUR-Lex
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 316/2014EUR-Lex
Summary
Regulation 316/2014 expired on 30 April 2026. The current technology transfer block exemption is Regulation 2026/877, in force from 1 May 2026. This page retains the historical instrument and explains the limited transition for existing agreements.
Who is affected?
Technology licensors and licensees assessing agreements under EU competition law, particularly existing agreements that relied on the 2014 exemption.
Scope
Historical exemption for qualifying technology transfer agreements. Current assessments must consider the successor regulation and its transitional provision.
Key Points
- The 2014 regulation is no longer the current general exemption framework.
- Regulation 2026/877 entered into force on 1 May 2026 and expires on 30 April 2038.
- Its Article 10 gives a transition until 30 April 2027 for agreements already in force on 30 April 2026 that met the old conditions but not the new conditions.
- The transition is conditional; it does not automatically cover every existing licence.
- An agreement outside a block exemption requires an individual competition-law assessment; absence of exemption alone does not establish infringement.
Key Deadlines
- — 2014 regulation entered into force
- — 2014 regulation expired
- — Successor Regulation 2026/877 entered into force
- — Conditional transition under successor Article 10 ends
Related Regulations
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a new agreement rely on the 2014 regulation?
The current framework is Regulation 2026/877. The old regulation expired on 30 April 2026.
Which agreements benefit from transition?
Agreements already in force on 30 April 2026 that satisfied the old exemption conditions but not the new conditions, as specified in Article 10 of Regulation 2026/877.
When does that transition end?
On 30 April 2027.
Does expiry make every licence unlawful?
No. The agreement needs assessment under the applicable competition rules.
Why keep this page?
It identifies the historical instrument and directs readers to its successor without changing the existing URL.
Key Terms
- Block exemption
- An exemption for a category of agreements satisfying specified conditions.
- Technology transfer
- Licensing technology rights for use by another undertaking.
- Transitional provision
- A rule allowing defined existing arrangements temporary treatment under a changing framework.
- Individual assessment
- Examination of a particular agreement under competition law outside an automatic exemption.
- Successor regulation
- A later legal instrument taking over the regulatory framework.