Judgment_paragraph 78 · F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Others v Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (C-179/16)

78In that regard, it is important to recall that the concept of restriction of competition ‘by object’ must be interpreted strictly and can be applied only to certain types of coordination between undertakings which reveal a degree of harm to competition that is sufficient for it to be held that there is no need to examine their effects. Indeed, certain forms of coordination between undertakings can be regarded, by their very nature, as being harmful to the proper functioning of normal competition (see, inter alia, judgments of 20 November 2008, Beef Industry Development Society and Barry Brothers, C‑209/07, EU:C:2008:643, paragraph 17, and of 27 April 2017, FSL and Others v Commission, C‑469/15 P, EU:C:2017:308, paragraph 103).