Competition Law And Patents

This is an incredibly interesting book on an increasingly pertinent topic. . . the book is succinctly written and provides a comprehensive overview of EU law. . . providing a really useful analysis of the European cases concerned with the imposition of a duty to deal in relation to intellectual property. . . This book is a thoroughly enjoyable read, and perhaps because of its brevity the author retains her focus on the central issues being examined. I found it to be engaging and thought provoking. Jane Nielsen, Competition and Consumer Law Journal The book caters for various groups ranging from those with a general interest in competition law, patent law and/or biopharmaceuticals, to students who want to understand how competition and intellectual property work in practice (or to understand the interface between the two policies), and from practitioners and policymakers to people within the biopharmaceutical industry itself. Journal of Intellectual Property Rights Using the example of research tools in biopharmaceutical research and innovation, this book examines the complexities of the relationship between two fundamental areas of law and policy intellectual property rights and competition law. It addresses a question that is certain to become paramount in other industries also: how to strike the balance between initial and follow-on innovation so as to ensure that access to essential research tools (or other fundamental elements to follow-on innovation) is not impeded. The book concludes by suggesting how competition law could be used to complement the patent balance. Competition Law and Patents caters for various groups ranging from those with a general interest in competition law, patent law and/or biopharmaceuticals, to students who want to understand how competition and intellectual property work in practice (or to understand the interface between the two policies), and from practitioners and policymakers to people within the biopharmaceutical industry itself.

The book ends with a comprehensive selection of the relevant bibliography. This part is all the more valuable to the reader as Ghidini does not simply list the relevant literature but puts it in it general context and comments on it. Ghidini s book is a fascinating trip through the system of IP laws. Beatriz Conde Gallego, Intellectual Property and Competition Law Intellectual Property and Competition Law by Gustavo Ghidini provides a persuasively presented descriptive analysis of a distinctively European perspective on intellectual property law and its relationship to competition law. Professor Ghidini expertly presents the evolution of intellectual property laws and its contemporary manifestations with respect to the expansion copyright law in technological fields and the inevitability conflict with patent law, the attempt at creating monopolies (such as in biotechnology), and so much more. A seminal work of impressive and articulate scholarship, Intellectual Property and Competition Law should be considered mandatory reading for students and researchers in the field of intellectual property rights and a very strongly recommended addition to academic library International Economics and Judicial Studies reference collections. The Economics Shelf, Midwest Book Review . . . the provocative nature of this book is one of its great strengths, as are its cohesiveness and erudition. Mel Marquis, European Competition Law Review We in the United States have much to learn not only from Gustavo Ghidini s careful analysis of modern trends in the European IP regime but also from his thoughtful development of the thesis that free competition should be understood as the overarching principle guiding both IP protection and what we call antitrust law. Rudolph J.R. Peritz, New York Law School, author of Competition Policy in America and American Antitrust Institute, US This rich and challenging book offers a critical appraisal of the relationship between intellectual property law and competition law, from a particularly European perspective. Gustavo Ghidini highlights the deficiencies in studying each of these areas of law independently and argues for a more holistic approach, insisting that it is more useful, and indeed essential, to consider them as interdependent. He does this first by examining how competition and intellectual property (IP) converge, diverge, and inform one another. Secondly, he assesses how IP law can be interpreted through the guiding principles of competition law antitrust and unfair competition and within the overarching principle of free competition. The book traces the evolution of modern IP law, which it claims is marked heavily both by over-protectionist trends such as the extension of copyright law to technological fields, where it trespasses on the territory of patent law and by attempts to monopolize the achievements of basic research, such as in the example of biotechnology. Through an examination of such emerging issues as access to standards of information and patenting of genetic materials, the author makes a clear case for a reading of IP law that promotes dynamic processes of innovation by competition , and competition by innovation , with related benefits to consumer welfare such as wider choices, greater access to culture and information, and lower prices. Advanced students and researchers in all areas of intellectual property will find this book a stimulating alternative to traditional interpretations of the subject.

Innovation benefits consumers through the development of new and improved goods, services, and processes. Competition and patents stand out among the federal policies that influence innovation. Both competition and patent policy can foster innovation, but each requires a proper balance with the other to do so. This report by the Federal Trade Commission discusses and makes recommendations for the patent system to maintain a proper balance with competition law and policy.

The volume offers an outstanding collection of studies on the interaction of IP and competition policy and is highly recommended for academics, graduate students, and practitioners with an interest in more theoretical studies. Ioannis Lianos, World Competition Each chapter in the Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Competition Law is written so lucidly that it will be of great interest to law professors and post graduate students of intellectual property and competition law, as well as those interested in innovation and competition theory, and legal practices in intellectual property and competition law. Madhu Sahni, Journal of Intellectual Property Rights This is a book that delivers on its promise. With a strong cast of contributors from a variety of countries, economies and disciplines, it makes the reader wonder how any commercially attractive IP ever gets exploited at all. IPKAT Here it comes: the book that I have been waiting for! This will surely be an inspiring source of knowledge in my Masters Programme in European Intellectual Property Law at Stockholm University. While promoting intellectual property protection as an important means for innovations and cultural developments, a critical analysis and a flexible approach to the needs for free creative space and effective competition is crucial. As this book so well illustrates, this delicate balance is no either or. Marianne Levin, Stockholm University, Sweden This comprehensive Handbook brings together contributions from American, Canadian, European, and Japanese writers to better explore the interface between competition and intellectual property law. Issues range from the fundamental to the specific, each considered from the angle of cartels, dominant positions, and mergers. Topics covered include, among others, technology licensing, the doctrine of exhaustion, network industries, innovation, patents, and copyright. Appropriate space is devoted to the latest developments in European and American antitrust law, such as the more economic approach and the question of anti-competitive abuses of intellectual property rights. Each original chapter reflects extensive comments by all other contributors, an approach which ensures a diversity of perspectives within a systematic framework. These cutting edge articles will be of great interest to law professors and postgraduate students of intellectual property and competition law, as well as those interested in innovation and competition theory, and legal practices in intellectual property and competition law.

Editors --Contributors --Foreword --Preface --Pharmaceutical Patents and Competition Issues --What Is Going on in National Systems?

Dr Jae Park is to be congratulated for turning our attention to this difficult and underexplored area. His work focuses on standards and patents but goes well beyond an initial first analysis. He examines the finer points of both sets of rules in order to find out exactly where the problem lies and he then looks at the existing mechanisms that could provide a solution. Many of these have their roots in the area of competition law, but his thorough analysis shows that competition law in its current form and with its current limitations is not the perfect tool to address the problems that arise when patented technology becomes the object of standardisation. This leads Dr Park to develop his own solution for the problem at hand: a solution which he finds in the dynamic liability rules regime. This book really breaks new ground and provides a first and thorough analysis of this rarely addressed but increasingly important area. From the foreword by Paul L.C. Torremans, University of Nottingham, UK This insightful book reviews the inherent conflict between patent rights and industry standards and through analysis of both US and European case law proposes measures to improve current systems and foster greater innovation. Jae Hun Park searches for the appropriate balance between the rights of patent owners and the need for industry standards within the scope of patent law. He considers the current solutions provided by legal systems and using cost benefit analysis evaluates, from a legal and economic perspective, whether patent systems can be improved. Jae Hun Park proposes reform to the patent system that would introduce a dynamic liability rule regime , rather than property rules . The dynamic liability rule regime adopts property rules at the stage when there are still competing standards, and liability rules at the stage when there are no competing standards. This would, he argues, resolve the conflict between patents and standards and mitigate the patent hold-up problem. This is a must-read book for scholars interested in technology patents, innovation and competition law and policy, as well as those individuals working in standard setting organisations. It will also be of great interest to patent offices, patent attorneys and competition lawyers.

Introduction --Standards and Standard Essential Patents --The Interplay between Intellectual Property Rights and Competition Law --The SEP Owner's Market Power --Deceptive Conduct during the Standardization Process --Strategic Licensing Practices --Interim Observations: Divergences, Legal Gaps, and Legal Uncertainty --Antitrust Remedies --Mechanisms Preventing Disputes in the SEP Context: The Informal Antitrust Intervention --Conclusion.