Any legal regime must attempt to assess the trade-offs associated with rules that will affect incentives to innovate, allocative efficiency, competition, and freedom of economic actors to commercialize the fruits of their innovative labors. The essays in this book approach this critical set of problems from an economic perspective.
The intersection between Competition law and intellectual property has always been a subject matter of controversy because of the very nature of the two subject areas. On the one hand, competition law seeks to protect the interest of traders and consumers by way of abuse of monopoly power on the part of an enterprise or an individual, and on the other hand, the grant of an intellectual property right to a person, automatically excludes other persons from making use of the property on which the right has been vested.
In the past few years, Latin American countries have taken giant steps to reposition their competition authorities in the global antitrust arena, granting them much greater autonomy both domestically and internationally. This is an updated edition of the first book that offered an in-depth analysis of this complex scenario. The first part of the book includes more general chapters written by leading experts on a variety of relevant topics analyzed at a regional level such as the issues emerging with the digital economy and on the special field of the information and communications technology industry, as well as chapters on broad regional trends, on the working of competition law in countries with regulated markets and in the cluster of Central American countries, among others. At the heart of the presentation are nine chapters detailing the competition regimes of the most active national jurisdictions in the region—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Written by practicing experts with considerable hands-on experience in their respective countries, each of these chapters provides a comprehensive description and explanation of the evolution, current state, and prospects for antitrust in the country. Topics addressed in the country analysis encompass the following and more: relevant institutions and legislation; cartel investigations; unilateral conduct policies; merger review; international coordination; enforcement; and remedies. Each chapter includes an analysis of relevant case law, allowing the reader to gauge the positions, views, and tendencies of each competition law regime. The contributors also pay attention to the specificities and idiosyncrasies that are so important for a correct understanding of the practical realities of competition policy and enforcement. With its wide-ranging and in-depth approach, this book provides an incomparable analysis of a challenging region poised to become increasingly important in the international recognition and enforcement of antitrust law. It is in this sense an essential guide for lawyers, economists, corporations, academics, and government officials interested in understanding where competition law is, and where it is going to, in Latin America.
In recent years, market definition has come under attack as an analytical tool of competition law. Scholars have increasingly questioned its usefulness and feasibility. That criticism comes into sharper relief in dynamic, innovation-driven markets, which do not correspond to the static markets on which the concept of the relevant market was modelled. This book explores that controversy from a comparative legal perspective, taking into account both EU competition and US antitrust law. It examines the manifold ways in which courts and competition authorities in the EU and US have factored innovation-related considerations into market delineation, covering: innovative product markets, product differentiation, future markets, issues going beyond market definition proper – such as innovation competition, innovation markets and potential competition –, intellectual property rights, innovative aftermarkets and multi-sided platforms. This book finds that going forward, the role of market definition in dynamic contexts needs to focus on its function of market characterisation rather than on the assessment of market power.
This volume contains papers presented at the 17th Annual EU Competition Law and Policy Workshop, organized by Philip Lowe and Mel Marquis and held at the European University Institute on 13-14 July 2012. From a variety of angles the book explores the themes of competition, regulation and certain public policies; their interactions; and, in some cases, their mutual tensions. The authors of the various chapters consider legal and economic issues relating to network industries, industrial, environmental and trade policies, and intellectual property and innovation policies, among others. Comparative views and the views of judges from different jurisdictions are provided, and techniques for mediating among different policy objectives and frameworks are discussed. Authors contributing to this book include: Rafael Allendesalazar, Robert D Anderson, Marco Boccaccio, Ginevra Bruzzone, Cristina Caffarra, Alexandre de Streel, Ian Forrester, Douglas Ginsburg, Geert Goeteyn, Calvin Goldman, Daniel Haar, Küllike Jürimäe, Suzanne Kingston, Lars Kjølbye, Paul Lugard, Mel Marquis, Veljko Milutinovic, Giorgio Monti, Anna Caroline Müller, Rosa Perna, Anthony Pygram, Philip Lowe, Pierre Régibeau and Jon Stern.
For decades, the debate about the tension between IP and antitrust law has revolved around the question to what extent antitrust should accept that IP laws may bar competition in order to stimulate innovation. The rise of IP rights in recent years has highlighted the problem that IP may also impede innovation, if research for new technologies or the marketing of new products requires access to protected prior innovation. How this 'cumulative innovation' is actually accounted for under IP and antitrust laws in the EU and the US, and how it could alternatively be dealt with, are the central questions addressed in this unique study by lawyer and economist Thorsten Käseberg. Taking an integrated view of both IP and antitrust rules – in particular on refusals to deal based on IP – the book assesses policy levers under European and US patent, copyright and trade secrecy laws, such as the bar for and scope of protection as well as research exemptions, compulsory licensing regimes and misuse doctrines. It analyses what the allocation of tasks is and should be between these IP levers and antitrust rules, in particular the law on abuse of dominance (Article 102 TFEU) and monopolisation (Section 2 Sherman Act), while particular attention is paid to the essential facilities doctrine, including pricing methodologies for access to IP. Many recent decisions and judgments are put into a coherent analytical framework, such as IMS Health, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline (in the EU), Apple (France), Orange Book Standard (Germany), Trinko, Rambus, NYMEX, eBay (US), Microsoft and IBM/T3 (both EU and US). Further topics covered include: IP protection for software, interoperability information and databases; industry-specific tailoring of IP; antitrust innovation market analysis; and the WTO law on the IP/antitrust interface.
The regulation of innovation and the optimal design of legal institutions in an environment of uncertainty are two of the most important policy challenges of the twenty-first century. Innovation is critical to economic growth. Regulatory design decisions, and, in particular, competition policy and intellectual property regimes, can have profound consequences for economic growth. However, remarkably little is known about the relationship between innovation, competition, and regulatory policy. Any legal regime must attempt to assess the tradeoffs associated with rules that will affect incentives to innovate, allocative efficiency, competition, and freedom of economic actors to commercialize the fruits of their innovative labors. The essays in this book approach this critical set of problems from an economic perspective, relying on the tools of microeconomics, quantitative analysis, and comparative institutional analysis to explore and begin to provide answers to the myriad challenges facing policymakers.
Rapid technological innovations have challenged the conventional application of antitrust and competition law across the globe. Acknowledging these challenges, this original work analyses the roles of innovation in competition law analysis and reflects on how competition and antitrust law can be refined and tailored to innovation.
Praise for Outpacing the Competition Patent-Based Business Strategy "Outpacing the Competition provides a useful IP management framework for rapidly evolving and inherently unpredictable R&D environments where companies are partners, customers, and competitors at the same time." –Marshall Phelps, Corporate Vice President for IP Policy & Strategy, Microsoft "Robert Cantrell's book Outpacing the Competition: Patent-Based Business Strategy?should be read by?anyone?involved in the practice of litigating or licensing patent rights or policymakers responsible for patent issues. Mr. Cantrell provides a cogent approach for applying decisional methodology and game theory to enhance the utilization and understanding of patent rights."–Bradley J. Olson, Esq., patent attorney, Washington, DC "Robert Cantrell makes a compelling case for using intellectual property as a core for building solid business strategy. He provides a unique and valuable perspective on competitive advantage, as delivered through patent-based business strategy. This is an excellent addition to anyone's business strategy arsenal." –Jeff Hovis, Managing Principal, Product Genesis, Innovation Genesis LLC "Robert truly treats patents and related intellectual property as both a weapon and a shield to help the reader use patents to out-maneuver global competitors of all kinds—the low-cost producer, the high-end innovator, etc. CEOs, attorneys, business and engineering professionals and the like will enjoy the military imagery and flavor provided by Robert. Thanks for clarifying how critical it is to have an understanding of patents in running a truly competitive global business today." –José W. Jimenez, Esq., Chief Intellectual Property Officer,AMS Research Corporation
