Intellectual Property and Competition: Friends or Foes?

Traditionally IP rights and competition have been considered as conflicting policies. IP rights create monopolies, which is what competition aims at preventing. The relationship between the two policies, however, is more complex than that. This panel will discuss the key principles applicable in competition enforcement cases which involve intellectual property (IP)-related business practices and it will explore the complex interaction between intellectual property rights and competition, to ensure a correct functioning of markets and adequate incentives to innovate. This is particularly important for the digital economy, which is continuing to grow rapidly.