Intellectual Property & Antitrust: a synthesis of EU and national case law

The interaction between competition rules and intellectual property ("IP") rights has long been among the most interesting, controversial and widely discussed issues in competition law. At a first glance, the objectives of IP law and competition rules might seem to be at odds with each other. On the one hand, competition rules prohibit conduct that restricts competition and thereby leads to lower output and higher prices. On the other, IP law creates exclusive rights that limit access to information, technologies and other intangible assets. In a knowledge-based economy, access to information and technologies may be key to market success or survival. IP rights allow their holders to prevent others from utilizing the information, which typically leads to lower output and higher prices. A