Chillin'Competition

I’m spending most of my week at an oral hearing, so an easy post is in order: here goes another conference announcement. This one, however, is particularly important because (i) it refers to a conference organized by the emeritus founder of this blog; and (ii) it refers to one of the very few events that can actually provide a full view view of a complex issue, in this case patent-hold up.

The full Conference programme is available here: LCII-Conference-29th-February-2016-Patent-Holdup-Final

How Nicolas has managed to attract the speakers appearing on the programme (including two members of EU Courts, the US’ Deputy Assistant Attornet General for Antitrust among many other reknown experts) is beyond me.

Below please find the abstract provided by the organisers:

The patent hold-up theory has nurtured many policy developments in the past ten years. On the one hand, Standard Setting Organizations (SSOs) have been exploring changes to their licensing policies, in particular in relation to the commercial implications of FRAND pledges given by holder of Standard Essential Patents (“SEPs”). On the other hand, antitrust agencies and patent courts across the globe have been confronted with several waves of cases Those proceedings have generated a thick, diverse and somewhat inconsistent body of case-law on a wide array of topics, including the availability of injunctive relief, patent valuation, portfolio licensing, practicing and non-practicing entities, etc. This conference seeks to provide a 360° state of play on patent hold-up in contemporary antitrust and patent policy.
You can register now via this link: http://www.eventbrite.fr/e/billets-lcii-half-day-conference-regulating-patent-hold-up-19397594728