How should the experimental use mechanism be designed in order to maintain the proper balance between the rights of patent holders and the rights retained by the public? The work explores various approaches towards the experimental use exemption in influential regions, such as US UK Germany Japan as well as in international treaties. In each of these systems some degree of vulnerability is found. Either exemption is too narrow or too broad and lacking a dynamic dimension. Therefore, the work sets out to design a dynamic and multi-step experimental use mechanism. The work proposes to view the experimental use mechanism as a right provided to the public and in turn as a duty imposed on the patent holder to suggest path/s of exploration with regard to the patented invention. This approach significantly strengthens the experimental use mechanism as it becomes part of the bundle of requirements that an inventor needs to comply with in order to obtain a patent grant. The scope of the experimental use mechanism will be determined by a three step process. In the first stage the positions and interests of the inventor, invention and researcher will be taken into account in order to determine the incentives needed to cause inventors to stay within the patent system and at the same time prevent researches from migrating to other regions. In the second stage the scope of the experimental use mechanism will be impacted by the determination whether either party adopted anticompetitive behavior. The final step will inquire whether the invention or the research is geared at improving public health. In these instances there will be a tendency to increase the scope of the experimental use mechanism due to the internationally recognized right to health and its global importance. The work incorporates concepts from different legal fields such as competition law and health policy as well as from other disciplines including economics and psychology The three step process has the potential of designing a dynamic and robust experimental use mechanism which may prove to be useful in other patent settings such as the holdup problem or blocking patents. Incorporating a flexible experimental use mechanism may diminish the attempts of patent holders to act opportunistically and curtail the rights of the public. Thus, the work contributes to the current state of the experimental use debate and towards achieving the proper balance between the rights of the patent holder and the rights of the public.

State aid law is one of the most important categories of the competition law in the European Union. The state as such has an unprecedented advantage compared to other competitors: the state disposes of a huge amount of funds which could be easily distributed in favor of the privileged undertakings. The risk of the distorting effect on competition is high; thus, strict rules are necessary. The thesis is divided into five parts: introduction, the part focusing on international treaties, the general part, specific provisions and the conclusion. Part two of this thesis deals with the respective international treaties relevant for the aid schemes. There are three groups of such international treaties: the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures adopted in the WTO system, the anti-aid measures in the European Economic Area and the anti- subsidies mechanism towards the third countries (i.e. non-members of EEA or WTO). This part describes these three mechanisms and their common principles. Part three of the thesis is dedicated to the general provision. Section 3.1 deals with the term "state aid", describes the main criteria for qualification of the aid as a state aid incompatible with the internal market. I also focused on two judgments of the Tribunal which I considered important for the used...

The Law of State Aid Focusing on Steel Industry Abstract The law of state aid is one of the fundamental pillars of the competition law. The task of this branch of law is to ensure healthy competitive environment. State interferences with the economy may, however, create unequal conditions between the competition on the market. It is therefore necessary to ensure and enforce strict regulation of state aid by law. The first part of the thesis focuses on explaining the concept of State aid under Article 107 of the Treaty on Functioning of the European Union in accordance with the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Prohibited State aid is granted by State or through state resources, directly or indirectly. In addition, the measure must be attributable to the State and selectively favor only certain sectors. State does not act as reasonable private investor when providing the aid, and is not aimed at maximizing profits but at supporting the undertaking. Lastly, the aid distorts, or has the ability to distort, competition which adversely affects trade between Member State. If the notified or planned measure appear cumulatively, such aid is prohibited and may not be granted. However, the prohibition on providing State aid is not absolute though. The thesis also deals with exemptions from the...

1 Abstract The thesis deals with the topic of damages claims arising from breach of competition law. In particular, it focuses on the cases in which is involved a relevant international element. The thesis reflect the thought that even after adoption of Directive on certain rules governing actions for damages under national law for infringements of the competition law provisions of the Member States and of the European Union, there are still significant differences between the legal systems of the Member States, which to a large extent affect the compensation for damages. The thesis is divided into six chapters, the first and last of which are general introduction and conclusion. The second chapter deals with the definition of private enforcement of competition law and its relation to private international law. The third chapter can be divided into two relatively separate parts. The first one deals with the general construction of damages in the Czech Civil Code and performs a basic comparison with the Germany and England. The second part deals with selected specific areas of competition law. In particular, with the topics such as: who is eligible to bring an action; who can be considered as liable; or the basic procedural specificities (the distinction between stand alone and follow-on actions, the...

L’achèvement du marché intérieur de l’électricité réside dans la construction effective d’un ordre concurrentiel. Le droit de la concurrence constitue, en principe, l’unique norme d’encadrement du marché. Or, les nombreux dysfonctionnements concurrentiels dévoilent un bilan contrasté de la libéralisation. Ces résultats sont imputés à l’existence et à l’introduction de règlementations nationales, à l’instar de la tarification, qui affectent la transition concurrentielle du marché. Vingt ans après la décision d’ouvrir le marché à la concurrence, il n’existe pas un marché de l’électricité mais des marchés de l’électricité. Des normes de régulation sont donc introduites, en tant que technique d’accompagnement du phénomène d’ouverture à la concurrence et instrument correctif aux différentes failles de marché. S’ensuit un droit de la régulation de l’électricité aux côtés d’un droit de la concurrence. Mais cette régulation résulte également d’impératifs exogènes et endogènes au marché. L’électricité n’est pas une marchandise comme les autres. L’essentialité du bien électrique et ses externalités environnementales induisent un encadrement spécifique du marché. La protection du consommateur, la protection de l’environnement et la sécurité d’approvisionnement sont donc régies par des normes de régulation, voire des règlementations, aux incidences sur la transition concurrentielle. Source de complexité et d’incohérences juridiques, la plurifonctionnalité de l’électricité affecte le projet d’un ordre strictement concurrentiel du marché / The completion of the internal electricity market depends on the effective construction of a competitive order. Competition law acts therefore as the sole market framework standard. However, the numerous competitive inefficiencies reveal a mixed record of liberalisation. These results are attributed to the existence and introduction of national regulations, such as pricing, which affect the competitive transition of the market. The electricity market is thus marked by a dispute between member states and the European Union. Twenty years after the decision was made to open the market to competition, there is not an electricity market but several electricity markets. Regulatory standards are therefore introduced to complement the opening to competition and fix the various market failures. Introduced ab initio as a transitional and supplementary law, the multiplication of regulatory standards and the enhancement of their scope of application give them a market framework role. This creates a regulation law alongside competition law on the electricity market. But this regulation also results from exogenous and endogenous imperatives to the market. Electricity is not a commodity like others. The essentiality of the electric good and its environmental externalities shape a specific market framework. Consumer protection, environmental protection and security of supply are therefore governed by regulatory standards, or even regulations, which have an impact on the competitive transition. The electricity market is thus confronted with many legal inconsistencies. The multifunctionality of electricity affects the project of a strictly competitive market order

Este trabalho busca analisar o Acordo em Controle de Concentrações como um instrumento jurídico em benefício do setor industrial em face ao impacto do pós-fordismo periférico na economia brasileira. Para tal, se busca primeiramente investigar a disciplina do direito da concorrência dentro do sistema de regulação instituído pelo pós-fordismo periférico. Em seguida, passa-se à do Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE), em especial o procedimento de tomada de decisão no controle de concentrações. Nesse sentido, optou-se pela análise da decisão de aprovação do ato de concentração (fusão) Videolar-Innova, viabilizado por meio de um Acordo em Controle de Concentrações (ACC). Assim, o presente estudo busca verificar se o referido ACC poderia constituir um mecanismo de regulação em benefício ao setor industrial em face do impacto gerado pelas políticas do pós-fordismo. O método a ser utilizado é o materialismo histórico-dialético, e como referencial teórico a Teoria da Regulação e da Derivação. Por fim, por meio da conclusão do trabalho se buscou demonstra a articulação das forças sociais a modelar a política econômica em benefício de determinados setores, em especial o industrial, para enfrentar o processo de desindustrialização e desnacionalização gerados pelas políticas neoliberais no marco do sistema de regulação. Sendo esta articulação dentro das limitações para manobra da política econômica que lhe são impostas. / This paper proposes to analyze the Agreement on Control of Economic Concentration as a juridical instrument in benefit of the industrial sector face to the impact of peripheral post-Fordism on Brazilian economy. In order to achieve this, it has first sought to investigate the discipline of competition law within the system of regulation instituted by the peripheral post-Fordism. Afterwards, it analyses the Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica, especially the decision-making procedures in the control of economic concentration. That is why it was adopted the analysis of the decision to approve the merger agreement Videolar-Innova, which was able due to the Concentration Control Agreement. Therefore, it seeks to verify if this Agreement would constitute a regulation mechanism that benefits the industrial sector towards the impact reproduced by the politics of post-Fordism. The method to be applied is the Dialectical and Historical Materialism and, as theoretical reference, the Regulation and Derivation Theory. The conclusion of this work seeks to demonstrate the articulation of social forces that molds the economic politics in benefit of specific sectors, especially the industrial one, to struggle the deindustrialization and denationalization generated by the neoliberalism politics as a reference to the system of regulation, as this articulation is in the limits of economic politics manoeuvring which is imposed for them.

A presente pesquisa buscou avaliar se o direito da concorrência, tal como edificado no presente, tem-se revelado suficiente para alcançar o fenômeno concorrencial de modo efetivo e, portanto, se estaria, de fato, a realizar sua missão no sentido de contribuir para o desenvolvimento e para a democracia. Objetivou-se demonstrar que os mecanismos convencionais de defesa da concorrência (controle de condutas e de atos de concentração) seriam incapazes de fazer frente à crescente concentração dos mercados e à eliminação ou mesmo redução de distorções competitivas ocasionadas, ainda que indiretamente, pelo próprio Estado. Demonstrou-se que estes problemas estariam a impactar a própria ideia de democracia e colocariam em risco o desenvolvimento econômico e social. A partir do referencial teórico utilizado, procurou-se evidenciar esta incapacidade do antitruste em acompanhar a velocidade de mercados cada vez mais dinâmicos, bem como alcançar todos os problemas concorrenciais, especialmente, aqueles ocasionados por meios não-convencionais, isto é, por mecanismos de diferenciação de produtos, por práticas apoiadas em facilitações institucionais, subsídios estatais, obtenção de vantagens por influência no processo legislativo e, entre outros, por meio de decisões administrativas e/ou regulatórias. A competition advocacy (promoção da concorrência) foi apresentada como uma das respostas possíveis do direito para mitigar o risco de que a excessiva concentração do poder econômico acabe gerando o bloqueio de canais democráticos, a captura das instituições políticas por grupos dominantes e, ainda que reflexamente, o aumento da desigualdade. Considerando que a competition advocacy parte de uma ideia residual ou de exclusão em relação à função preventiva e à repressiva, a pesquisa identificou quais seriam os assuntos adequados para uma abordagem sistêmica e, principalmente, útil da promoção da concorrência, tendo em vista, especialmente, o tratamento ainda difuso do tema por parte da doutrina. Em conclusão, buscou-se definir, com maior precisão, o conteúdo jurídico da promoção da concorrência e foram apresentadas propostas para aperfeiçoamento do instituto no Brasil, de modo a contribuir para o desenvolvimento econômico-social e para o fortalecimento das instituições democráticas. / This work intended to evaluate whether competition law, as built in the present, has proved to be sufficient to reach the competitive phenomenon in an effective way and, therefore, if it achieves its mission, that is, to contribute to the development and democracy. It also aimed to demonstrate that competition law´s conventional tools (enforcement mechanisms) would be unable to cope with the growing concentration of markets and the elimination or even reduction of competitive distortions indirectly caused by the State itself. It has been shown that these problems are impacting on a democracy ideal and jeopardizing economic and social development. From the theoretical framework used, this antitrust inability was observed, to monitor the speed of increasingly dynamic markets, as well as to reach all competitive problems, especially those caused by non-conventional means, that is, by mechanisms of differentiation of products, malpractices supported by institutions, state subsidies, obtaining advantages by influence in the legislative process and, among others, through administrative and/ or regulatory decisions. Competition advocacy was presented as one of the possible answers to diminish the risk that the excessive concentration of economic power would end up blocking democratic channels, resulting on the capture of political institutions by dominant groups, and even if at an indirect way, increasing inequality. Considering that competition advocacy is based on a residual idea of the preventive and repressive functions, the dissertation identified what would be the appropriate subjects for systemic and useful approach to promoting competition, specially, due to the still diffuse treatment of the subject by the doctrine. In conclusion, we tried to define the legal content of the competition advocacy. We made also proposals for the improvement of the subject in brazil in order to contribute to economic and social development as well as to the strengthening of democratic institutions.

A presente tese de doutorado tem como objetivo a análise da interface entre propriedade intelectual e direito da concorrência no contexto do enquadramento jurídico oferecido pelo Acordo sobre Aspectos de Direitos de Propriedade Intelectual Relacionados ao Comércio Acordo TRIPS da Organização Mundial do Comércio OMC. As disposições relevantes sobre concorrência foram incluídas no Artigo 8.2, que autoriza os Membros a adotarem medidas apropriadas para evitar abusos dos direitos de propriedade intelectual e práticas que restrinjam o comércio e a transferência internacional de tecnologia; no Artigo 40, que dispõe sobre o controle das práticas restritivas em acordos de licenciamento; e no Artigo 31(k), que trata do licenciamento compulsório de patentes para remediar práticas anticoncorrenciais. Essas disposições acabaram sendo incluídas no Acordo TRIPS como resultado de concessões feitas pelos países desenvolvidos aos países em desenvolvimento, em troca do fortalecimento dos padrões mínimos de proteção dos direitos de propriedade intelectual, podendo, portanto, ser consideradas no contexto das flexibilidades constantes no Acordo. No entanto, ainda que essas disposições representem um elemento essencial de equilíbrio, também deixaram importantes questões sem resposta. Além de serem vagas, não fornecem diretrizes adequadas para os países em desenvolvimento implementarem políticas públicas nacionais para coibir práticas restritivas da concorrência relacionadas à exploração de direitos de propriedade intelectual. Assim, enquanto os países mais industrializados possuem autoridades antitruste e tribunais com sólida experiência e recursos necessários para lidar com questões envolvendo a interface entre propriedade intelectual e direito da concorrência, os países em desenvolvimento, em sua maioria, mesmo possuindo leis antitruste nacionais, ainda não adquiriram a experiência e capacitação para tratar de tema tão complexo. Desse modo, a tese deverá abordar as circunstâncias nas quais eventuais abusos de direitos de propriedade intelectual podem restringir a livre concorrência nos mercados, com ênfase nas práticas restritivas em acordos de licenciamento, pools de patentes e licenças cruzadas, bem como nas condutas unilaterais de exclusão relacionadas à exploração desses direitos. Para tanto, propõe-se a interpretação dos dispositivos do TRIPS sobre concorrência a partir da experiência prática das autoridades antitruste e tribunais dos Estados Unidos e da União Europeia. Será também abordada a relação entre propriedade intelectual e direito da concorrência no contexto do ordenamento jurídico-constitucional brasileiro, especialmente a partir da Lei n.º 12.529/2011, nova lei antitruste que altera e define o Sistema Brasileiro de Defesa da Concorrência (SBDC), e de casos recentes julgados pelo Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE). Ao final, serão analisadas as possíveis abordagens que poderiam ser adotadas pelos países em desenvolvimento na implementação de políticas de concorrência nacionais, que sejam eficazes e compatíveis com o Acordo TRIPS, de modo a contribuir com eventuais discussões futuras sobre o tema em foros internacionais. / The purpose of this thesis is to assess the interface between intellectual property and competition law in light of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights TRIPS Agreement of the World Trade Organization WTO. The provisions regarding competition were included in Article 8.2, which authorizes the Members to adopt appropriated measures to prevent abuses of intellectual property rights by right holders or practices which restrain trade and international transfer of technology; in the Article 40, which deals with the control of anti-competitive practices in contractual licenses; and Article 31(k), which deals with the compulsory licensing of patents to remedy a practice considered to be anti-competitive. These provisions were included in the TRIPS Agreement as a result of concessions made by the developed countries to the developed countries, in exchange for the strengthening of the minimal standards for the protection of intellectual property rights. Therefore, these provisions can be considered within the context of the flexibilities set forth in the Agreement. However, even if such provisions represent an essential element of balance, they also left important issues unanswered. Besides being vague, they do not provide adequate guidance for emerging countries to implement national public policies to prevent restrictive practices related with the exploitation of intellectual property rights. As a consequence, whereas the most industrialized countries already have antitrust authorities and courts with strong experience and the necessary resources to deal with issues related with the interface between intellectual property and competition law, most of the emerging countries, even those which have national antitrust laws, have not yet acquired experience and technical capacity to deal with such a complex matter. Thus, the thesis should tackle the circumstances in which possible abuses of intellectual property rights might restrain competition, especially with regard to restrictive practices in licensing agreements, cross-licenses and patent pools, and unilateral exclusionary abuses related with the exploitation of such rights. In this sense, it is proposed to interpret the provisions of TRIPS on competition from the practical experience of the antitrust authorities and courts of the United States and the European Union. We should also tackle the relationship between intellectual property and competition laws in the ambit of the Brazilian legal and constitutional system, especially with regard to Law No. 12.529/2011, the new Brazilian antitrust law, which alters and defines the Brazilian Defense of Competition System SBDC (Sistema Brasileiro de Defesa da Concorrência SBCD), as well as with regard to recent cases judged by the Administrative Counsel of Economic Defense CADE (Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica CADE). Finally, it will be examined possible approaches that could be adopted by developing countries in implementing national competition policies, effective and compatible with the TRIPS Agreement, so as to contribute to future discussions on the issue in international fora.

O presente trabalho busca analisar os diferentes tratamentos dispensados à marca no âmbito do controle preventivo e no controle repressivo de condutas. A análise da função social das marcas demonstrou que esta é uma propriedade que se realiza na concorrência e pela concorrência. Nesse sentido, não há dúvidas de que está sujeita aos princípios do Direito Concorrencial. Todavia, a maneira como esses princípios balizam a marca no controle de atos de concentração, de um lado, e no controle repressivo de condutas, de outro, difere. No âmbito do controle de atos de concentração, a atuação da autoridade concorrencial é orientada por uma variante do princípio da precaução, o que a autoriza a tomar decisões e impor restrições aos direitos marcários mesmo em um contexto de incerteza. No âmbito do controle repressivo de condutas, todavia, a intervenção do CADE está sujeita aos princípios do Processo Administrativo Sancionador. Neste contexto, as condutas que envolvem o uso de direitos de propriedade intelectual, incluindo as marcas, devem ser analisadas à luz do princípio da estrita legalidade. Um critério jurídico objetivo é necessário para distinguir o lícito do ilícito, sobretudo em um cenário no qual estão em jogo duas políticas públicas distintas: a de proteção à concorrência e a de proteção à direitos de propriedade industrial. Sendo essas duas políticas instrumentais e parciais, voltadas a um fim maior de política econômica, devem harmonizar-se, e não sobrepor-se uma a outra. Ademais, o escopo de atuação da autoridade concorrencial em processos que investiguem o uso abusivo de direitos marcários e atos de concorrência desleal deve ser esclarecido. O direito concorrencial, enquanto ramo autônomo do direito, com princípios e métodos interpretativos próprios, pode analisar institutos e figuras de outros ramos que com ele guardem relação sem ter de ficar adstrito ao posicionamento de outras instâncias. / This work has the purposes of analyzing the different treatments trademarks are subject in the fields of merger control and antitrust infringement proceedings. The analysis of the social function of trademark showed that it is a property that becomes effective in and by means of competition. In this sense, there is no doubt that it is subject to the principles of Antitrust Law. However, the way these principles limits trademark rights in the context of merger control, on one side, and, antitrust infringement proceedings, on the other, varies. In the field of merger control, the antitrust authority is guided by a variant of the precautionary principle, which empowers it to make decisions and impose restrictions to trademark rights even in a context of uncertainty. However, under antitrust infringement proceedings, CADEs intervention is subject to the principles of the Sanctioning Administrative Procedure. As a result, the conducts that involve intellectual property rights, including trademark rights, must be analyzed in view of the principle of strict legality. An objective legal criterion is necessary to distinguish licit from illicit behaviors especially under a scenario where two different public policies are at stake: the one relating to competition defense and the other concerning the protection to intellectual property rights. Since these two policies are instrumental, partial and targeted to a higher objective connected with economic policy, they should be harmonized and not overlap each other. In addition, the scope of the competition authoritys jurisdiction in antitrust infringement proceedings which investigate the abuse of trademark laws and acts of unfair competition should be clarified. Antitrust law, as an independent legal field, which contains its own principles and interpretation methods, can analyze institutes from other legal fields to which it is related without being bound by the positioning of other instances.

Since the dawn of the European Union, insurance and banking undertakings claimed to be subject to a special status vis-à-vis the application of EU competition law, due to the quasi social nature of the services they provide. Within the financial services industry, anti-trust concerns do arise in relation to mergers and acquisitions, possible abuses of dominant position and state aid; however Art. 101 TFEU and the regulation of forms of co-operation arguably represent the paramount and most intricate aspects of the application of the EU competition rules to the financial services sector. This is due to the fact that the insurance and banking industries historically have been characterised by intense forms of horizontal co-operation between undertakings deemed necessary for the correct functioning of the financial services industry. On a general level, any agreement establishing a homogeneous pricing structure vis-à-vis consumers represents a blatant violation of Art. 101 TFEU giving rise to serious anti-trust concerns. Nevertheless, as will be explored in this thesis, in the financial services sector the Commission has often allowed what the doctrine has correctly defined as “forms of horizontal agreements concerning a relevant cost element making up the final price vis-à-vis customers”1 through its decisions relating 1 See Faull & Nikpay, “The EC Law of Competition” OUP 2007, p. 636.to interbank fees in payment systems and through the enactment of a block exemption for the insurance industry. Art. 101 thus seems to manifest a common element for these two industries, presenting interesting and intricate teleological quandaries. This thesis endeavours to break the impasse down into questions to which an answer may be provided: Ought Art. 101 to apply to the financial services sector at all? If so, to what extent? Is there any justification for a block exemption in the insurance sector? Indeed, should the banking sector too benefit from a block exemption? This thesis endeavours to answer the above questions and thereby to contribute to the identification of an ideal regulatory framework for forms of horizontal co-operation in the financial services sector.