Whither Symmetry? Antitrust Analysis of Intellectual Property Rights at the FTC and DOJ

Competition Policy International, Vol. 9, No. 2, Fall 2013, Forthcoming

George Mason Law & Economics Research Paper No. 13-71

25 Pages Posted: 11 Dec 2013

See all articles by Joshua D. Wright

Joshua D. Wright

Lodestar Law and Economics

Douglas H. Ginsburg

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; George Mason University - Antonin Scalia Law School

Date Written: December 10, 2013

Abstract

In modern antitrust law, intellectual and other forms of property have been treated symmetrically as a matter of principle. Recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission and Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, however, sound a departure from this salutary principle of symmetry. In this paper, we describe and defend the principle against the recent barrage of agency testimony and enforcement actions discouraging holders of standard essential patents from pursuing preliminary injunctions or exclusion orders; arguing that breach of a FRAND commitment constitutes an antitrust violation; and tightening merger review involving standard essential patents.

Keywords: ad hoc, asymmetry, contract, copyright, economic theory, empirical data, injunctive relief, inhospitability tradition, IP Guidelines, IPR, licensing, patent, patent pool, patent holdup, per se, presumption, RAND, reasonable and nondiscriminatory, refusal to deal, SEP, SSO, standards setting

JEL Classification: K12, K21, K23, K42, L40

Suggested Citation

Wright, Joshua D. and Ginsburg, Douglas H., Whither Symmetry? Antitrust Analysis of Intellectual Property Rights at the FTC and DOJ (December 10, 2013). Competition Policy International, Vol. 9, No. 2, Fall 2013, Forthcoming, George Mason Law & Economics Research Paper No. 13-71, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2365577

Joshua D. Wright

Lodestar Law and Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 751
Mclean, VA 22101
United States

Douglas H. Ginsburg (Contact Author)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ( email )

333 Constitution Ave NW
Room 5523
Washington, DC 20001
United States

George Mason University - Antonin Scalia Law School ( email )

3301 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22201
United States

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