THE ROLE OF ANTITRUST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Anne K. Bingaman, Assistant Attorney General Antitrust Division U.S. Department of Justice

3/18/2015
(Original Publish Date: 6/16/1994)

I am delighted to have this opportunity to outline the Division's views on a vitally important issue: the intersection of antitrust enforcement and the protection of intellectual property rights. Today's topic, "Intellectual Property into the 21st Century," is especially appropriate and timely. It is appropriate because intellectual property is the engine for jobs and economic growth, now and in the future. It is timely because we have been actively evaluating our enforcement policy in the past few months and will soon issue new intellectual property Guidelines. In addition, just three weeks ago, we filed our first non-merger intellectual property case in fifteen years. What I hope to convey today is not only the guiding principles of our enforcement policy, but how intelligent antitrust enforcement can spur innovation.