Joint Research and Development under US Antitrust and EU Competition Law

Due to disagreement between policymakers and innovation economists, antitrust agencies have been rather confused over when and how to use competition law in reference to research and development (R&D) joint ventures and collaborations. This important book dissects the antitrust treatment, in the USA and under EU law, of joint R&D ventures from the 1970s to the present day. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the modifications and amendments made to legal acts and guidelines. It also looks at the slow shift in the scant case law detected both under the antitrust laws of the USA and the competition rules of the EU.

Björn Lundqvist demonstrates that the prevailing antitrust policies towards R&D collaborations are very similar in the USA and the EU, and that they both mirror a lenient attitude towards collaboration between competitors. Nonetheless, ultimately, the book shows that a more stringent attitude from the antitrust establishment can be discerned, and that the concept of the ‘innovation market’ could possibly soon have a revival.