[dvd-discuss] FTC Hearings on IP Law and Policy

[John Young <jya(at)pipeline.com>]

The Federal Trade Commission announced today hearings
on IP law and policy:

  http://cryptome.org/ftc112001.txt

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"The Federal Trade Commission announces public hearings beginning in 
January 2002 on "Competition and Intellectual Property Law and Policy 
in the Knowledge-Based Economy." The hearings will focus primarily on 
the implications of antitrust and patent law and policy for innovation 
and other aspects of consumer welfare. Copyright and trademark issues 
as they arise in particular high-tech contexts also may be considered. 
The hearings will be held at and administered by the FTC and co-hosted 
with the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice.

    The knowledge-based economy has grown in economic significance over
the past few decades. It is increasingly important that competition and
intellectual property law and policy work in tandem to support and
encourage ongoing innovation underlying that economy. Policies for both
competition and intellectual property raise legal and economic
questions that are substantially interlinked.

    Through public hearings, we seek to gather facts about, and to
enhance the understanding of, how doctrines, practices, and policies of
each discipline affect both initial and sequential innovation, and
related functions, in today's economy. The goal is to promote dialogue,
learning, and consensus building among business, consumer, government,
legal, and academic communities on these topics. In addition to
officials from the FTC and the Antitrust Division, business, consumer,
judicial, Congressional, and other government representatives will be
invited, as will representatives from the antitrust and intellectual
property bars, economists, and academics."

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