Book Review: Intellectual Property and Competition: Critical Concepts in Intellectual Property Law, edited by M.A. Carrier. (Edward Elgar, 2011)

Intellectual Property and Competition is a collection of previously published landmark pieces which explore different elements of the relationship between IP and competition. Carrier provides a reflective introduction which is a microcosm of the book itself, and a stimulating reminder of the key challenges in the field. The collection has four parts. ‘History’ comprises Hovenkamp’s 2005contribution ‘The Conflict between Antitrust and Intellectual Property Rights’, in which he concluded that the conflict was illusory. ‘New Economy’ has a piece from 2001 by Posner ‘Exclusionary Practices (II): The New Economy’, which concluded that antitrust doctrine could address the challenges of software, internet based business and communications, just as it has addressed those of more traditional manufacturing. Also from 2001, there is Pitofsky’s ‘Antitrust and Intellectual Property: Unresolved Issues at the Heart of the New Economy’.