In times of rapid technological progress and an economy based on
information and knowledge, two autonomous legal concepts play a
significant role in shaping business environment, concepts which
may seem to be contradictory: intellectual property law and
competition law. The first one protects investments, progress and
innovations by granting the entitled person an exclusivity, i.e. a
legal monopoly to use their products or solutions, in specific
territories (most often in specific countries). The second one, as
a public law, protects the free and competitive market.
The existence of a monopoly in any form, including a monopoly on
intellectual property goods, stays in fundamental conflict with
basic objectives and priorities of competition law. Because of
them, on a monopolistic market, competition becomes significantly
limited, if not completely excluded. On the other hand, the aim of
both areas of law is in fact the effective allocation of resources
and the promotion
