Revisiting China's competition law and its interaction with intellectual property rights

Taking the dynamics of EU competition policy as a reference, the author provides a historical perspective of China's competition law, enforcement mechanisms and future challenges against the background of ongoing economic reforms and the concomitant modernisation of the judicial system. Readers are familiarised with the main principles of China’s IP Guidelines. Recent judicial and administrative landmark decisions are covered as well. The author studies issues at the nexus between China’s competition law and IP regime. Coherent goals of the two legal systems are achieved through seemingly opposite means: Safeguarding free competition for all market players versus granting exclusive rights to IP owners. It is a constant challenge for China’s competition authorities to strike an optimal balance when applying competition law to the exercise of IP rights.