Legal Definitions - Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property

Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property are a set of rules created by the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Justice Department and the FTC. These guidelines help the agencies decide whether to investigate or take legal action against restrictions in licenses for patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and know-how.

For example, if a company owns a patent for a new technology and licenses it to another company, the Antitrust Guidelines would ensure that the licensing agreement does not unfairly limit competition in the market. The guidelines would also ensure that the licensing agreement does not give one company an unfair advantage over others.

The Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property are important because they help protect competition in the market and prevent companies from using their intellectual property to unfairly dominate the market.