The global technology ecosystem stands at a historical point of transition between, on the one hand, 3G- and 4G-enabled technologies, which launched transformative changes in audio and video communications, and on the other hand, 5G-enabled technologies, which will enable transformative changes in a broader array of environments, encompassing communication, transportation, health care, and industrial production. The vast increases in bandwidth and decreases in latency brought by 5G-enabled technologies will enable novel business models that exploit person-to-person, person-to-machine, and machine-to-machine pathways.

This conference will attempt to preemptively identify and analyze the key mechanisms through which intellectual property (“IP”) and competition law can supply a robust institutional infrastructure for the growth and development of this emergent Internet of Things (“IOT”) that will encompass substantial areas of business and consumer activities. Specifically, we will focus on the role played by IP and competition law and policy in supporting the dual function of patents and other IP rights in both promoting research and development and disseminating the resulting innovations among a broad population of intermediate and end users. Our speakers will discuss how SEP licensing markets “work” in practice, consider steps policymakers can take to promote efficient licensing markets in multi-dimensional IOT environments, and provide practical insights into licensing arrangements that markets may adopt in transmitting 5G-enabled technologies from innovators to implementers and end users. Additionally, we will cover issues that are of interest to regulators, scholars, and practitioners in Europe, Asia, and other regions. This conference and the corresponding book in this area will be a comprehensive and “state-of-the-art” resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners on IP and competition law and policy in 5G/IOT environments around the world.

The conference will be both held in person at and streamed online via Zoom from George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School in Arlington, Virginia. We hope to see you there!

To view the conference agenda and to register today,
please visit our conference website.