Little fish, big pond: The Tipline for 19 April 2021

Federal Trade Commission member Noah Phillips last week noted how the intersection of intellectual property and antitrust is largely absent from the broader discussion about the future of competition policy. “As important as the IP and antitrust issues are, to some extent, they pale in comparison to these more big, fundamental questions – how the law ought to be directed, what it means, whether fundamental changes are in order,” the commissioner said. Even so, Phillips said he expects continued legislative interest in areas where intellectual property and antitrust merge, citing past proposals to address product hopping. “I do think we are going to continue to see interest from Congress, even if it isn’t the kind that captures the big headlines,” he said.