IP/TMT Seminar // 11th Antitrust Annual Conference

What comes to your mind when you think of a picturesque coastline, the Alcazaba castle towering over the city, beautifully designed botanical gardens, excellent food and hometown of Picasso? Yes, the bustling city and capital of the Costa del Sol, Málaga! Besides all these characteristics, Málaga Valley is also considered a fast growing economic, tech and financial hotspot with over 600 innovative companies in the Andalusia Technology Park – the Silicon Valley of Europe. This is why Málaga is the perfect place to discuss new technologies and their regulation from an IP and TMT as well as from a competition law perspective.

The Intellectual Property, Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (IP/TMT) Commission and the Antitrust Commission would like to welcome you to their respective Annual Conference which will feature a thrilling academic and an awesome social programme.

Regulators worldwide have been very busy lately with the revision and adaptation of old rules and the introduction of new rules to face the challenges raised by new technologies and developments in the digital world. But are these renewed regulations really future proof? The academic programme, which will feature two tracks, not only addresses this question from an IP/TMT and from a competition law perspective but will also tackle the intersection of the two subjects and explore whether there can ever be a balance between competition and IP law both in the digital and the traditional world. While the competition track focuses on vertical and horizontal challenges for on-site and online business, aspects of consumer welfare in the e-commerce and impact of DMA on European market as well as approaches to tackle unilateral conduct of dominant undertakings in specific sectors, the IP/TMT track explores if copyright, trademark, design, and patent law are equipped to meet the demands of the modern world. Does copyright law offer suitable protection for source codes? Is the "one size fits it all" design of patent law still feasible in complex product industries? What mechanisms are in place to protect and enforce intellectual property rights in digital environments?

Since these future challenges may also be sector specific, it will be explored whether traditional laws appropriately regulate a sector or whether a specific regulation would be more suitable to address new trends, in the healthcare sector, the cosmetic industry, the world of sports and e-sports, gamification, the metaverse, AI (ChatGPT), infrastructure sectors or the like.

Besides the academic programme, the Organising Committee is setting the stage for a striking social programme: enjoy with us countless excellent and miraculous tapas and discover the charms of Málaga, which is home to a beautiful historic center dating back to the 8th century BC, colorful alleys as well as a vibrant theater and arts community influenced by the famous actor Antonio Banderas, or join us for a relaxed glass of vino de Málaga. And for those who are still full of energy at night, the famous club life will keep you going until sunrise.

See you in Málaga!