Just when the European patent community finally expected the Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPCA) and the Unitary Patent Regulation (UPR) to enter into force soon, the UK electorate voted in favour of “Brexit”. Among a host of other issues this raises the question of whether the UK...

This article discusses ways in which the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and post-GATS free trade agreements may limit the EU's ability to regulate privacy and personal data protection as fundamental rights. After discussing this issue in two dimensions – the vertical...

This is my response to the public consultation on the rules of procedure (the 15th draft) for the European Unified Patent Court (UPC) that the UPC Committee conducted between June and September 2013. The focus is put on constitutional implications and conflicts of interests.The key points are:...

Business-related human rights abuses remain endemic in Europe and globally. European actors have implemented measures to address business-related human rights abuses both prior and subsequent to the United Nations 2011 Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, a central reference point of...

The author discusses the EU Commission’s triad of proposals in the Digital Services Package of Winter 2020, i.e. the proposed Data Governance Act (DGA), Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA). These bills represent the hitherto most ambitious and broad regulatory project in...

Discussions of the future of competition law on the transnational level often reflect assumptions about the role of economics. Perhaps the most pivotal of these assumptions is that economics can provide a basis for global competition law convergence. It is pivotal, because choices and strategies...

The protection afforded to franchisees differs widely across the world. Nations with economically strong franchise sectors typically regulate the contract’s bargaining phase and post-formation. Responding to the European Parliament’s call for a review of regulations governing Europe’s...

The States’ perception of what constitutes fair competition in international air transport has evolved from a quid pro quo approach in the era of airline regulation to a laissez-faire approach in the era of airline de-regulation. However, no consensus has ever been reached as to, first, what...

The authors confront complexness and rigour of EU directives on public procurement vis-à-vis broad wording of international agreements concluded within EU neighbourhood policy. The firs reason for this comparison is ongoing spread of principles of the EU law to the third countries. The second...