International and Comparative Competition Laws and Policies

Competition policy is in the process of adoption in dozens of nations worldwide, at a time when competition laws have necessarily become applicable to such new fields as trade, investment, intellectual property rights, information technology, and global consumer protection. Although vigorous enforcement - especially across borders - remains the most serious challenge to global success, it is also important to recognize that the established American-European model of competition policy may not be the "right thing" for countries with radically different cultural traditions, especially less-developed countries. This book explores the prospects for competition policy, its likely development, and its ever-more-central role in the world trade regime. With this book, interested parties may benefit from the perspectives of scholars and policymakers representing Asia Pacific, Europe, and North and South America. Issues investigated include: the costs of absorbing a new technology; distinct and evolving national competition policies and the fabric of world trade; extraterritorial enforcement and co-operation agreements; criteria for "material injury" in international trade rules; collusive technology transfer barriers; the re-emergence of transnational cartels; and the tendency of anti-dumping rules to foster cartelization. The major competition policy issues on the international agenda - the harmonization of national policies and international trade rules; the integration of intellectual property rights, technology transfer, and investment; and enforcement co-operation across borders - are all analyzed in depth from many different angles. This is a valuable book for practitioners, government officials, and academics in this critical area of contemporary law and policy.