Antitrust authorities around the world are targeting global technology companies. This conference will examine the competitive environment in which tech companies operate and how antitrust affects innovation in this critically important sector. Do certain characteristics of the sector, such as reliance on platforms and large amounts of data, warrant special scrutiny? What role should antitrust play in regulating standards and licensing of standard-related intellectual property? What is the role of the U.S. and the new administration’s antitrust officials in a global economy in which enforcement, legal standards and procedures vary across countries and competition agencies? Join us for a discussion of these and related issues at “Competition and Innovation in the Digital Economy: Global Policy Considerations.”

Opening remarks will be given by former Federal Trade Commission Chairman William Kovacic, who is currently Global Competition Professor of Law and Policy; Professor of Law; and Director, Competition Law Center at George Washington University School of Law.

Panel 1 – Competition Policy in the Global Economy

Susan Creighton, Partner and Co-Chair, Antitrust Practice, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Geoffrey Manne, Executive Director, International Center for Law and Economics

Lawrence White, Robert Kavesh Professor of Economics and Deputy Chair, Economics Department, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University

Panel 2 – Standards, Standard Essential Patents and Innovation: The Role of Antitrust

Scott Kieff, Commissioner, U.S. International Trade Commission

Timothy Simcoe, Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Alan Devlin, Acting Deputy Director, Competition Bureau, Federal Trade Commission

Additional speakers will be announced soon.