Trademark Licensing Agreements in Light of the EC Competition Rules

Introduction. Part I.- The notion of trademark licensing agreements and their uses: 1. Definition of trademark licensing agreements. 1.2. EC Trademark licensing provisions. 1.3. Other trademark agreements ¿ mention. 1.4. Relevant competition law provisions. Part II.- 2. Individual contractual clauses within the prohibition of art. 81(1) EEC Treaty: 2.1. Territorial protection, exclusive licensing 2.1.1. Exclusivity in trademark licensing ¿ general remarks. 2.1.2. Specific circumstances as a basis for infringement of competition rules. 2.1.3. Policy considerations with regard to exclusive licensing. 2.1.4. Legal effects of exclusivity. 2.2. Quality control, manufacturing and marketing of product. 2.3. Tie-in clauses. 2.4. No-challenge clauses. 3. Conclusion. Bibliografy.Uno de los problemas que plantean los contratos de licencia de marcas es la conciliación del interés de los contratantes con el Derecho de la competencia. Por un lado, es preciso garantizar a las partes la más amplia libertad contractual, al mismo tiempo que, no obstante, debe preservarse, por otro, la libre competencia en el mercado. El presente artículo constituye una aproximación al régimen de los contratos de licencia en dicho contexto, en el que la clave es encontrar el balance adecuado entre los legítimos intereses de los titulares de derechos sobre marcas y la protección de la competencia leal, dos conceptos que se complementan uno a otro y que constituyen elemento indispensable del mercado común Europeo.Licensing of trademarks is one of the areas where interests of trademark holders and competition rules overlap. On the one side, there is a need to guarantee to the parties the broadest possible freedom in shaping the licensing contract, on the other again, protection of other traders and of undistorted competition in the market remains the matter of concern for European authorities. The present paper provides an overview of the rules relating to trademark licensing agreements, as they were developed by the European institutions and shaped according to requirements of the EU competition law. It is to highlight the search for the right balance between legitimate interests of trademark holders and protection of fair competition, the two concepts which complement each other and which constitute an indispensable element of the Common Market

Metabolic syndrome is associated with similar long-term prognosis in non-obese and obese patients. An analysis of 45 615 patients from the nationwide LIPIDOGRAM 2004-2015 cohort studies

Aims We aimed to evaluate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and long-term all-cause mortality. Methods The LIPIDOGRAM studies were carried out in the primary care in Poland in 2004, 2006 and 2015. MetS was diagnosed based on the National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III) and Joint Interim Statement (JIS) criteria. The cohort was divided into four groups: non-obese patients without MetS, obese patients without MetS, non-obese patients with MetS and obese patients with MetS. Differences in all-cause mortality was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Results 45,615 participants were enrolled (mean age 56.3, standard deviation: 11.8 years; 61.7% female). MetS was diagnosed in 14,202 (31%) by NCEP/ATP III criteria, and 17,216 (37.7%) by JIS criteria. Follow-up was available for 44,620 (97.8%, median duration 15.3 years) patients. MetS was associated with increased mortality risk among the obese (hazard ratio, HR: 1.88 [95% CI, 1.79-1.99] and HR: 1.93 [95% CI 1.82-2.04], according to NCEP/ATP III and JIS criteria, respectively) and non-obese individuals (HR: 2.11 [95% CI 1.85-2.40] and 1.7 [95% CI, 1.56-1.85] according to NCEP/ATP III and JIS criteria respectively). Obese patients without MetS had a higher mortality risk than non-obese patients without MetS (HR: 1.16 [95% CI 1.10-1.23] and HR: 1.22 [95%CI 1.15-1.30], respectively in subgroups with NCEP/ATP III and JIS criteria applied). Conclusions MetS is associated with increased all-cause mortality risk in non-obese and obese patients. In patients without MetS obesity remains significantly associated with mortality. The concept of metabolically healthy obesity should be revised