CCI

CCI has sought information on issues

 

vis-à-vis Jet Airways-Etihad deal

 

Ashok Chawla

 

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has sought some information on certain issues regarding the $600 million worth Jet Airways-Etihad deal, CCI chairman, Mr Ashok Chawla said at an ASSOCHAM event held in New Delhi .

 

“The work is in progress as our people have asked them for some information which is awaited as there are certain issues, so we will look at that when it comes and the commission will decide and take a call,” said Mr Chawla while inaugurating an international conference on ‘Interface between Intellectual Property & Competition Law’ organized by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

 

The chairman also informed that CCI has written to the Telecom Ministry to ascertain the factual position of the reports that had appeared in the media about process of spectrum auctions being anti-competitive. “We are trying to understand whether the process was actually anti-competitive or not.”

 

Mr Chawla also told that CCI is working on a study covering various dimensions of manufacturing and sale of pharmaceuticals in India. “We are trying to get a study done on various dimensions of manufacturing and sale of pharmaceuticals involving various issues of patent regime, process of manufacture, pricing, reasonable terms and conditions and of course, the sale of drugs, so we hope to cover all that.”

 

Earlier while speaking on the theme of ASSOCHAM conference on interface between intellectual property and competition law, Mr Chawla said that interface between intellectual property segment and competition part is slowly beginning to play out but still the crossroads are at a very nascent stage.

 

“We have very little jurisdiction on the subject and its extremely useful and opportune that businesses, industry, lawyers focusing in this area get together and talk to each other and learn from what is happening and look at various cases,” said the CCI chairman.

 

He further said that competition authorities across the globe are facing the challenge to balance the interests of those seeking protection for their innovation and other stakeholders who don’t want to be taken for a ride.

 

The CCI chairman also called for competition authorities to take a nuanced approach in innovative areas involving fast technology and dealing with issues like nature of market, restrictions imposed and others.

 

“There is a need for a collaborative approach between policy makers, intellectual property agencies and competition authorities together with a need for wider dissemination, advocacy which comes from World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and it should also come from regulators and authorities domestically, trade and industry bodies and the legal community,” said Mr Chawla.

 

Amid others who addressed the ASSOCHAM conference included: Mr Nuno Pires de Carvalho, director, IP & Competition Policy Division, WIPO, Geneva; Mr Chaitanya Prasad, IAS, Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks; Mr V. Lakshmi Kumaran, managing partner, Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan; Ms Mamta Jha, partner, INTTL Advocare and Mr D.S. Rawat, secretary general, ASSOCHAM.